A campaigning mother-of-two has told how a row over the location of a bus shelter has left her children standing on the verge of a 60mph road waiting for their school transport every day.
Concerned that her teenaged children were waiting for their lift to Plockton High School on the A87, Kirkton resident Emma Bennet-West fought for a bus shelter.
After three years, a new stop was built in March – at a cost of £8,000, according to Ms Bennet-West.
But on the very first day of waiting at the new stop, Connor, 13, and Emma, 14, were told by the driver that they would have to go back to the old stop.
The company which does the school run – Skyeways – refused to stop at it citing safety concerns of inadequate sightlines.
Ms Bennet-West said: “I find the whole thing upsetting. When the kids came home and told me the bus driver said they should use the old stop or they wouldn’t be picked up I cried.
“Despite all this, the powers that be consistently tell me that safety is their greatest concern but show no urgency in rectifying the situation, and in my opinion, continue to put the lives of my children at risk.The whole thing is a fiasco, an omnishambles.”
Since March, the teenagers have been waiting on an unprotected verge a five-minute walk from the brand-new shelter – although there now may be hope of a solution.
A spokesperson for BEAR Scotland said: “We’re aware of the situation at Kirkton and the concerns regarding a recently installed bus shelter there by The Highland Council. We’re open to discussions with all stakeholders to consider alternative options for a more suitable location for a bus stop in the Kirkton area.”
It is now hoped that Transport Scotland may have a solution, a spokesman said: “Further to a meeting with the Community Council, Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland on 5 July and subsequent site visit with two residents, we have undertaken to provide an area of hardstanding in the vicinity of the shinty pitch gate entrance in Kirkton subject to detailed design, associated processes and wider programme priorities.”
A council spokesman said: “Our officers met with the bus company in March and they confirmed that they would be using the stop. We have not been made aware that there is now a problem so we ask the people affected to contact us so we can take it up with the bus company. We are going to have to discuss this further with the bus company and the parent to find a suitable solution.”
