City shamed by fiasco on roads

Wednesday morning, March 29, and children late for school, workers late for work and thousands stuck immobile and seething with frustration in their cars on the A257 approaching Canterbury.

Yes, there were traffic lights opposite the old barracks yet again and perhaps, with the adjacent redevelopment beginning, this is inevitable and a cross that those travelling from Littlebourne to Canterbury will have to bear for some time.

What is unforgiveable is that on the morning the lights weren’t adjusted to reflect the fact that the bulk of the traffic is going into Canterbury rather than going out. Having got through the lights there was no traffic at all queuing on the Canterbury side.

The queue for incoming traffic stretched almost to Littlebourne.

There was a Southern Water placard at the road works, though nobody was actually at work at 8.50am which, given the havoc caused, was disappointing. Whoever is responsible for this fiasco should hang their head in shame. Ian Macmillan Sandwich Road, Ash, Canterbury Conservative manifesto includes a quote from me saying “the KCC Education Department is operating at the very best I have ever seen”.

It is an accurate quote – but I want to make it clear that it does not amount to endorsing the Conservative county election manifesto.

It is a matter of record that schools in Kent have raised levels of attainment of children and young people in their charge substantially over the past few years. This is down to the dedicated hard work of head teachers and teachers and other staff, despite the pressures and stress upon them. It is also down to the effective work of the KCC school Improvement team, led by the director of education.

But let’s make it clear that these are not the Conservatives’ officers. They are employed by the council, which is made up of five parties, and they are accountable to councillors of all parties. Our present director was appointed by a cross-party panel.

Let’s not pretend that the substantial improvement in school performance was single-handedly achieved by the Tories.

On the other hand the debacle of the worst planning decision in the history of Canterbury is down to the Conservatives. KCC Highways should have told the city council there was no way the traffic from the building of 4,000 houses could be accommodated on Canterbury’s roads.

I cannot imagine Highways officers did not know that. But a decision not to object to the Mountfield Park development was taken, and there was no opportunity for county councillors to question this decision.

The only reasonable conclusion is that a political decision was taken by senior Conservatives on the county council to support the Conservativerun city council at any cost . Martin Vye Patrixbourne Road, Bridge