A REDNAL mum fears for her young son's safety if his free bus travel is withdrawn and he is forced to walk the three miles to and from school each day.

The 11-year old's twice daily journey to Waseley Hills High School would mean him having to negotiate the notoriously steep Rose Hill, dimly lit unpopulated footpaths, roads without paths, beneath lonely underpasses and having to cross busy roads.

Lone parent Diane Bird, from Malvern Road, was angered when she recently received a letter from the county council saying a review of routes now suggested it was safe for her son, Lewis, to make the journey on foot with reasonable safety. It also pointed out she lives less than the statutory three miles from the school to qualify.

The county council made the decision after consulting road safety and accident study officers.

However, Peter Roberts, the council's network co-ordinator, environmental services, told the Advertiser/Messenger yesterday that the final decision will not be made until further studies of the route are made.

It is expected the result will be known before the end of the present term, when Lewis's free travel is set to end.

Diane says she cannot transport Lewis to school and cannot afford the high cost of paying for his travel.