Arundel to Ford Path The Bell Article
Originally published Spring 2021
For many years the necessity for a Cycle and Footpath between Arundel and Ford Station has been discussed and debated, with the majority in favour of providing a safe passage between the two for cyclists and pedestrians alike. At the Love Arundel consultations in 2019 in which 200 residents participated, it was the main change people wanted to see. A new report, produced by the Arundel Cycling and Walking Group, has now highlighted the issue and is raising the debate at local, county and national level.
THERE is no question that the Ford Road is fast and dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. The lack of safety and speed of traffic prevents many from walking or cycling along the road. There is broad public support for a route to be built which will provide young people with more freedom, encourage more people to be more active, and increase passenger numbers at Ford station. The investment could help to stimulate economic regeneration in the area as well.
Arundel Town Council has taken up the challenge through the newly formed Cycle and Walking Working Group. Most residents seemed to believe that a pathway would be built as part of the A27 Bypass, or the planned house building along Ford road. Unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment. There are no plans and neither West Sussex nor Arun District Councils currently see it as a priority. The working group prepared a comprehensive report examining why the route is needed and why nothing has happened to date. The report was launched on February 8th.
It has the backing of Mayor Tony Hunt who says ‘Currently the road is dangerous for cyclists and for walkers. As a result, there are parents who chauffeur their children to Ford Station 190 days a year, amounting to 760 journeys of less than 2 miles. This is the type of car journey that the government want to see replaced by walking or cycling. But it will not happen until the route is safe.’
Our MP Andrew Griffith also gives his unequivocal support to the scheme. ‘The proposal for a cycle and walking path from Arundel to Ford has my full support and as the local Member of Parliament I will champion this at every level of Government. This scheme would quite literally be a life saver making the journey to school for our young people safer as well as healthier for those able to use it. It will also be good for our environment allowing greater use of public transport by creating for the first time a purpose-built connection between Arundel and Ford railway station.’
Something must be done the report argues, for several reasons:
• Ford station is fundamentally inaccessible unless you arrive and leave by car. There is limited parking, and the road is dangerous. As a result Ford station carries far fewer passengers than it could and should because commuters are forced to drive further to Angmering or Barnham to use the West Coastway line.
• Arundel’s secondary school children have no local school. They use Ford to commute to school so, must rely on busy parents to get them to and from the station. Some parents decide to take them all the way to school instead.
• Planned developments along the Ford road will add 2,000 new houses, equivalent to doubling Arundel’s population.
• Our government is investing in cycle and walking paths at a greater rate than ever before. A new bypass and building thousands of new houses along Ford Road could potentially provide additional funding opportunities.