Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Accident alley’ crash fears
Fears of more crashes along a notorious stretch dubbed “accident alley” have been raised following the closure of a car park. Nature lovers and ramblers have been unable to leave their vehicles in bays at the Thornden Wood reserve since the beginning of lockdown. Visitors have therefore opted to leave their motors outside the entrance to the site – often obstructing the paths of oncoming cars in Thornden Wood Road, between Canterbury and Herne Bay.
Greenhill councillor Dan Watkins is urging residents not to park along the side of the route, where drivers can travel as fast as 60mph.
“Even though they haven’t broken any rules, it’s still dangerous,” he said. ”If it’s allowed to persist, then I do fear that it could cause an accident.” Residents have voiced their fears on social media, calling for the car park to be reopened. One noted “it’s an accident waiting to happen”, while another wrote that the current arrangements have made the route “too dangerous”. Kent Wildlife Trust, which owns the land, closed the car park after it was forced to furlough staff and restrict its warden team as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Cllr Watkins continued: “If people are going for walks, then they should park in Clowes Wood, where the car park’s open. Don’t put people’s safety at risk when you can travel a tiny distance further.” Canterbury City Council does not have enforcement powers in the area as there are no yellow lines, a spokesman confirmed. Thornden Wood Road has been the scene of numerous crashes in recent years, including one in 2015 during which a driver miraculously escapes serious injury after flipping his car along the route.
Kent Wildlife Trust is working “proactively with police to monitor the situation” and is “considering the safest way and right time” to reopen its car parks.
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