Speed limit cut on danger road

Improvements will also include speed cameras

The speed limit on the A2070 Bad Munstereifel road is set to be permanently reduced to 40mph and speed cameras will be installed to improve the ‘death trap’ junction.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) members discussed plans to improve the dangerous Barrey Road junction, which has been described as a ‘nightmare’, at a Joint Transport Board (JTB) meeting on Tuesday night.

Kent County Council (KCC) officer Andy Moreton explained to members that a temporary limit was due to be introduced on the A2070 anyway as part of the junction 10a improvements.

Mr Moreton was reporting back to JTB after a meeting in December between Highways England, KCC, ABC and Kent Police.

He said a simple solution to reduce the problems at the junction would be to make this speed reduction permanent.

The 40mph limit and moni t oring speed cameras are due to be installed by the end of August.

Discussions began after more than 3,000 residents signed a petition demanding safety improvements at the site. Kingsnorth resident StaceyLouise Smith, 25, deemed the area a “nasty accident waiting to happen” and warned “something needs to be done about it before someone gets killed”. Wendy Rowe, managing director of the Retainagroup f actory i n Foster Road, said: “When we’r e t ur ni ng o ut of the j unction we’re all frightened to go on to the main road, because you are turning into a road where motorists could be travelling in excess of 70mph. “When it’s so dark and raining it’s impossible to tell which lane the oncoming traffic is in.”

Suggestions to improve the junction have included the installation of traffic lights, a new roundabout or a road bridge over the railway to Oribital Park.

But Mr Moreton told members Highways England “do not want to take the junction improvements forward”.

He said: “I have asked about installing a roundabout or putting in a signalised junction.

“I would expect a result on the funding arrangements and plans for this to be ready in four to six weeks.”

Mr Moreton said he would report back to the JTB in June.

What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

More than 3,000 people had signed a petition about safety fears regarding the Barrey Road junction on the A2070