Bid to ban overtaking school buses

The UK transport minister is to consider the case for an experimental ban in Scotland on vehicles overtaking when pupils are boarding or leaving school buses.

Sadiq Khan has promised to meet Gordon Liberal Democrat MP Malcolm Bruce to discuss this and other ideas to reduce the accident toll among pupils before the Commons rises for summer later this month.

He told Mr Bruce during a special Commons debate raised by the MP that his department did not believe the proposal was the best way forward.

But he added: “I promise him I will have open ears and I will discuss in full detail with him and listen to the points he has raised.

“He has referred to a pilot and we can discuss that when we meet in the near future.”

Mr Bruce had proposed a trial of a system — already in operation in the United States — where all traffic has to stop when children are getting on or off a school bus.

It would require legislation to be passed at Westminster because road traffic law is a reserved UK issue.

Mr Bruce said later: “He has offered me a meeting before the recess and at I will explore with him the possibility of having a Scottish pilot of a ‘no overtaking’ rule as well as other safety improvements. I think the minister responded to my proposals extremely constructively and he said he was willing to engage with me.”

The overtaking ban is a key element of a bill which Mr Bruce has introduced in the Commons, although it has no chance of making progress.

The MP acted following two road deaths. Alexander Milne, 12, was knocked down and killed at Lonmay, near Fraserburgh, and Robyn Oldham, 15, died near Turriff.

Mr Khan offered his “deepest sympathy” to their parents and said the UK Government was keen for school transport to be as safe as possible. But he added that an “all stop” rule would not benefit school children who used public buses and it might give pupils leaving school buses a false sense of security, so they took less care when travelling on ordinary buses.