To think the 3 mile rule for school transport is unfair and not fit for the current time?

[WellThatsMeScrewed]

My eldest does not get transport to her secondary school because we live 2.89 miles away from her secondary school. Supposedly she can walk this.

It would involve crossing 3 lots of dual carriageways, walking along a unlit busy road.

It’s just not fair.

The 3 mile rule is from some archaic time where there was hardly any traffic.

Does it not include a Safe Walked Route in the policy? In my LEA if there isn’t a Safe Walked Route then you’re eligible for free transport.

the speed limit on dual carriagewys varies it can be anything from 30-70mph

Any why should there be a cut off? Tell me why should someone on the SAME street get a free bus and us not? Don’t tell me that is fair?

I’m not entirely sure why you’re directing your frustration at anyone on this thread? People are simply sharing their experience/expectations based on their circumstances.

There has to be a cut-off somewhere measurable but that’s why appeals exist, to capture those who fall outside of the requirements but still have issues.

Make your case to the authorities that have the means to do something, don’t take it out on people just offering an opinion (you asked for).

Challenge it on the safety aspect.

Also investigate whether there is a non-free option. Quite often, if there is a bus provided for those over 3 miles, spare seats are offered on a paid-for basis to those living slightly nearer. It's a bit galling, especially if the kids are actually getting on at the same stop, but it's better than nothing.

I do wonder whether the three miles should be reviewed. It was set in a day when many adults walked/cycled to work, but hardly anyone would expect to walk that distance now. On the one hand, there's no reason why kids can't walk that distance, but on the other, why are they expected to do what adults won't?

Three miles on a bike is more reasonable, but in that case the assessment should be of whether it is a safe cycling route - usually the pavements are rather safer than the roads!

Is there not a bus she can get? Annoying as it is I agree there needs to be a distance cut off or all children would qualify for transport to school.

"Any why should there be a cut off? Tell me why should someone on the SAME street get a free bus and us not? Don’t tell me that is fair?"

There has to be a cut off. The 3 mile cut off is unlikely to change because school transport is expensive.
Your appeal needs to be on safety grounds.

I have never crossed a dual carriageway in my life?

I’m genuinely gobsmacked at this. Really?

The countryside town I live in in the southwest has both types of dual carriageway in close proximity. It has the A303 running past it that many of the children attending the main school would need to cross. That does not have traffic lights or any sort of pedestrian crossing. It would be suicide to attempt to cross it on foot.

Yet, within the town it has 30mph stretches of dual carriageway with traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings along its length. That's definitely suitable for secondary school aged kids to cross.

Sounds like it. Can you afford to pay for the bus? Or does your child have no choice but to walk? If it’s the latter, I have much more empathy.

Have you spoken to the transport office ? When I actually spoke to someone they were lovely. Basically your address gets put into a computer and that automatically churns out a yes/No and method for transport. If you contact them they look at the individual case. In our case although the school is only 2.6 miles away, 1.8 miles of that is on an unlit rural A road with no pavements and at least 1 fatality/year ! Once they looked at it properly they just ok'd transport with no issue.. the bloke I was talking to said.. God i wouldn't walk up there with a dog let alone a child.. it was clearly completely unsafe. I didnt need to do an appeal or anything as it would have been a clear waste of resources.

My council has different rules, more than 1mile to primary school entitles you to a bus and more than 2miles to secondary. We are about 1.7 miles from the primary and 3 miles ish from our catchment secondary so my kids get the bus and it's wonderful. About half of the kids in our village do, if they removed it the village would be carnage at drop off/pick up times!

www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/article/3486/Home-to-school-transport

Wow that's not a kind reply.

I wouldn't have an issue with my child crossing the certain dual carriageways bit a different three would terrify me. Plenty of dual carriageways have pedestrian crossing with lights. Whereas others would be the island thing only. That's why the safety rule is there judged on individual routes.

I don’t think any parent would want their DC doing that walk.

So most would pay for the bus, or sort out a lift.

It’s really unfortunate when you’re just cut off from the free funding and others nearby are allowed it - but there’s always someone who loses out. There isn’t loads of finding money to go around.

Hope you can win an appeal, OP.

I used to live in a village this far from the local school. We were all really annoyed by this as although you could walk, it simply wasn't safe. A walk way at the side of a dual carriageway and then a pavement on a B road.

There was public transport. One bus every hour. I dread to think how much that would be nowadays. If you missed jt, due to the rural location, you had to wait an hour for the next bus or walk. This route is now being cancelled due to lack of take up. No idea what they are going to do in that village now.

Area and safety of the walk should be taken into account.

I would not want my daughter of any age to be doing the same walk.

Crossing a dual carriageway is exactly the same as crossing a normal road. As long as there is a crossing, obviously. If there is no safe crossing, then it's not a safe route. Ditto if you have to walk through a dark park.

I don't know where the OP lives, but generally it's not dark until 4pm even in the depths of winter unless you live in the north of Scotland, so walking home should be fine; if she stayed behind for school activities the bus would have gone anyway.

I agree with others, the distance is fine. The issue is whether it is safe, both from a road safety perspective, and from the fact she is female (you may be less worried about a boy crossing a park, for example).

It's a two mile rule where we are. We live 1.9miles away from the school. Used to be an issue but not with the Young Scot card these days. Still, DS chooses to walk there and back.

School transport costs LAs an absolute fortune, millions pa in our county. It would be wonderful if everyone got everything for free, but the money has to come from somewhere.

TBH, I'd prefer to see more help for shorter distances for those who need it, while families who can pay to get their own children to school do so even on longer trips.

FWIW, I paid c. £100 pm each of mine to get the bus. I'd be one of the families who paid, but I think that's right, they're my DC.

At the alternative provision where I work, we have disadvantaged children who get 3 buses and a two hour journey because the LA won't pay for a train. Now that is tough.

The nearest dual carriageway to me has one pedestrian/bike/horse crossing but lots of pedestrian/bike bridges and a few of underpasses to cross it.

However no-one having to cross it can argue it's unsafe to cross due to traffic.

Has the school just been built?

Presumably you knew this when purchasing your house?

How did she get to primary school? Can you not sleep her?

Take* not sleep!

My son lives 20 min walk from school, 5 mins by car. He gets a private taxi taking him to school!

I agree. 3 miles each way is too far IMO for any child to walk twice a day with a heavy school bag, especially in winter when it is likely to be dark. My DC is 2.5 miles from school (our only local school) but the footpath is through woodland and across an unlit common. Luckily there is a public bus. On MN however children should generally be expected to trek 5 miles across motorways and rivers, preferably barefoot. As if anyone really wants their 11 year old child crossing busy dual carriageways.

Appealing on the grounds of safety sounds like your best bet though will likely take time.

The three mile limit was introduced in the 1944 Education Act - before that children often walked five miles or more. We now live in a very different world. Most people never walk anywhere near three miles anywhere now, especially for school or work. I think nearly six miles a day for school children with books to carry is too much, even for teens.
Maybe the key issue is whether there is any public transport at all. I grew up in an area with buses and got a free bus pass as I travelled five miles to school. Many parents could afford the fares if there is transport available.

We recently got refused transport because we weren’t sending Dd to the closest school. We had applied for the TWO closest schools(mid year house move), got rejected, and were allocated one over three miles away. That’s somehow grounds for rejection. I have appealed of course 🙄