Agenda item

The Board considered a report by the Head of Transport and Development setting out details of the current position with regard to petitions submitted to Kent Highway Services and of a new petition received.

Councillor Tom Sams addressed the Board in his capacity as Chairman of the Residents’ Association regarding the petition signed by over 600 residents of Harrietsham and Lenham in response to the review of the speed limit on the A20.  He explained that the petitioners were calling for a new review to be carried out taking into account the intensification of use, the volume of traffic, the impact of Operation Stack, accident statistics, the emotional and financial costs to the community of road traffic accidents, the road layout and surfacing, poor lighting and the incidence of flooding.  He suggested that the review should look at the route in its entirety, rather than taking an adhoc, piecemeal approach.

The Board was informed that the petition had been passed to the Speed Limit Review Team who would respond to the issues raised.

Councillor Geraldine Brown, the Chairman of Yalding Parish Council, addressed the Board on the request for a weight restriction through Yalding and for surveys of lorry movements through Yalding and East Farleigh to be undertaken.  She reiterated that Yalding Parish Council had campaigned for at least thirteen years for a weight restriction and she was disappointed that the final draft of the Integrated Transport Strategy included one sentence on the lorry strategy for Kent.  She was pleased that a meeting had been arranged to look at the scope and costs of the traffic surveys, but would like to point out that, in the meantime, two planning applications had been approved which would lead to an increase in HGVs in the Yalding area.

The Chairman advised the Board that he had met with the Director of Integrated Strategy and Planning at Kent Highway Services who had indicated that a ‘vision statement’ would be incorporated into the final Integrated Transport Strategy covering the need for, and possible solutions, further investigation of a freight transport strategy specifically to cover the use by HGVs of inappropriate roads in Kent.  The Director had said that he would discuss with the Cabinet Member the possibility and feasibility of some additional work for the south Maidstone area to try to determine the origin and destination of HGVs in the area to see if there was a cost effective way of mitigating the problems.  The Board agreed with the Chairman that it would be necessary to maintain pressure on the County Council to tackle the issue.  It was suggested that since a significant number of the HGVs were registered abroad, and made no contribution towards the cost of road repairs and improvements etc, Brit Disc should be a core part of the strategy.

With regard to the proposed road safety measures in Walderslade Woods Road, a Member requested that consideration be given to the provision of traffic islands at the junction with Wildfell Close which provided access to housing and the Parish Hall.  The representatives of Kent Highway Services undertook to look into this request.

RESOLVED: 

1.  That the report be noted.

2.  That a copy of the ‘Growth without Gridlock’ document should be circulated to each Member of the Board.