20mph zones to cut road deaths

Deaths caused by car accidents on the county’s roads should be cut to zero by 2050, according to Kent County Council.

It has unveiled its “vision” to introduce more 20mph zones in towns and villages and roll out extra speed cameras.

Nearly 40 people have died from road collisions across the region’s 13 districts last year, with a peak of 60 deaths in 2017, including motorways and A-roads.

KCC’s highways boss Cllr Michael Payne (Con) said: “This is putting a marker down for what our ambition is into the future. Wouldn’t it be great if we could reach 2050 without accidents on our roads in Kent?”

Road safety proposals were backed by the council’s transport committee. The authority will seek to raise awareness about car crash hotposts and listen to the views of residents, schools and hospitals about how to reduce the number of deaths in a public survey this month.