'Children will die walking to school - they have been thrown under the bus'
Oxfordshire County Council will scrap the route taking pupils to and from Cassington and Bartholomew School in Eynsham this November following a review.
A letter to parents seen by this newspaper says the council believes the journey to school – around two miles – is safely walkable.
But parents have argued crossing the A40 and B449 - the recommended route - would be dangerous for children, citing dangers of speeding traffic and unsafe crossings with "extremely poor" visibility.
Mum-of-two Catherine Chapman accused the council of 'throwing children under the bus on A40 whilst trying to save their own budget'.
The damaged refuge (Image: Catherine Chapman)
A lorry passes on the A40 (Image: Catherine Chapman)
She said there have been instances of cars driving "at 70mph" through the village and added: "The route has no footpath and is actually a 30 mph zone (unlike the rest of Cassington and Eynsham).
Mrs Chapman also criticised the refuge in the middle of the road not being up to standard, thanks to what appears to be a previous crash that has bent the railing.
Assessments of the route, seen by this newspaper, were carried out in June, which Mrs Chapman argues would be at the lightest and sunniest time of the year.
She said the council should look at what the crossing is like "at 8am on a foggy December morning".
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Mrs Chapman added: "The bottom line is: a child will die if this bus route goes, and that will be on the council.
"Cassington is an incredible village; there was a previous attempt to get rid of this bus route, and that appeal won. Nothing has changed."
Poor visibility (Image: Catherine Chapman)
She said she is currently "pulling apart" the council's assessment, will be appealing the decision and accused the authority of "wasting money".
Parents' concerns about safety were put to Oxfordshire County Council.
A council spokesman said: "Oxfordshire County Council evaluates walking routes when it believes a safe alternative to home to school transport might be available.
"The assessment of the route between Cassington and Bartholomew School found it to be safe for walking, a hard surface lane with minimal traffic.
"Approximately 45 students will begin using the walking route from 3 November 2025 when existing home to school transport finishes.
"Families of these children were sent a comprehensive report on 14 July detailing the assessments we made, including maps and photographs."
This newspaper also asked about costs of running the service, but the council did not answer.
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