Kentish Express Ashford & District
Letters extra ABC projects need rethink
I would like Ashford Borough Council to take some action on the items below:
Example one
Knocking down the bingo hall and building more shops - have you not noticed at the moment, how many empty shops there are in Ashford? There will be even more when Covid-19 is over.
The only shops that will be doing any trade will be nail bars, hairdressers and cafes. People are going over to the internet for shopping (Woolworths, BHS, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams have all gone and more to follow). Buying empty shops and turning them into pop-ups and charity outlets is yet another waste of public money by the council.
Example two
Building office blocks is yet more wasted money.
Surely you must have seen all the empty office blocks before you built the massive block near the station which is 95% empty and will remain that way as more and more people are working from home.
Offices will be almost redundant.
Example three
Plans for a multi-storey car park in Station Road.
Are you not aware of the pollution from a multi-storey car park compared with offstreet car parks?
Yet more waste of money and more pollution.
Example four
Why could you not source a different company for the second cinema thus making it more competitive and better choice for the public (public - who are they?) Please stop your costly ventures in potty ideas where we will never get our money back.
Example five
Look into a permanent shelter for the poor men and women on the streets of Ashford, some of which have even served our country. Maybe they can be helped to get their lives back on track.
Listen to your staff and the general public before taking on these potty ideas.
Brian Fennell
Willesborough, will allow cyclists to ride in a straight line instead of dodging the holes, cracks and worn tarmac.
LD Goddard
Our son and his family live in Bristol and they have a 20mph speed limit on all minor roads across the area, including some major A-roads as well.
My husband and I attended a local parish council meeting and one of the invited guests spoke about only when there are a number of fatalities would consideration be given to looking at 20mph speed limits, speed humps and or traffic calming measures. It was very much a case of ‘let’s have a few deaths and we will think about doing something’.
How about being proactive instead of reactive?
We need the speed to be dropped to 20mph now. Jackie Bates
For many a long year
Hythe Road has been restricted to 30mph, and more recently has had a camera installed to police it. We need speed reduction for sections of the A28, A252, A292, and part of the A2070. Some of these roads have descended from cart tracks, and only over time have they evolved into major roads. They are often too narrow for juggernauts to pass each other comfortably.
Some are without pavements, or pavements that are far too narrow, grossly uneven, and generally inadequate for the safety and comfort of pedestrians.
The heavy traffic they carry are a threat to pedestrians, and is why cyclists (of all ages) often resort to riding on the pavement.
Then there are those roundabouts, which are not at all cycle, or pedestrian, friendly.
Ted Prangnell