Residents protest as bus lane plan threatens parking

Opposition is growing to plans to extend a bus lane on one of the city’s busiest routes.

More than 100 people have signed a petition against the proposals for Sturry Road, which would see the loss of dozens of parking spaces.

Consultation on the £700,000 project, which aims to ease an expected increase in traffic from new housing developments in Sturry, Hersden and Herne Bay, ended this week.

The new bus lane would run between the Vauxhall Road roundabout and South Street, with those living opposite the Esso petrol station most affected by the loss of parking.

The road would also be widened where possible, meaning the removal of several verges and trees.

The petition has attracted 111 signatures since it was launched by Sturry Road residents last Thursday.

They say the road is not wide enough to accommodate a bus lane and argue there is not enough alternative parking in side streets. They also think the lane could cause delivery lorries to block the road.

They say: “Clearly there is always controversy about new developments and changes to the existing infrastructure to accommodate it and I would guess that most of the cost of the proposed scheme would be met by developers.

“However, there must be a limit on how much 21st century traf- fic you can squeeze into a road network which in places such as Sturry Road is probably several hundred years old.

“The roads are narrow and there is no possibility of major widening works to accommodate all the traffic that uses them.

“This scheme is not suitable for this road and I sincerely hope the committee realise that from the community’s point of view, the overall disadvantages far outweigh any benefits that will be gained by the buses.”

Responses to the consultation will be considered by the Canterbury Joint Transportation Board on Tuesday, November 14.

A new bus lane has been proposed for Sturry Road