A SNP councillor has spoken out against a school walking route and has secured the route being reassessed in the new year.
Councillor Fiona Fotheringham, representing Central Wishaw, has escalated concerns yet again to North Lanarkshire Council senior officers regarding a walking route to Clyde Valley High School (CVHS) deemed to be acceptable.
SNP Councillor Fotheringham has repeatedly raised the unsatisfactory and dangerous nature of this school walking route, which is unlit, overgrown, muddy, and now rerouted to accommodate a construction site for a new cemetery, and has been able to secure a reassessment of the route.
She said: “I have walked the route myself numerous times over a number of years since becoming a councillor.
“I was shocked when this route was classed as a safe walking route to school after being labelled as a ‘short cut’ for years.
“I have campaigned since 2018 for safe Active Travel paths to be part of this site, to link the communities of Pather, Dimsdale, Gowkthrapple, Waterloo and Overtown. This was part of a participatory budgeting bid which was unsuccessful.
“I was assured then, that the proposals for the new Pather Cemetery would include such paths. Again, I have raised my disappointment that this has been overlooked and will not be the case.
“I have continually voiced my concerns at Education, Communities, and Environment Committees, and at every Wishaw Community Board meeting, and at CVHS Parent Council meetings.
“I requested that this route was re-assessed before the darker nights and poor weather, and I have had no response until this week, and I still await sight of the route assessment as per my original requests.
“The route does not have pavements; just muddy paths littered with glass and fly tipping and now rerouted around the works taking place for the new cemetery. It has no lighting and overgrown shrubbery. It is NOT a safe walk to school.
“I have requested that Officers accompany us walking this route to assess for themselves if they feel it is safe for our children to walk, particularly in these dark winter months.
“The limited responses I have finally received this week are entirely insufficient and my concerns have been escalated to the Chief Executive.
“I am delighted however to have secured a reassessment of this walking route and I hope the right outcome will be determined from this for the safety and reassurance of the pupils and parents affected.”
Worried parents have also spoken out against the walking route. Amanda Smith’s son walks two miles from Dimsdale to Clyde Valley High.
Amanda has walked the route several times herself and can’t believe the council considered it a safe walking route in the first place.
She said: “My son is 13 and it’s a two mile walk to the school. It’s not even a proper path; half the time there isn’t a path there at all.
“That is where motorbikes and quads go so it’s dirty.
“There is no lights down there and where there is a path it’s not gritted. Frankly, it is not good enough.”
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “We will be carrying out a further assessment of this walking route early in the new year.”
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