Calls for action as cars damaged along narrow road

Fed-up residents want street to be one-way

For residents of one narrow city street, leaving cars outside their homes is a roll of the dice. Vehicles parked on either side of Martyrs’ Field Road make it a tight squeeze for two drivers to pass, leaving many cars bashed, scraped or even written-off over the years.

Now, fed up with rising repair bills and fearful about safety, residents are calling for the Wincheap street to be made one-way. University of Kent lecturer Tim Wilshire says more than £10,000 worth of damage has been done to his various cars in the 15 years he has lived there. “My son’s car was hit on another occasion and it’s been written off,” he said.

“For some extraordinary reason the council allows parking on both sides, effectively making it a one-way street, but one where it is possible to drive either way down.

“It’s very, very frustrating and it has to end.”

Mr Wilshire says residents are “sickened by the situation”, which saw seven collisions take place in the space of a week earlier this month, and a young delivery driver knocked off his moped.

He has previously raised the matter with the council, but says nothing has been done to remedy the issue. “People accelerate up and down the road so they can gain a half-way advantage and force the other driver to reverse,” he explained.

“This is completely unsatisfactory, and a nasty incident is waiting to happen.”

Now, city councillor Derek Maslin, who has lived in the street for more than 30 years, is determined to take the issue further.

In a letter to a group of both city and county councillors, he wrote: “Unfortunately, drivers have hit parked cars whilst manoeuvring and several residents including myself have had their vehicle damaged more than once.

“This situation came to a head last week when a car hit an oncoming motor scooter and also scraped a parked car outside my house. “Fortunately, the rider wasn’t injured.

“Then on Thursday, an articulated lorry struggled to go down the road and it hit at least three cars.

“All are now badly damaged and one may be a write-off.” He has requested a meeting with council officers to discuss how the problem could be solved.

“My suggestion is to make this part of Martyrs’ Field one-way, introduce a 20mph speed limit and put signs up restricting vehicles to a 7.5 tonne weight limit,” he said.

A spokesman for Kent County Council said: “We are happy to consider all requests for changes to roads.

“Further information can be found at www.kent.gov.uk/highways”.

■ What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk