Route ‘seen as a race track’

The Department for Transport has allocated £175 million to upgrade roads across the country where the risk of fatal and serious collisions is highest, based on a report by the Road Safety Foundation.

Kent County Council bosses will find out before Christmas if their bid for £2.8 million to spend on the A252 has been successful.

If approved, the council will make a number of improvements along the route, including the refreshing of lines and cats’ eyes, as well as updating street lighting at junctions.

The A252 has been the scene of numerous accidents in recent years following Mrs Hickmotts’ accident – including a crash that killed Chilham parish councillor Paul Hardisty near Dane Street in March.

Ms Walton added: “At the moment, drivers see it as a race track and I would like to see some sort of speed restriction.

“As there are no cameras, people think they can get away with speeding, and there should be more patrols put in to deter people from doing that.

“They should reduce the speed limit to 50mph as people see it as a nice, flowing road that they can speed on.”