With speeding traffic and narrow shoulders, parents and students say Route 11 is unsafe for middle school and high school students to walk on to and from the school bus stop.

“We’re scared for our kids’ lives,” said Route 11 resident and mother Rhonda Hubbard, pointing to the lack of sidewalks on the road. “Somebody’s going to get killed.”

Hubbard and other parents are speaking out because this year is the first that more than a dozen Bonny Eagle students aged 11-17 are required to walk half a mile or less along Route 11 (Main Street) in Steep Falls to the corner of routes 11 and 113 to board and return from the bus to school.

Last year there were three stops for middle and high school students along the same section from the intersection of routes 11 and 113 to the Limington town line on Route 11. District elementary school pupils are still picked up at their houses.

“They come close,” said Jordan Martell, 16, about the cars. “If you stick your arm out, you can touch them.”

Jordan’s sister, Dayna, 15, said several cars have come close to hitting their 13-year-old sister Kelsey, even though they walk as far from the road as possible. “They don’t slow down at all,” she said.

School Administrative District 6 Transportation Director Steve Lambert said the district has been consolidating bus stops for many years, but they are looking at doing more this year to save time, fuel and costs.

“We’re hoping these actions will keep the budget from increasing more than is necessary,” Lambert said. “But safety has not been put aside.”

Prices for everything are up this year, Lambert said, increasing expenses for the around 6,000 miles the district’s buses travel each day.

Lambert said he received several complaints from parents who live on Route 11 and advised them to contact Assistant Superintendent Rick Matthews.

“I think there are some things we’ll have to keep an eye on depending on the snowfall and snow removal,” Matthews said after visiting the site to assess its safety for walking.

One of the reasons behind bus stop consolidation is to cut down on students’ travel times, Lambert said. In the six weeks he has been in his position, Matthews said he has received 10 to 12 complaints from parents concerned with a variety of issues, including bus stop locations and travel times. He said problems are often resolved, or at least parents come to understand why the district does things the way it does.

Lambert said he did suggest a change in the drop off and pick up site after the site visit, from the side of Route 113 to a parking lot next to an abandoned building on the corner.

“Dropping them off at the parking lot is not going to work,” Hubbard said, adding that in the winter the parking lot gets icy and isn’t always plowed.

Michelle Elliott, 14, who lives across the street from the Martells, talked with Matthews when he came to inspect the site for safety.

Elliott said she was worried about walking down the road in the winter when it’s dark in the morning and the snowplows go by constantly. Snowdrifts will likely take up space on the shoulder, forcing students to walk closer to or in the busy road.

“The cars usually don’t pay attention much,” Elliott said.

Elliott’s father, Dan Elliott said he is also concerned for his children’s safety walking down the road in the dark after it snows. He said his wife has made numerous phone calls to address the issue.

“This isn’t a road for kids to be on,” Elliott said, adding that cars speed down the road despite the 25 mph speed limit. Not only do cars use the road, but trucks carrying water, lumber and cement also use it as a throughway, Elliott said. Out of his five children, three of them walk down the road to catch the bus.

Michelle Elliott added that she has seen more fights since all the students on the road wait in one large group.

Mother of three Bonny Eagle students, Denise Martell, said the traffic is especially heavy in the morning, when the bus picks up students around 7:30.

“You can’t get off to the side,” Hubbard said, adding that she walks with her grandson in a stroller down the road and cars don’t go around her.

Residents have called the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office to report cars speeding through their neighborhood, and Hubbard said she has seen more deputies in the area recently.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” Dan Elliott said. “What’s it going to take?”

Emily Hubbard walks home with her friend Paollo Digusta along Route 11 in Steep Falls from where the school bus lets her off at the corner of Route 11 and 113. Emily’s mother, Rhonda Hubbard, is concerned for her safety walking along this busy road, especially when snowdrifts begin to pile up this winter.Denise Martell and two of her children, Jordan, 16, and Kelsey, 13, talk about the dangers of walking along Route 11 in Steep Falls to and from the school bus stop at the corner of Routes 11 and 113. Kelsey Martell (right) said she was almost hit by passing cars three times since the school year began.