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Agenda item

Questions and answer session for members of the public

Minutes:

There were two questions from Members of the Public.

 

Question from Mr Duncan Edwards to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board

This meeting agenda includes the results of the Active Travel Fund tranche 1 in King Street and reports: “response to the attitudinal surveys has been positive”. Surveys across the country have borne out the desire of around 80% of the public for improved cycle infrastructure.

The tranche 2 Active Travel Schemes are now in consultation across Kent, but the committee will be aware that there is more to this than just a funding stream, it is part of an initiative called Gear Change run by the Department for Transport which is supported by a set of infrastructure standards called LTN1/20.

The DoT intend to make future funding dependent on audited compliance with LTN1/20 so should Kent adopt this standard now for all new cycle infrastructure schemes?’

The Chairman responded to the question.

 

Mr Edwards asked the following supplementary question:

 

Many residents in Maidstone feel they have critical congestion in their area and this affects all road users in terms of delays, pollution and road safety. Sometimes residents, KCC and MBC agree on critical congestion issues, but despite this there is a definition of what congestion isn’t but not for what it is. This is a central government issues, but this gives local pain. Is there anything we can do locally to seek a resolution?’

 

The Chairman responded that a written response would be provided.

 

Question from Mr Chris Passmore to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board

 

‘As a long-term driver and occasional cyclist of Hermitage Lane it can take over 15 minutes to cover the 2 miles and is clear that the level of congestion in the road will continue to increase with even more developments along the road some of which are in the TMBC area. This increasing congestion will critically affect access to Maidstone Hospital for Emergency Services and staff as well as local residents and those travelling from further afield to go to and from the M20. I understand that there was a good and productive meeting about one part of the solution after the last JTB however there needs to be effective “cross border working” to create a holistic plan for the whole “Hermitage Lane Corridor” to secure the right contributions from all the developers to manage all aspects of the road, including having an effective active travel plan for the whole length of the road.

 

This problem is highlighted by the fact that there isn’t even the money to develop the short but extremely hazardous stretch between the Barming Station and Maidstone Hospital which is used by many 10’s of pedestrians and cyclists each day.

 

What can be done by MBC or KCC to ensure this and other projects involve collective working with both sides of the border?’

The Chairman responded to the question.

 

Mr Passmore asked the following supplementary question:

 

Looking at the minutes of the last meeting, covering Section 106 schemes, it is stated that that is still a shortfall of funding gap for the cycle way improvements between Barming Station and the hospital. How close are we to closing this gap and is there a timeline for the improvements to be made?’

 

The Chairman stated that a written response would be provided.

 

The full responses were recorded on the webcast and were made available to view on the Maidstone Borough Council Website.

 

To access the webcast recording, please use the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWtM45e08uM