Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘We need railings back at busy junction before someone is hurt’
Worried driver wants barriers reinstalled after witnessing near-misses
Pedestrians are dicing with death at a busy junction instead of using a crossing just 20 yards away, says a worried driver. Stuart Rodda is highlighting the hazard at the junction of North Lane and the Westgate Towers where he has witnessed numerous near-misses on his daily drive to work.
He is calling for railings to be re-installed along the edges of the pavement before someone is badly hurt.
“It beggars belief,” said the 42-year-old dad from Hersden. “I travel along this route twice a day on my way to work at Batchelors in Ashford and every time pedestrians are too impatient and cross at the end of the junction.
“They walk between moving cars and parked delivery lorries, rather than use the pedestrian crossing provided in the appropriate place only a short distance away.
“I even found images of people dicing with cars at the location on Google.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone is knocked over or fatally injured, purely down to laziness.”
Barrier railings used to protect pedestrians from stepping into the road at the busy junction which handles traffic emerging from St Dunstan’s, North Lane and St Peter’s Place.
They were removed by Kent Highways during the ill-fated Westgate Towers traffic trial in 2014.
But they were never re-instated when a ‘soft’ version of the controversial scheme was eventually implemented Now Mr Rodda believes there is ample evidence for them to be put back to avoid a tragedy.
It is not a view shared by Kent Highways which says it will not be replacing them. A spokesman said: “To date there has only been one incident recorded in the last three years when a car passenger opened their door in the path of the cyclist.
“We will continue to monitor the area, which has a 20mph speed limit, but at this point there is no plan to replace the barriers. “Pedestrians should use the crossing point 20 yards further down North Lane.”
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