Gridlock at retail park leaves drivers frustrated
Furious motorists were left gridlocked at South Aylesford Retail Park.
Bank holiday shoppers reported cars not moving on the Quarry Wood site for more than half-anhour with delays reaching their peak between noon and 1pm on Monday.
One driver tweeted Chatham and Aylesford prospective parliamentary candidate Tracey Crouch: “Traffic at a standstill at Aylesford retail park yet again... something has to be done. 35 minutes and counting. #traffic #standstill”
Another, Richard Carney, posted: “Keep away from #Sainsbury’s #Aylesford. Car Park totally grid locked. #sortitout #sainsbury.”
There was some suggestion faulty traffic lights were to blame.
Officers from Kent Police’s roads unit tweeted one driver who complained about the signals: “If this is a regular occurrence, we recommend contacting @KentHighways. We wouldn’t have the staff to police this junc- tion, apologies.”
A frustrated worker at Sainsbury’s who did not want to be named complained: “This is an absolute nightmare. This happens every bank holiday and we always get the backlash. It is nothing to do with us. The traffic lights on the roundabout are out of sequence.
“We have tried calling the Highways Agency to get the lights changed but we can’t get an answer.”
Repeated congestion at the retail park and on nearby London Road and Hermitage Lane has been raised by Miss Tracey Crouch, since 2015.
She previously said: “I thought perhaps the traffic problems were related to a change in timings for the lights, or some flooding on the A20 following a heavy downpour, but actually I think it is just poor traffic management.”
Since then a new Aldi supermarket and McDonald’s have opened in Hermitage Lane.
Advice from Kent County Council to Tonbridge and Malling council on measures to ease congestion near the two stores did not appear on the final planning document.
Tonbridge and Malling council is now looking at traffic issues after meeting with Miss Crouch.
The South Aylesford retail park is also home to Halfords, Screwfix, Smyths Toys, Currys PC World and Homebase.