Crawley MP Peter Lamb and Councillor Nick Hilton have addressed resident’s concerns about the journey from the Forge Wood estate to the Gatwick School.

Both Peter and Nick completed the walk through to the school to see the school exit procedures and the hard work done by senior staff getting children onto buses safely on the Gatwick Road.

Some local residents claim there has been little improvement in the condition of surfaces for pedestrians, including where the bridleway meets Radford Road.

Other concerns included the speed of traffic and problems at the bus stop outside Gatwick School.

Peter Lamb MP (left) and Councillor Nick Hilton took a walk to see for themselves the problems that residents have been raising about the journey from the Forge Wood estate to the Gatwick School. Picture contributed

placeholder image — Peter Lamb MP (left) and Councillor Nick Hilton took a walk to see for themselves the problems that residents have been raising about the journey from the Forge Wood estate to the Gatwick School. Picture contributed

Councillor Nick Hilton said: “It is clear the speed of the road is a significant concern, and I will work with local residents to get it reduced and we need to see improvements to all the pedestrian surfaces.”

Peter added: “Forge Wood is now a well-established neighbourhood where residents have a right to expect they can go about their day in the same way as any other part of town.

“It's time developers and the highways authority stopped treating the area as a building site and get on with delivering the facilities residents have a right to expect.”

“It’s important that we work with the Manor Royal BID and WSCC to try and make more safe space available for the children, I will be putting proposals over.”

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “Supporting walking, wheeling and cycling to school through our Active Travel to Schools Programme is an important element of the West Sussex Active Travel Strategy.

“All schools in West Sussex can produce a travel plan which would help to identify specific needs around road safety and support for active travel for the journeys made by pupils and staff.

“A travel plan can provide comprehensive evidence to support requests for highways improvements and we would be very happy to assist the school if they wish to contact us for support via [email protected].

“In September 2022, the area of Gatwick Road where the bus stops are located near Gatwick School was part of a highways improvement scheme, which involved the installation of traffic lights to help pupils cross the road safely.

“These lights incorporate an “intelligent” system which uses sensors to detect the presence of pedestrians waiting for, and using, the crossing to ensure traffic is held for long enough and pedestrians don’t have to wait for long on the pavement.

“We will review the condition of the highway along this route. We would also encourage residents wanting a change to the speed limit to submit a request via our website.

“Each request is assessed in line with the West Sussex Speed Limit Policy with a decision based on factors such as vulnerable road users, risk of fatal or serious injury, road layout and community impact, with input from Sussex Police.

“If supported, changes must go through a statutory legal process to introduce a new Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

“Requests for other school-related highway improvements, such as new or improved crossing points, footway widening and protective bollards, can also be requested by submitting a Community Highways Scheme application.

“Both applications require substantial support from both the local county councillor and wider community, and will be assessed against set criteria for feasibility and impact.”