Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Hopes one-way plan could be ditched
Campaigners have been offered fresh hope in their bid to tear up plans to transform the main route into Canterbury into a one-way system. Highways bosses had drawn up the proposal in a bid to ease traffic issues along the gridlocked A28 in Wincheap - which is the road of choice for motorists travelling between the city and Ashford.
But since the plans were unveiled towards the end of 2021, business owners and residents have branded it an “utter waste of money”.
And at a meeting of the Joint Transportation Board last month, councillors decided to recommend the scheme should be reviewed with alternatives sought.
Speaking after the vote, Wincheap councillor Nick Edengreen claimed this could act as the precursor to the divisive plan being scrapped. “Having thought it was finished and nothing further could be done, the door has now reopened,” the Liberal Democrat told the Gazette. “There is going to be discussion of this scheme and a re-examination - we hope and, frankly, expect - of it being scrapped and replaced by an alternative scheme or it not being put in place at all.” Drawings for the gyratory scheme show motorists heading into Canterbury will be diverted through the Wincheap Industrial Estate along Simmonds Road, which will become a oneway carriageway with two lanes. Only buses and cyclists will be allowed to travel city-bound along the A28 between Cow Lane and the Maiden’s Head pub, with traffic going in the opposite direction continuing as normal.
The £3 million transformation of the 540-metre stretch is viewed by Kent County Council as a way of “considerably easing congestion” and improving “quality of life in the area”. But Barney Parson, of the Wincheap Society, told members during the meeting: “What we have now is a standalone gyratory system which is supposed to solve all of Wincheap’s traffic problems and improve our quality of life. “But it is just a oneway system which goes nowhere around Wincheap and it’s not an integrated traffic management approach, considering the needs of Wincheap and our city.” The project is one of the conditions developer Redrow has to fulfil in order to build its 400home estate at Cockering Farm - which was green-lit four years ago.
The house-builder, which will foot the bill for the new traffic system, had been hoping to start work in January, with it lasting until late-autumn.
But the changes have since been pushed back due to delays with the housing estate side of the project.
Cllr Derek Maslin also told the Joint Transportation Board of his concerns about the plans. “From the information that’s been made available, there doesn’t appear to be any provision along this new two-lane section for pedestrians to cross,” he said. “If this is correct, I think it highlights how car-focused this scheme is and how poorly local residents are served in being able to safely get to local amenities on foot.” Labour’s Mel Dawkins put forward a motion to “review the Wincheap gyratory plans and find alternatives which address the concerns of the current scheme”.
In total, 13 councillors voted for it, while one abstained. Redrow says it intends to progress with the project.
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