A mother said she was “scared” testing out the walking route to school proposed by a council after it said some children would no longer be eligible for free transport. Surrey County Council (SCC) told the parents of 81 children from West Molesey that free buses to Esher High School would be ending after it had identified a safe walking route of less than three miles. Parent Plamena Naydenova, who tested the route in “broad daylight”, said she was “scared” and that it was “dangerous, muddy and isolated”. SCC told parents in a letter the route “was found to be safe” by its safer travel team, explaining it “considers road safety of a walked route by an accompanied child”. Children who live more than three miles from their nearest school are eligible for free buses. The new route, across the heath and beside the River Mole, brings the distance down to just under that mark, meaning this group no longer qualifies for the service.
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