Short term pain, will there be long term gain?

The news of a start on extensive improvements around the M20 Junction 7 and the Bearsted Road roundabout will be a mixed blessing for motorists whose daily commute takes them through that area.

On the one hand there will be relief that something is finally to be done to ease the congestion - many drivers say the area is more like a car park than a main highway at rush hour - and that is without the new schools, medical facilities and housing scheduled to be built in the area.

On the other hand, there will be dismay that the roadworks are scheduled to last 18 months.

It is difficult to imagine how the rush-hour commute through that part of town could get any worse - but be assured it will.

Other areas are also likely to be affected as motorists find innovative routes to avoid any delays - probably resulting in heavy traffic on completely inappropriate country lanes.

The good news is that the project manager is Russell Boorman, the same engineer who managed to implement the recent town centre bridges gyratory upgrade with relatively little day-to-day disruption.

The bad news perhaps is that KCC has still not had the courage to publish any analysis of the effectiveness of the new bridges system - and many sceptics remain unconvinced it has made any improvement.

Can we be certain that the £11m J7 works will make any significant improvement that will not be immediately swallowed up by the traffic from additional development?

Let’s hope so, because Maidstone’s traffic has surely reached the point where people and businesses are being deterred from moving here.