Big step for new pedestrian crossing
A much-called for crossing at a junction dubbed a “death trap” is set to finally be delivered over the next few months, councillors claim.
Campaigners have spent years demanding a safe place to cross the road between Hermitage Lane and Fountain Lane but despite previous pledges, no such project has been delivered. However, a meeting of Maidstone’s Joint Transport Board was told members could be confident a scheme could be put in place by spring.
Cllr Matthew Burton, chairman of the board, said: “There has been a meeting with county and borough members. It has been agreed the major capital programme team lead on the delivery of this improvement, utilising available section 106 funding.
“Further updates will be given providing confidence that this is actually going to happen.” Section 106 funding is cash that must be contributed by developers to improve local infrastructure and facilities to try and offset the impact of new homes being built.
It was transport campaigner James Willis, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Maidstone and the Weald, who asked the committee what progress had been made.
“We are cautiously optimistic about the answer of early 2020,” he said.
“Local councillors have been working so hard to get Kent County Council, as the committee chair says, to ‘crack on’ with the crossing at a dangerous pinch point, and get it sorted before someone gets injured. “When I was councillor for this area we were given a date a few years ago but that didn’t happen, which isn’t good enough.”