Ex-Wigan mayor's concern for pupils 'dicing with death' on school walk

Coun John Hilton says that youngsters are dicing with death walking from his home township of Aspull to Rose Bridge High, Ince, both in terms of using the road – which has virtually no pavement at one point - and then the canal towpath which he feels has safety issues of its own, including attack risks and falls into the water.

The authority’s Home to School Transport Policy states that a free bus service is available for pupils if the walking distance from home is more than three miles for over-eights and over two miles for under-eights.

Most Aspull secondary school-aged youngsters go to Standish High and so get free bus travel, as it is more than three miles

away.

But Standish’s rocketing success and more and more homes being built near to it means that in future Coun Hilton thinks that an increasing number of Aspull youngsters won’t make the cut and go to Rose Bridge instead.

By road, Rose Bridge is 3.3 miles away, but on foot the journey is 2.8 miles because pupils can get to Ince down the side of the flight of locks from New Springs to Britannia Bridge.

And so they don’t get free bus travel and are therefore more likely to walk. Which is where Coun Hilton fears there could be a growing safety problem.

He said “Not all parents can afford to put their children on buses, or have cars so they are left to send their children a mile down a busy main road before they can join the canal path.”

The proposed route means that children must walk down Wigan Road before being able to join a canal off Cale Lane.

Coun Hilton, who trialled the commute with council education chief James Winterbottom, referred to a section of pavement which runs for 50 yards and is just 18ins wide near the Collier’s Arms.

Talking about the potential risks to children and their parents making the journey on foot, he said: “The volume of traffic combined with the narrow path is a disaster waiting to happen, and it is such a long walk each day.

“If you are parent accompanying them both ways it’s 10.8 miles, and 5.4 for the pupils.

“If you have a mum with a younger child or a pram then you have an extra safety issue. The pavement is so narrow at that there should be a central reservation.

“Then once on the canal you have other issues. I wouldn’t want a young daughter of mine walking down the canal towpath on her own.

“Then there is the danger of the water.

“They are talking about putting up railings along the canal in Manchester after a chap fell and drowned but that’s not happening here.

“We can’t be in any doubt about a child’s safety when they are just trying to get to school, so we should be looking to get money from other places to ensure their safe travel.”

Wigan Council has, however, recently assessed the route and deemed it appropriate.

Mark Tilley, the authority’s assistant director for infrastructure, said: “Children of secondary school age are entitled to a free bus pass if they live more than three miles away from their

nearest school.

“We have not received any applications from families in Aspull concerning bus passes for Rosebridge, however, as this school is less than three miles away from Aspull, children living in that area would not be eligible for a free bus pass.

“This is a policy we implement borough-wide, however, we do have provisions in place to support low-income households. Any child meeting the appropriate criteria, including living less than two miles away from their nearest school, would be eligible for a free bus pass.”