Archived decisions

Contact: Andy Berncastle, ext 6921, email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 Concerns have been raised about the safety of the walking route from Chilbolton and Wherwell to Wherwell Primary School. Members will inspect the route on the morning of 1 December 2003 and then consider the appeal.

2. Background

2.1 Wherwell Primary School is the designated school for Wherwell and Chilbolton. The school is situated about 700 metres from the centre of Wherwell, on the road to Longparish. The houses in Chilbolton lie between one and two miles from the school.

2.2 Children in both Chilbolton and Wherwell are therefore not entitled by statute to free school transport on distance grounds. However, up to 1995, the authority used more generous distance criteria, such that, many Chilbolton children were entitled to free transport. Others paid to travel on the dedicated transport.

2.3 The policy change in 1995 led to an appeal from Chilbolton parents, that the walking route is unsafe. This was rejected by the then School Transport Appeals Panel when it met on 19 October 1995, following inspection of the walking route.

2.4 Over the past year, parents from both Chilbolton and Wherwell have alleged that the routes cannot be walked in reasonable safety by parents accompanying children to school.

3 The Appeal

3.1 The route has to be considered against the normal criteria, detailed in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 shows the routes concerned.

3.2 Correspondence from the appellants is attached as Appendix 3 (confidential).

3.3 Pavements are provided on Station Road and Branksome Avenue in Chilbolton, but not on Drove Road and Village Street. Observations show three or four cars per minute using Village Street at the relevant time in the morning, together with pedestrians walking to and from the local shop.

3.4 The unclassified road known as Winchester Road, linking Chilbolton to the B3420, has no pavements and is approximately 12 feet wide. Most of the distance is subject to the national speed limit. Only five cars passed in ten minutes when walking this section recently at the relevant time.

3.5 The B3420 carries rather more traffic, with three to six cars per minute, and again has no pavements. It is some 15 feet wide, with some opportunities for pedestrians to step off onto verges.

3.6 No footpaths are provided on the B3048 to the school, nor on the section of the B3420 from Wherwell itself. Part of this is densely tree-lined, with limited stepping-off points.

3.7 Police records show no reported accidents involving pedestrians on any of the roads concerned in the three years up to the end of September 2003.

4. Conclusion

4.1 Members will have had the opportunity to consider the walking route. The County Council's present position is that, under the criteria, the walking route is available.

4.2 It is for Members to consider, following the guidance set out in paragraphs 2.11 to 2.13 of Appendix 1:

(i) whether the nature of the route, or an alternative route, means that it is available for children if unaccompanied; and

(ii) if the answer to (i) is no, whether the route is available if accompanied.

8448/AB