Kentish Express Ashford & District
Worried commuters in call for lights at ‘terrifying’ junction
Hundreds of worried workers and residents have signed a petition calling for traffic lights at the junction of a retail estate.
Workers at the Ashford Retail Park and industrial estate in Sevington say the turning into the A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road has become a nightmare.
Staff at the Retainagroup factory in Foster Road have launched an online petition calling for Highways England and KCC Highways to put traffic lights in to improve safety.
Managing director Wendy Rowe said: “We have set up a campaign and visited other workplaces in Foster Road.
“The junction with the A2070 is terrifying, it’s so dangerous. Apart from the fact it’s going to be jammed with more retail units and traffic, it’s a dangerous situation and we are worried.
“When we’re turning out we’re all frightened to go on to the main road, because you are turning into a road where motorists could be travelling in excess of 70mph. When it’s so dark and raining it’s impossible to tell which lane the oncoming traffic is in.”
She said that with traffic backing up due to the popularity of the retail park, there is pressure for motorists to take a leap of faith into the dual carriageway, which could lead to accidents.
The concerns are shared by other workers on the estate. CCL Label general manager Glynn Moyles says some of his 170 staff have had accidents.
He said: “We’ve had six incidents in the last two years. It tends to be that as cars begin to pull out, then realise they have to brake that drivers behind them don’t brake in time.
“It’s happened to me twice. It’s very worrying as you could be pushed into a dual carriageway and oncoming traffic. I’m not sure if traffic lights is the best idea, but I don’t know what the answer is.”
KCC Highways and Highways England are consulting residents about plans for the new Junc- tion 10a which would alter the Bad Munstereifel Road. A KCC spokesman said: “We have to make tough decisions on where to improve traffic and road safety in local areas.
“We look at the sites most in need of improvement first, which have got the support of the whole community.”
To view the petition, visit www. change.org and search for “Setting up traffic lights at the Barrey Road and A2070 junction”.
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk