Cones would worsen retail park problems

In reply to the letter from John Clayton last week (Cones Are Solution To Retail Park Grief), regarding the Sevington Retail Park exit problems, I foresee all sorts of problems with his suggestion.

If there were cones down the middle of the carriageway at the speed many drivers go on that road (70mph and more) the cones would be sent flying, causing chaos.

Lorries coming out of the Truckstop go slow to get up the hill, so impatient drivers would still go on the inside lane to pass them, and then carry on straight.

If the line of cones carried on past the junction, the traffic would have to negotiate lane-crossing with drivers in the outside lane wanting to go to the left for Ashford, Canterbury or the northbound M20, and drivers in the inside lane wanting to go to the right. As it is, anyone coming out of the retail park and wanting to go south has to go up to the Junction 10 roundabout just to get back to where they started.

And has Mr Clayton tried to get round the McDonald’s roundabout? It is so busy now, and would be much worse with his idea, especially with all the traffic coming out of the new Finberry estate.

I assume that as Mr Clayton lives in Great Chart he doesn’t travel that road too much, unless he works on the Orbital Park. But even then he wouldn’t need to use the A2070 as he could go towards the station.

When the retail park and the A2070 were first built many people could see problems and asked for either a roundabout or traffic lights at that junction.

We were told that there was no room for a roundabout, but said nothing about lights. This has been going on for many years, before many people using the road moved into the area. Do the powers that be have to wait for someone to die before anything else is done? Mrs Jean Rolfe Kingsnorth Road, Ashford. HGV, that is all that gets through, due to slower speed.

As a result the queue forms in lane one or on the hard shoulder, depending on, I guess, who makes the initial decision.

On Tuesday evening of last week the queue on the M20 was back level with Givaudan and traffic in lane two continued to speed past with people cutting in at the last minute. The foreign trucks were taking to lane three in a bid to avoid slowing.

As I say, it isn’t a question of if, it’s a question of when, in terms of a major incident.

My view is and always has been that junction 10 flows better when the lights are faulty. Richard Lloyd Ashford for Cllr Jenny Webb’s determination and thoughtfulness for residents’ needs, that have resulted in persuading Cllr George Koowaree in parting with our money to undertake and give the go-ahead for this scheme, work on which starts very soon. Sandra Taylor Ashford