TRAffIC UPDATE MP tackles road misery caused by building work
Motorists have faced another week of traffic misery as roadworks in Allington and Barming brought Maidstone to a standstill.
It comes as Helen Grant MP pushes housing developers to find a resolution to the traffic chaos which has plagued the town in recent months.
Temporary traffic lights, near Beaver Road, Allington, continue to cause delays while work on access roads to a new housing estate in London Road is completed.
The works, which started early last month, have been hit by criticism after drivers experienced long queues.
Motorist Jane Sabine regularly uses the route. She said: “Things are worse this week as a different person is operating the manual signals.”
She added the delays are causing added stress to her teenage son who is taking his GCSE exams and has to be at school on time.
She said: Buses drive straight past some pupils waiting at stops on London Road as they’re already full.”
Mrs Grant, who represents Maidstone and the Weald, wrote to housing developer Barratt Homes for assurance works are being carried out as effectively as possible.
She said: “The site manager has apologised for the inconvenience and also set out provisions the company is making to keep traffic flowing. I will be monitoring the situation closely and will follow up any further reports of poor traffic management.”
Site manager, Mitch Bibby, said he is aware of the issues and has taken steps to reduce delays.
He added: “We now have men stationed along the A20 and are working with traffic police to make sure real-time traffic information reaches us so we can adjust the lights.
“First and foremost we are working hard to bring forward our completion date and in the meantime we are doing everything we can to mitigate the effect on traffic.”
But drivers were met with more delays as work on another new housing development in Hermitage Lane, Barming, added to the congestion.
The road was being used as a diversion for cars avoiding the works on London Road, but became gridlocked during the morning and evening rush-hours while three-way temporary traffic lights were in operation.
The works, due to finish on Monday, resulted in Maidstone Hospital warning patients to leave longer to make appointments at its Hermitage Lane site.
Bellway is making improvements to the road layout as part of its project to build 69 homes on the former NHS nurses’ home.