Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Stuck lorry sparks traffic debate
An articulated lorry brought parts of the city centre to a standstill when the driver’s SatNav sent him squeezing down a tight one-way street.
The incident in King Street next to the famously crooked Sir John Boys House has sparked debate on whether the traffic flow system in the area could be tweaked.
Onlookers saw the juggernaut heading up Northgate from the Sturry Road roundabout on Bank Holiday Monday.
Reportedly the driver’s Satnav system directed him the wrong way into King Street, where he was forced to stop just inches from the historic house.
Photos posted online prompted city councillor Robert Thomas to invite opinion on possible alterations to the roads to incorporate a one-way loop.
“At the moment it’s a two-way system in The Borough – the part with the restaurants and the King’s School entrance,” he said.
“The council has invested quite a bit of money on improving the King’s Mile. Vehicles getting stuck along there isn’t ideal.
“So I wondered if there are options to try and tweak it with a loop system.”
Writing on the Canterbury Residents Group Facebook forum, Cllr Thomas set out to gauge opinion.
He wrote: “Out of interest, would there be any appetite to make it one-way in parts? Say, one-way from Palace Street/king Street round to St Radigund’s Street so that it flows better and cars can loop here.”
Cllr Thomas makes it clear that this is merely a suggestion to gauge public opinion.
“It’s a case of trying to get a straw-poll in terms of what people thought,” he said.
“It’s one of those things that’s been on the back of people’s minds.”
He also floats the idea of oneway traffic looping in the other direction so that “the junction at King Street with The Borough is no longer a junction”.
This would involve reversing the current one-way stretch where St Radigund’s meets Northgate.
It’s not a case of me proposing this. It’s a case of seeing what people think,” said Cllr Thomas.
Responding online, Ali Ware writes: “We’ve said this for some time. We live in Northgate and the road changes [following King’s Mile improvements] are causing havoc.”
Jo Calvert-mindell adds: “I asked about this possibility many years ago and was advised that it would increase traffic speed putting pedestrians at risk.”
What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk or write to Gazette House, 5-8 Boorman Way, Wraik Hill, Whitstable, CT5 3SE.