Parents have warned a child could be killed unless a “dangerous” bridge is urgently made safer for pedestrians.

Residents say the path leading up to Ham Shades Bridge in Whitstable is too narrow, leading to pedestrians being forced to step into the path of oncoming traffic to let each other pass.

It has led to many near-misses for children and parents, while some can even recall a baby once being knocked out of their pram after being hit, though luckily was unscathed.

One parent told KentOnline she is forced to hold her breath and hope she does not get hurt each time she crosses.

The bridge serves pupils at The Whitstable School and Swalecliffe Primary, with hundreds crossing it on a daily basis.

Sarah Simmonds, who launched the campaign for a safer crossing, says it is important this isn’t viewed as just “a mum problem”.

“When this was built, it wasn't built for the traffic or the amount of people using it,” she says.

“This is a community problem, this isn't just about children, this is about everybody and it is about inclusivity.

“We talk about wellness, how many people are cut off from getting up that side of town because they can't use this crossing?

“You see this in places, Jade’s Crossing [in Detling] for example, someone had to die before that crossing was erected and it shouldn't be that way.

“It's just an accident waiting to happen and I don't want it to be kids that are the ones that are hit before anyone takes any action.”

Residents have floated several potential solutions with the local authority in recent years.

They include a new pedestrian bridge over another section of railway line or, perhaps more cheaply, a path through the nearby allotments.

Both concepts come with complications as some of the land required, including the current bridge, is owned by National Rail.

The potential dangers were first raised by Sarah in 2020, but she was dismissed by Kent County Council (KCC), which admitted it was “very difficult to prioritise this location” due to the low number of reported crashes.

While recent efforts to form a plan had been underway, the recent KCC election, which saw transport cabinet member Neil Baker lose his seat, has muddied the waters.

Mum-of-four Kate Anderson has been using the path for 10 years, and admitted even now the trip puts her on edge.

She said: “There's no protection between you and the other vehicles.

“It's an accident waiting to happen. That's my concern, that a child or anyone, an adult, but particularly children might step over that white line because it's not a proper path.

“My concern is that someone could get severely hurt.

“You come to the bridge, you hold your breath and you just hope that no one's going to get hurt.”

Canterbury City Council’s cabinet member for transport and new KCC councillor Alex Ricketts (Lib Dem) supports the campaign, telling KentOnline it was obvious there is an issue.

“You can see during the school run, there's not enough space really to get a buggy down the painted footpath, let alone a wheelchair or anything like that,” he said.

“In the winter, when visibility's poor and people are coming over that bridge, it's clearly a real danger and something needs to be done about it.”

Despite the growing interest in seeing action taken, a KCC spokesperson explained there were many hurdles in the way and “any changes would need to be delivered by Network Rail”.

“We are aware of residents' concerns and are investigating possible solutions to make the bridge safer for pedestrians,” said a spokesperson for the authority.

“However, significant changes are unlikely without widening the bridge structure, which would require Network Rail's agreement.

“Due to the weight restrictions, the bridge is likely structurally insufficient for such major work.

“Any modifications would also require relocating the signal equipment, which may not be feasible due to the proximity of other junctions.

“We will not be able to proceed with any changes without Network Rail's approval, a viable solution, and available funding."

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “Our priority is to ensure the safe operation of the railway passing underneath Ham Shades Lane bridge, given that it’s a railway-owned structure.

“As KCC points out, the design of the bridge as built currently means it would be very difficult to widen, but there are a number of options that KCC could pursue that would resolve the current issues.

“We will of course continue to work closely with the authority on any future plans for the highway and footway that KCC is responsible for.”