Angry parents stage walk to show dangers along ‘notorious’ road

GLENROTHES: Protest over possible withdrawal of school transport near busy route

Anxious parents walked alongside a “notorious” part of the A92 to show the dangers facing children if school buses are withdrawn.

Fife Council has suggested the pavement by the busy trunk road is an available walking route from the Tofthill estate to Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes.

Youngsters there are among 800 across Fife who could be affected by a proposed new policy likely to result in transport being withdrawn for some living within two miles of secondary school or one mile of primary schools.

If the almost two-mile route between Tofthill and Auchmuty is reclassified, as recommended under the new policy, children would join the A92 pavement at Balbirnie Burns.

They would cross a road at the Tullis Russell roundabout and negotiate narrow sections of pavement, with lorries and buses going past, before reaching a footbridge and underpass near the school.

Parent Collette Milne, who organised the walk, said: “This is a notorious part of the A92. It is the main haulage route to Dundee.

“Parts of the path are narrow, there’s very poor lighting, it’s slippy. This is a 40mph road, recently reduced from 50mph because of safety concerns, but people still speed past.”

On another section, she said, children would have to walk close to 60mph traffic, adding: “It’s just not safe.”

Parents were accompanied on the walk by local councillors John Beare, Jan Wincott and Fiona Grant.

Fife Council education convener Councillor Fay Sinclair stressed routes would be assessed by a team of education, transport and police officers when a policy was adopted. She said: “We have to look at the condition of pavements, the width of footpaths, the volume of traffic and the gaps between traffic if there are roads to cross.”

The consultation continues until December 14 and results will be presented to the council’s education and children’s services committee in January.

“Parts of the path are narrow, there’s very poor lighting, it’s slippy. PARENT COLLETTE MILNE

Picture: Kenny Smith. Parents of pupils in Glenrothes who face losing entitlement to school buses gathered and walked the route alongside the A92 suggested by Fife Council.