Quarndon school bus to Ecclesbourne School

For students heading to Ecclesbourne School in Duffield, getting there independently is a difficult challenge.

Because Quarndon lies within three miles of the school and Derbyshire County Council believes there are safe existing walking routes, families are left without funded transport.

This has left parents funding their own school bus from the centre of the village to ensure a transport option exists.

Parents should not be asked to foot the bill for home-to-school transport, especially when existing walking routes are unsafe in practice.

The council expects students to walk down Burley Lane navigating a narrow stretch of road with no pavement provision for a kilometre while traffic travels at the national speed limit.

Once they reach the A6, they are forced to cross a three-lane junction with a 50mph speed limit, without traffic lights or a pedestrian refuge island. Alternatively, avoiding the main roads means either trekking over country roads or across fields.

As we enter the darker and colder autumn months, reduced visibility puts young pedestrians at even great risk.

Because Burley Lane and its junction are inherently unsafe, pedestrians avoid using them – which the council interprets as a lack of demand for safety measures.

I have launched an open letter asking Derbyshire County Council to fund a school bus. Parents should not have to pay for it, and we must not wait for a serious incident to prove the road is unsafe. If you support this or have any thoughts about it, please sign my letter below.