Shoreham: part of the way on village gateways

When I organised a walk round Shoreham with Kent Highways officers two years ago, one of the key proposals to emerge was for a clearer indication to drivers that they were entering a village.

Officers brought forward schemes to be paid for from my Member Highway Fund, including both village gateway signs and red high friction surfacing (usually with 'SLOW' or '30 MPH' painted into it) at various points in the village.

When these proposals were brought back to the Parish Council and others, there was limited enthusiasm for the village signs. Some were in favour of rumble strips as a further way of demarcating entry to the village and influencing driver behaviour, but views on this were mixed. I therefore proposed that we go ahead with the element of the proposal on which there was very widespread agreement (the high friction surfacing). This was completed a couple of weeks ago. It has all taken rather longer than I would have liked, but it is a step forward nonetheless.

There is likely to be a village meeting early in the New Year (under the auspices of the Shoreham Society) to discuss highways issues. This will give an opportunity to examine whether some of the other proposals should be taken forward.