An MHK has hit out at the government for doing nothing over parents’ fears about road safety outside a parish school.

Jason Moorhouse slammed the Department of Infrastructure, accusing it of inaction since a public meeting last year about safety concerns outside Arbory School in Ballabeg - and the risks for children walking there.

The Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK told the Examiner: ’Nothing appears to have been done except money is being spent on independent advisors.’

He claimed one crossing point, by the parish hall in Ballabeg, could actually increase the accident risk.

Mr Moorhouse said the meeting in November was well attended and a ’lot of really good suggestions’ were made, but ’there appears to have been no progress’.

The meeting was attended by MHKs, police and DoI representative.

Mr Moorhouse said he has been forced to table more questions on the subject today (Tuesday) because the Council of Ministers used its block vote at the July sitting to prevent an extension to Tynwald question time, which meant he was unable to ask follow-up questions.

In a written response to that Tynwald question from last month, Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker said the main areas of concern raised at the meeting included:

· The number of parents dropping off at/collecting children from school ’making it uncomfortable for those wanting their children to walk to school’ and causing congestion on the road.

· The effectiveness of some of the informal crossing points on the road and the engineered speed reduction measures.

Mr Baker said in his answer there had been ’diverse and sometimes contradictory’ viewpoints.

A safety report from traffic consultants Sustrans - pledged at the meeting - was delayed by the pandemic, but was expected ’in the near future’, Mr Baker said.

But Mr Moorhouse is unimpressed.

Ahead of today’s questions being answered, he said the lack of action was ’disappointing’.

Sustrans visited the school last year, he said, but ’spent little time talking to the relevant people and there appears to have been no correspondence with the school since the visit’.

Mr Moorhouse said some parents had encouraged their children to walk to school but ’many found the experience both threatening and not an easy option on a good day’.

A suggestion for a car park or drop-off area at the side or behind the school appeared to have been dismissed, he said

There is no actual sitting of Tynwald in August but questions can be tabled for written answer. The official date of the question paper is today.

Mr Moorhouse asks Mr Baker to publish the Sustrans report and its correspondence with the school.

He commented: ’Given the lack of direct correspondence with the school, I am hoping that proposals will have been put to the department.

’We are in danger of another year wasted and the dark nights will soon be here.’

He added: ’Potentially, one of the most controversial aspects that should be covered in [the Sustrans] report is the red crossing point outside Ballabeg parish hall.’

He has a separate question asking on what safety principles this has been based.

’It has been suggested it is a crossing point for children on their way to and from school, but in its current form it could create accidents rather than reduce them,’ he warned.

He also questions for Home Affairs Minister Graham Cregeen - his constituency colleague - about enforcement of road safety measures.