Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Underhand tactics could hit kids hard
What a time people in North Lanarkshire are having just now.
Just as they start to recover from the debacles of the withdrawal and then reinstatement of the community alert systems and the change to bin collections – something that is still not fully sorted yet – they are hit with the prospect of seeing their children lose transport services.
The disgraceful proposal would mean children would be forced off the school bus if they live up to two miles from their school for primary pupils and three for those at secondary.
The result of the vote to go to consultation was bad enough, but the way the vote was run was even worse.
Labour and Tory councillors banded together to defeat the SNP group in the secondary school vote which, if I am honest, was only to be expected; but the primary vote was a different thing entirely.
Two councillors, one Tory and one Labour, declared an interest due to being representatives of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and left the room.
Normally when someone declares an interest then they don’t take part in any subsequent vote; this is where things started to get interesting. The Conservative group sided with the SNP and the vote was heading for a Labour defeat at 17-16 when the Labour councillor, Michael McPake, returned to the room to vote, something the Tory did not.
Tied at 17 all, the Labour convener used his casting vote to push the motion through.
Now people will say all’s fair in politics, but when underhand tactics are used that may result in children’s lives being put at risk is not acceptable at all.
I can understand that North Lanarkshire Council need to make savings given their mismanagement of the council’s funds over the past decades, but not by making young children walk some of the busiest and most dangerous roads in the areas to get to school. And that is not the only worry. The council has environmental targets to hit; by continuing with this plan, more parents and guardians will be forced to drive the kids to school to make sure they get there safely.
How does this match up to green ambitions?
How will this proposal sort the dangerous traffic congestion around school gates?
Carlisle Road, the A89 and Brownsburn Road are busy enough, but imagine scores of school children trying to cross at the same time as drivers making their way to work?
Children from Glenmavis will have to walk the road round by the golf course, which has an extremely narrow pavement along one side.
What happens if people have to step onto the road at one of the blind bends? It doesn’t bear thinking about.
I am organising a petition, both online and paper, which I hope the people of my Airdrie & Shotts constituency will sign so we can force the council to think again.
The online petition can be found at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ petitions/stop-nlc-changing-schooltransportand paper ones will be distributed throughout the constituency; it will also be available at my office for people to drop in and sign.
We cannot stand for this. We must act now and send a clear message to North Lanarkshire Council that this will not be accepted.
It may result in children’s lives being put at risks... not acceptable