Kentish Express Ashford & District
Worried residents call for safe road crossing
Worried residents are hoping their desperate pleas for a crossing on a busy road will finally be heard after launching a new petition.
More than 200 people have signed the petition to build a pedestrian crossing on Hythe Road, Ashford.
Leading the campaign, John Goodman said the increasingly busy road has become too dangerous for pedestrians to cross safely.
He added: “Since we moved here, Hythe Road has changed from a quiet street into effec- tively an urban freeway.
“The constant flow of traffic in each direction of cars travelling at or above the 30mph speed limit means people with visual or mobility problems have to wait much longer to cross the road.
“There’s a blind gentleman who lives nearby and he has to walk a considerable distance before he can cross because his guide dog cannot cope with the traffic.”
The petition was placed in the Cradlebridge Drive Post Office and received 222 signatures in just three weeks.
The campaign group plan to pass the document to Kent County Council (KCC) and instigate another survey into installing a new crossing.
Mr Goodman first began to fight for a crossing in 2012, drafting a petition and collecting hundreds of signatures.
The campaign was ignited just over a year ago but KCC ruled that not enough people used the road to justify a crossing. Mr Goodman added: “That is pretty subjective because it depends when the guy goes and counts the people there.
“Ashford is rapidly expanding and while it’s great to have more shops and entertainment, it does mean that there are going to be many more jobs.
“That’s great but with jobs we have people and people have cars so it can only make the whole effect on the area come under even more pressure in terms of traffic.
“I pay tribute to Ashford council’s Cllr Gerry Clarkson and his colleagues for generating expansion but it should be taken into account the effect on the people who live here and have done for a long time.
“We should be able to use our roads safely but we can’t and this is putting a huge burden on residents.”
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@ thekmgroup.co.uk