Anger grows at 'joke' decision over Horsham school route

Officials have deemed the route – along Tower Hill and Two Mile Ash Road – safe for children to walk to reach Tranbridge House School.

But parents have branded the decision a ‘joke’ and say the route is dangerous with no footpath, no street lighting and blind bends

Families living at Christ’s Hospital have been told that their children are no longer eligible for free transport to the school.

It follows a ‘route assessment’ by West Sussex County Council which concluded that the route was under three miles long and safe to walk.

Parents’ fears over children’s ‘dangerous route’ to Horsham school

But worried parents say that, as well as walking along narrrow roads with no footpaths, children would also have to walk through woods, over a field and cross a railway line.

People are now branding the county council’s decision ‘ridiculous’ and ‘ludicrous.’

Many have taken to West Sussex County Times’ Facebook page to share their views.

Lucy Erskine said: “How this route passed a risk assessment undertaken by the council is beyond me.

"Over the winter months suggesting that it's safe for children from 11 years old to be walking this route in the dark, and quite possibly alone, is absolutely ludicrous.”

Jo Karlsson added: “Totally ridiculous! I regularly drive this road to work, some of the verges are too high and overgrown for anyone to hop up on quickly. I certainly would not let my kids walk along there!”

Jim Vallance said: “The road from Christ's Hospital to Tower Hill is very dangerous to walkers with two dangerous blind bends and nowhere to jump off to try to get out of the way of vehicles.

"Never been able to understand why the path stopped just underneath where the A24 goes overhead and then no path whatsoever for a good half mile towards Tower Hill.”

Alison Waller Redford added: “This is a joke. No way is there a suitable safe route for the kids to walk.”

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Chris Baldwin said: “Anyone who thinks Two Mile Ash Road is safe for anyone of any age to walk up clearly needs some form of assessment themselves!

"To then say children are safe to walk across remote fields and that railway bridge … I am speechless. Have they actually walked this route? - I frankly doubt it.”

Sarah Donald said: “The road is beyond dangerous. For most of the road it has no path. This alternates from side to side so the kids would have to keep crossing the road to get to the overgrown pathway.

"Most of the road has no pathway. There is no lighting in the winter. In some parts cars can just pass two abreast. Not great with kids in the road.

"Then when they leave the road they are to walk through dense woods again with no lighting.

"In this day and age kids walking through woods is not really ideal. Some of which will have just turned 11.

"The kids have been told to wear hi vis, carry a torch and a change of clothing in the winter due to the mud in the woods.”