I WOULD like to thank Alex Rennie for raising the issue of Wiltshire Council’s school transport proposals in a recent edition of the Journal.
However there are a couple of points I would like to add.
For many children, particularly those in the villages north of Salisbury, they have to travel into Salisbury for secondary education. In future however, of all the children in our local village of Gomeldon getting the buses into Salisbury for school, the grammar school pupils will have to pay £676 and the others pupils will get a free pass. This does not make sense.
For post-16 education the cost of bus pass into Salisbury to attend the grammar will be £676 and cost of transport into Salisbury to attend other sixth form provision is £625. This does not make sense.
Wiltshire Council has a local travel plan which states that it will “offering people sustainable transport choices, particular for shorter journeys, that will stimulate behavioural change”.
The only behavioural change these proposals will stimulate is for parents to drive their children into Salisbury for school.
This does not make sense.
This proposal is bad for Salisbury, bad for traffic, bad for the environment, bad for the economy, bad for democracy, and worst of all bad for our children.
Please make an effort to complete the Wiltshire Council “consultation” online at wiltshire.gov.uk/council/consultations.htm, even though I fear that this nonsensical decision has already been made.
Oonagh Egerton
Gomeldon
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