MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

JOINT TRANSPORTATION BOARD

21 OCTOBER 2009

REPORT OF HEAD OF COUNTYWIDE IMPROVEMENTS

Report prepared by Andrew Burton, KCC Highway Schemes Manager 

HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES 2009-10

1.1        For Information

Members are asked to note:

1.1.1   The progress of the highway improvement programme

1.1.2   That a proposed cycle crossing of New Cut Road close to its junction with A20 Ashford Road (Scheme Ref MY 9605/02 TD) has been deleted from KCC’s capital programme

1.2        Background Documents

1.2.1   Item 11, Kent County Council Highways Advisory Board, 8 May 2008, “Transportation and Safety Package Programme 2008-09”

1.2.2   Item 7, Kent County Council Highways Advisory Board, 3 March 2009, “Transportation and Safety Package Programme 2009-10”

1.2.3   Item 8, Maidstone Joint Transportation Board, 28 January 2009, “Integrated Transport Plan for Maidstone 2009-10 and Beyond”

2        Discussion

2.1        Appendix A to this report details the progress of each scheme, including previous years’ schemes that were not completed by April 2009.  Progress to date is summarised and anticipated progress prior to the next Joint Board is detailed.   New schemes that are being funded as part of the 2009-10 capital programme are also described.   For ease of reference, two schemes (Ware Street Zebra Crossing and Fant Traffic Calming) are reported elsewhere on this Agenda and one is considered in more detail in the body of this report as follows:

2.2        New Cut Road, Maidstone – cycle crossing (Scheme Ref MY 9605/02 TD).  There is an existing “green man” facility in New Cut Road at the signalised junction with the A20 Ashford Road (see Appendix B to this report).  This 2008 proposal sought to modify this facility to enable cyclists to legally cross New Cut Road at the same point.  Detailed design, however, revealed that there was too little space on the central refuge to separately accommodate cyclists and pedestrians (the timing of the traffic signals is such that either must cross New Cut Road in two stages, waiting on the central refuge for up to 40 seconds).   The existing road width is insufficient for this crowding to be being ameliorated by enlarging this refuge.  Because widening the carriageway would be prohibitively expensive, officers consider that the cost of these works would be disproportionate to their forecast benefit.  Accordingly, Members are asked to note that this scheme has had to be removed from this year’s capital programme and is unlikely to be resubmitted for inclusion in a future year’s programme.  Whilst this loss is regrettable, an off-carriageway cycle route only exists west of this point and the effect on cyclists’ amenity is therefore not considered significant.