Fresh demands for action over ‘lethal’ A281 crossing

Last year a young cyclist was tragically killed when he fell into the path of a lorry on the A281 at Rudgwick while on a charity bike ride.

Campaigners are calling on West Sussex County Council to build a bridge at the spot where the Downs Link is split in two by the busy A-road.

They say that the continuing danger of the crossing was evident during a British Heart Foundation charity ride last Saturday.

A spokesman for the organisation bridgethedownslink.org said: “The yearly London to Brighton Off-Road Bike Ride follows the Downs Link from Cranleigh to Southwater as part of its route.

“Filtering past the tributes to Pathushan Sutharsan who was killed by an HGV here last year, all the 2,750 riders had to run the gauntlet of the lethal crossing.

“The organisers were forced to put a marshall in place at the crossing to guide riders across ... it was a miracle no-one was hurt or killed.”

The group says that, despite some mitigating measures put in place by the county council following Pathushan’s death ‘the danger of the crossing remains unchanged.’

At an inquest into Pathushan’s death, the coroner said the crossing posed ‘a substantial risk for cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians alike.’

Campaigners are now calling on people to support their aim at getting a bridge built. They are urging residents to write to county councillors and Horsham MP Jeremy Quin.

The campaign is supported by many local, regional and national groups, including Rudgwick Parish Council, the Rudgwick Preservation Society, the British Horse Society, the Horsham District Cycling Forum, the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce and the West Sussex Cycle Forum.