Parent Expresses Fear Over School Walking Route Assessment

A parent reported feeling “scared” after evaluating a walking path to school suggested by a council, following the authority’s decision that some children would no longer qualify for complimentary transportation. Surrey County Council (SCC) informed the guardians of 81 students residing in West Molesey that free bus services to Esher High School would cease. This decision came after the council determined a safe walking route measuring under three miles (5km). Plamena Naydenova, a parent who assessed the path during “broad daylight”, stated she felt “scared” and described it as “dangerous, muddy and isolated”. In correspondence to parents, SCC communicated that its safer travel team had concluded the route “was found to be safe,” clarifying that it “considers road safety of a walked route by an accompanied child.” Students residing over three miles (5km) from their closest school are typically entitled to free bus transportation. The recently established route, which traverses the heath and runs alongside the River Mole, reduces the measured distance to slightly less than this threshold, thereby disqualifying this particular group from the service. Ms Naydenova further commented: “The walk took 83 minutes, which I think is unacceptable for children to walk twice a day.” Another parent, Kate Maxwell, stated: “I have walked it in the past and felt very unsafe as an adult, so I have no idea how that could be considered safe for a child to do.” She continued: “I believe it to be actually quite dangerous. There’s parts of the heath where you lose network coverage.” SCC, which reported an annual expenditure of approximately £65m on school transportation, asserted that local authorities are “not legally obliged to provide free transport just because parents perceive the route to be unsafe on the grounds of personal safety and security.” The council informed parents that legal precedent dictates assessments “must look at the relationship between pedestrians and traffic only.” Councillor Clare Curran, the cabinet member for education, had previously commented: “We are not suggesting that families have to use this route to get to school; they are welcome to use other independent routes or transport methods.”