Campaigners fighting plans to overhaul home-to-school transport in North Yorkshire have released new footage showing the icy conditions on a potential bus route.
In contrast, a clip taken on the same day from the current route from upper Swaledale to Richmond has also been released showing a road clear of ice and snow.
The two videos were taken by members of the School Transport Action Group (STAG), which was formed in response to a move from North Yorkshire Council to only provide free school transport to a child’s nearest school rather than the previously used catchment school system.
STAG said the clips, taken at the same time on December 22, highlighted the marked difference in road conditions on the lower levels compared to higher routes in the Dales.
A spokesperson added: “Children travelling out of the dale to Richmond School is a no-brainer, as it has been for decades rather than sending them across higher routes to Kirkby Stephen or Barnard Castle.
“Our fight isn’t because of not wanting change, it’s because the land and the weather does not change and so, as in any rural area, you respect it, work around it and with it.
“We need sense to be seen and for no change to be implemented — it works best as it is.”
Footage from the road to Richmond:
Footage from the road towards Kirkby Stephen:
The change announced by the council has meant some parents being told their child will need to go a different school to the one traditionally attended by those in their community, if they want to get a free bus to school.
Some parents in the Yorkshire Dales have been informed they will need to travel outside the county to Cumbria and County Durham to qualify, prompting safety concerns about school buses navigating high and remote moorland roads.
The clip over higher ground was taken on the B6270 on the road towards Kirkby Stephen with a member of the campaign group using a 4×4.
The clip lower ground taken was taken on the same road, but in the valley bottom on a journey towards Richmond.
The campaigners have pointed out that a photo taken on the same journey on the higher route shows gritting up to the North Yorkshire/ Cumbria border on the Cumbria side, but none on the North Yorkshire side.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for inclusion, Amanda Newbold said the authority understood the concerns from parents and carers around transporting children and young people to the school of their choice.
She added: “In line with national timelines and a process that is unchanged from previous years, parents will be informed of their child’s school place on National Offer Day which is March 3, 2025, for secondary aged children, and April 16, 2025, for primary aged children. Children’s eligibility for assistance with home-to-school travel will be assessed after each national offer day.
“Once eligibility for assistance is known, officers will determine whether eligible children can be accommodated within existing contracts or whether new contracts, including new routes, are required.
“This is in accordance with the council’s longstanding arrangements for the provision of home-to-school travel. No new routes have been set up and will not be established until the admissions process is complete.”
The officer said risk assessments would be carried out with operators, if new routes were used.
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