[The following letter was received by SCC from Tracey Urry, Highland Council Head of Roads & Infrastructure. The letter is in PDF format which cannot be easily displayed on a webpage. You can download the original letter at the bottom of this page]
Dear Ms Falconer
SCHOOL TRANSPORT TO STRATHDEARN PRIMARY
I write to inform you of our decision following the meeting which your Community Council and Cllr Ken Gowans had with David Summers and Lisa MacKellaich on 25 June.
I note that your concerns were primarily over whether transport should be provided in the winter months. The main issues raised in relation to the nature of the route were availability of step-offs when there is snow on the ground, and icicles hanging from the railway viaduct. The visit reconfirmed that there are suitable step-offs along Station Road and the unadopted stretch of road, and as the verges are reasonably flat, there are no hazards which would be likely to be hidden by snow. In addition, as the traffic levels are extremely low, and the visibility is good, there is adequate time for pedestrians to step off the road and for drivers to adapt to the presence of pedestrians.
Regarding hanging icicles, as this is a feature which is well known to you, it would be the responsibility of any adult accompanying the children to look out for melting icicles (it should be obvious if there is significant melting) and to avoid walking directly underneath them.
Weather aspects had already been raised in correspondence which was included with the report made to the Education Transport Entitlement Review Sub-Committee when they considered the route.
In short, the meeting and site visit did not add any new information which would affect the assessment of the route.
The approach we take in assessing walking routes is similar to that of most other authorities. Weather and lighting conditions affect any rural route, and do not of themselves justify provision of transport.
In the meeting you raised the matter of one family’s additional support needs. The walking route assessment relates to the nature of the route; any additional support needs are assessed on an individual basis, so I would ask you to pass details to our Transport Officer for the area, Caro Munro, who can discuss the case with our Education colleagues. Decisions on eligibility due to additional support needs are made by Education.
Finally, we will assess the safety of the new bus stop site you requested at the Community Hub and respond to you separately on that matter.
Yours sincerely
Tracey Urry
Head of Roads & Infrastructure
