‘It’s getting beyond a joke now’

Kent County Council confirmed it will implement the trial oneway system in the summer.

A spokesman also said of the weekend’s traffic problems that: “The traffic light signals operate using detection equipment to adapt the green timings to best affect vehicle flows on the road.”

Maidstone Borough Council said: “MBC is in communication with multiple agencies, including Kent County Council Highways, to look at solutions for these roads, as KCC currently holds responsibility for the traffic light system.”

Lucy George, who lives in Hart Street, said: “It is getting beyond a joke now. Every single weekend without fail there is traffic and none of it is moving.

“It is very frustrating due to the amount of homes that are down my road - if anyone wanted emergency services they would have no chance in getting to the place they needed to be.”

The stretch of road outside Lockmeadow has been subject to complaints before. In early January similar queues built up when part of the wider one-way system in Maidstone was closed for water main repair work.

Those queues had a knock-on effect for food company Notorious B.R.G, who have a spot at the new food hall in Lockmeadow.

In a Facebook post last month they said: “We have closed Deliveroo in Maidstone today as there is a one hour drive to get out of Lockmeadow currently due to the traffic on the one-way system.

“We don’t want your food getting to you cold... like ever. So feel this is the best option.”

Cllr Harper added: “The situation is not fair on the 1,500 residents, or people wanting to go to Lockmeadow, and McDonalds.”