The Flemish School Association is concerned about the impact of the choices in De Lijn’s new transport plan on the daily mobility of hundreds of thousands of students. The dome therefore requires adjustments.
“A short sample of 100 students shows that 36 percent of students were slower at school on Monday. 14 percent of students did not even get to school by bus at all,” said Lore Sleeckx, chairman of the Flemish School Association, in a press release on Tuesday.
The dome is sounding the alarm. “We ask De Lijn and the members of the transport regions to adjust the transport plan and make all stops at schools easily accessible again.”
“Disturbing signals”
In addition to the extra travel time for students, the umbrella organization also hears “worrying signals from students about long and dangerous distances that have to be covered to get to a bus stop near their school.”
There are thousands of stops that have simply been deleted. Students have to get to and from school.
Lore Sleeckx, chairman of the Flemish School Association
A recent survey by the umbrella organization among 10,996 students showed that 38 percent of them go to and from school by bus. “There are thousands of stops that have simply been canceled,” said the chairman. “However, students do have to get to and from school. We have never received a request from De Lijn to discuss this, even though this plan has an effect on all those students? We ask that at least the stops around schools be made easily and safely accessible again in the new transport plan.”
Most vulnerable students
The chairman of the School Association also points out that mainly the most vulnerable students are affected. “Students from Special Secondary Education are the victims of this. This is not just about accessibility, but about offering a safe context at these stops,” says Sleeckx. The next reform must focus on the needs and rights of these students, it is said.
Every bus stop that is deleted under De Lijn’s new transport plan has a green sign. There are more than 3,000 throughout Flanders. © Pascal Dewulf
Dialogue
The School Association also calls on De Lijn and the transport regions to engage in a constructive dialogue with all stakeholders. The students believe that a joint effort is essential to achieve improvements and ensure that the needs of all public transport users are met.
© Benny Proot
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2024-01-09 17:12:44
#Students #school #Flemish #School #Association #adjustments #transport #plan #Lijn
