Swanley Village and the Member Highway Fund

Earlier this week I had the chance to meet and share updates with members of the Swanley Village Residents' Association committee. Among the issues we discussed were projects in the village that I have committed to supporting from my Member Highway Fund (now transforming into part of the Combined Members' Grant - but more of that at another time).

The first of these is equipment for the village Speedwatch project, which has funds allocated and is ready to go. Clearly committed volunteers are essential to making Sppeedwatch effective for the village, but in any case the kit will be there to support them.

The second is the installation of gateway signs at entry points to the village. These will comprise signs and red high friction surfacing at both the Wood Street and Highlands Hill entrances to the village. We are also looking to improve signage to deter HGVs from coming into the village, although there is still a little work to do to establish the best positions for these signs.

I am also committed to resolving the problems of the increasingly unsteady village sign at the top of School Lane, though this is proving more problematic. Kent Highways engineers have examined the sign and agreed that we must act to tackle what is an increasing safety problem. Some problems have, however, arisen in that the distinctive sign – which for many people is a symbol of the village – appears not to conform to regulations as to signs that can be placed on the highway (to be fair to Kent Highways, these are national regulations, not County rules). I will look for a solution to this conundrum - there has to be a sensible way forward.