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Agenda item
Questions and answer session for members of the public
Minutes:
There were seven questions from Local Residents.
1. Question from Sue Gooding to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
In the absence of the questioner, the Democratic Services Officer asked the question on their behalf.
‘Would it be possible to have a yellow box or keep clear sign at the end of Northview on Loose Road by Kwik-fit?
‘When residents come up from the town and try to turn right into Northview we are often holding up the traffic right back to the lights at Armstrong Road as cars are queuing in front of the access to this road and we cannot turn in and can often take 5 or 10 mins as once lights change and cars start moving we cannot get across both lanes as traffic is now coming down from Sutton Road.’
The Chairman responded to the question.
2. Question from Gordon King to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘Having just accessed the KCC web site for road works which takes you to the One.Network web site. I was surprised to see that the closure of Cranbourne Avenue at the Wheatsheaf junction is still listed as temporary until 1st April 2024. Please could KCC clarify the status of the closure, and if it remains temporary what opportunity will there be for residents to urge decision makers to open it again?’
The Chairman responded to the question.
Gordon King asked the following supplementary question:
‘Since we've had Cranbourne Avenue closed
there's increase in traffic flow through West Park and South Park
roads. These roads were built when the estate was built and one
suspects that the structure of the road is not capable of carrying
the traffic load it's now carrying. Is KCC going to look at
rebuilding these roads? One added bit is, it's quite interesting
that once you come off of what were Council houses to the private
houses in Willow Way, that the road surface is a lot
better.’
The Chairman stated that a written response to the supplementary question would be provided at a later date.
3. Question from Anthony Mason to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘As a fairly new resident of over a year to the area of South Maidstone and following the recent spates of accidents to the Plains Avenue - Loose Road junction would the committee please let us know when traffic lights will be installed to prevent a further accident occurring which sooner or later will result in a fatality.’
The Chairman responded to the question.
4. Question from Kinga Hammersley to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘What was the specification given to the company commissioned to access the impact of the experimental closure of Cranborne Avenue?’
The Chairman responded to the question.
Kinga Hammersley asked the following supplementary question:
‘What are the objectives of the company commissioned to assess the impact and the conclusions of this report (Improvement Options Report) and where you can find this information?’
The Chairman stated that a written response to the supplementary question would be provided at a later date.
5. Question from Andrew Hammersley to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘How many residents of Shepway and the Loose Road area did Neil Baker consult with before taking the unilateral decision to close Cranborne Avenue?’
The Chairman responded to the question.
Andrew Hammersley asked the following supplementary question:
‘How many residents of the Shepway and Loose Road area were consulted with when the public consultation was open and when did Neil Baker visit the area?’
The Chairman stated that a written response to the supplementary question would be provided at a later date.
6. Question from Jeremy Day to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘It has previously been stated that less traffic is using Plains Avenue than might have been expected because it has been "dissipated" onto other routes. Have any studies been done on whether this dissipated traffic has been moved to other choke points causing even more problems than are being solved by the closure of Cranborne Avenue?’
The Chairman responded to the question.
Jeremy Day asked the following supplementary question:
‘There's obviously lots of choke points like Plains Avenue which has become a nightmare there's also things like Postley Road joining in the one way system, there's crossing Armstrong Road, there's all sorts of choke points it must be making traffic worse. Are there any plans to do a detailed evaluation of where all this traffic is going in this area because it's obviously going to just make things worse everywhere else. Are there any plans to actually do the studies and work out if it's making anything worse or if it's making things better?’
The Chairman stated that a written response to the supplementary question would be provided at a later date.
7. Question from Michelle James to the Chairman of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board
‘Since the new traffic lights at Armstrong road has been implemented and causing a bottle neck on the Loose Road and with the in my opinion, wrong and ill-advised decision to Close Cranborne Avenue and make the Loose road into one lane going in to Maidstone.
‘Please could you explain why the health and safety of myself and all on the Loose Road North bound including North View have to risk our lives to gain access to get on and of our drives?’
The Chairman responded to the question.
Michelle James asked the following supplementary question:
‘Can you please tell me when it was last monitored as this has been going on since 2020, since ‘Moving Maidstone’ mattered?’
The Chairman stated that a written response to the supplementary question would be provided at a later date.
To listen to the answers to these questions, please follow this link: