Eight Worthing schools join forces for road safety demonstration after safer crossing refused
Eight Worthing schools have joined forces for a demonstration demanding urgent action as part of a community road safety campaign.
Hundreds of families have to cross the busy dual carriageway at Sompting Road, Broadwater, to get to school and parents say it is dangerous for the children.
The site has been deemed unsafe for a lollipop crossing patrol, so parents and children have no support to get over the road.
East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland joined the demonstration on Friday, July 3, to support the call for a safer road crossing.
Grandmother Val Knight, one of the prime movers of the campaign, said: “The local community has run out of patience, after nearly five years of following West Sussex County Council directions about how to apply for a regulated crossing, culminating in their refusal to make any changes at all at the crossing point.
“West Sussex County Council has assessed the junction as too dangerous for a lollipop person, yet refuse community requests for speed reduction, pedestrian or zebra crossing measures.
“When taking my young grandchild to school, I felt like I’d lost the ability to cross the road safely. Having lived in Brighton for 40 years, I wasn’t used to such fast and unregulated traffic.
“Apparently, numerous previous attempts to improve road safety around the schools had failed. We’ve brought the community together to demand a safer solution and have the support of the eight local schools whose pupils use this junction on a daily basis.”
The demonstration was aimed at showing the county council that the families will not give up, as they say near misses happen on a weekly basis.
Downsbrook Primary School and Whytemead Primary School, in Dominion Road, have been campaigning for five years to improve road safety around the two schools.
Bramber Primary, Springfield Infant, St Andrew's High, Davison High, Bohunt Worthing and Jack in the Box Preschool have now joined the campaign.
The busy roundabout linking to the A27 via Sompting Road has been a particular concern, as campaigners say traffic flows constantly at peak hours.
Val said: “The roundabout forms the junction for three critical arteries between the A27 and the town centre. This results in an extremely difficult and stressful mission for schoolchildren and their families to cross safely on a daily basis, and results in residents using cars rather than walk to school.
“The site is also a critical access point to the local trading estates, used frequently by ten-wheeled vehicles.”
The campaigners followed county council instructions to make a Community Highways Application for a crossing, only to be told recently that their application had failed.
Val said: “The council has said that Sussex Police road casualty records show no history of casualties at this location. However, residents are not willing to wait until a child is injured.
“The council has committed to undertaking a PV2 assessment later in the year and advised us to participate in yet another system to raise funding for a crossing through the Schools Active Travel Scheme.”
West Sussex highways and transport cabinet member Erika Woodhurst-Trueman contacted campaigners following the demonstration, to arrange to meet with them in person to discuss the best way forward.
A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council said: “We understand the serious concerns being raised by parents, schools and residents about the safety of the crossing. The safety of children travelling to and from school is a priority for West Sussex County Council and we recognise how important this issue is to local families.
"Over the past two years, the council has worked closely with a number of the local schools and representatives to look at the possibilities of improving the route to school for children in the area. A significant amount of work has already taken place to try and find a solution, and we fully understand the frustration that despite this effort, there has been no clear outcome.
"With the new administration now in place, our priority is to openly listen and engage constructively with the community. To fully understand and assess the situation, we have invited the local schools and the community action group to meet with Cllr Woodhurst-Trueman and highways officers. We hope to work closely with them to identify a safe and practical solution.
"We appreciate the passion and advocacy shown by the community on this issue, and we will continue to engage openly as we work together towards improvements that support safer journeys for children and their families.”