Overtaking of school buses 'to be banned'

Published on Friday 24 October 2008 22:26

DRIVERS would be banned from overtaking school buses while picking up and dropping off pupils under a planned Scottish pilot scheme backed by the transport minister.

Stewart Stevenson has vowed to lobby his Westminster counterparts to allow a trial of the US-style system used for yellow school buses.

The move came after Mr Stevenson met the parents of two pupils who were killed last month in Aberdeenshire when they were hit by cars after stepping off school buses.

Robyn Oldham, 15, died yards from her home near Turriff on 4 September, while Alexander Milne, 12, died near his home in Lonmay two weeks later.

Mr Stevenson, who met their parents as the constituency MSP, also supported the use of hazard lights by school buses when stationary, and flashing lights on top of the vehicles.

The Scottish Government said the use of hazard lights could already be stipulated by local authorities in school bus contracts.

The minister said he hoped to persuade Jim Murphy, the new Scottish Secretary, to support an overtaking ban trial, despite it being rejected by Geoff Hoon, the UK Transport Secretary.

He said: "The overtaking ban is certainly something which is very successful in other jurisdictions.

"It is my intention to pick up on the willingness that Jim Murphy has indicated to work with the Scottish Government on a number of issues.

"I think this is an issue where I would wish to speak to him and see what scope there is for an experiment in Scotland … if we should apply it here."