Park Lane works completed

The works and road closure in Park Lane Seal have been completed well ahead of schedule. 

The contractor had completed the works by late on Monday (the first day) and so the road was already open throughout yesterday - which is why there seemed to be no evidence of the closure by late afternoon. 

The original closure was scheduled for up to five days. Given the difficulty of alternative routes when Park Lane is closed, it is good that the contractor was able to allocate extra resource to the works and so minimise the disruption to residents and to the wider road network.

Park Lane Seal closure from Monday

The emergency closure of Park Lane Seal next week was announced yesterday. The closure, between the junctions with Blackhall Lane and Bichet Green Road, will start on Monday for up to five days (17-21 February). This is for essential safety works to trees on unregistered land that Kent Highways is undertaking under its statutory duty of care. Because of the width of the carriageway and the height of the trees the road has to be closed in full rather than a single lane.

The closure is permitted between 8am and 5pm for each day but may on occasion be shorter. The road will reopen when the contractors leave the site each evening. In addition, while the work is scheduled for five days, it is hoped to be less; significant contingency for bad weather, break downs and other delays is built in. 

Any closure on a road like Park Lane will be disruptive, but hopefully scheduling this in half term and delivering the works promptly will minimise this.

Potholes in Old Chapel Road

Many thanks to Rachel Waterton for raising the issue of the potholes on Old Chapel Road, scene of yesterday’s accident. I have taken this up with Kent Highways officers. A job was raised yesterday morning for a 7 day repair, but in addition one of the highways officers will revisit today to make sure they are safe in the interim.

Vital safety works to start on the A20

As many residents have seen from the Start of Works Notice (SOWN) issued a couple of weeks ago, KCC/ Kent Highways will be carrying out significant works to enhance safety on the A20 near Farningham, starting on 4 November.

 The central feature of the works is to install a system of average speed cameras in the area of the 40mph zone to the east (West Kingsdown facing side) of Kings roundabout. This follows extensive work and analysis of the factors behind the serious and fatal accidents that have taken place on this stretch of road. Driver error (often not on the part of those who were the victims of the crashes) was a common feature, but speed made the effects much more severe. This is the logic of the average speed camera installation, and is in accordance with the thinking behind KCC’s Vision Zero Strategy – that you can never fully eliminate driver error, but you can take measures to reduce and mitigate its effects.

In addition, KCC will be installing 40 mph roundels on that stretch of road, countdown markers on the approach to the 40mph gateway, just north of Charton Manor, and will enhance the current high friction surfacing at the A20 main Road junction with the A225 Eynsford Road with a higher skid resistant asphalt surface. The countdown markers, which originated in discussions that I held between Kent Highways and the Parish Council, are an unusual step, and required some discussion with the Department for Transport.

I have been asked why these measures have not been applied on the Swanley-facing side of the roundabout where there is a lot of concern about speeds as vehicles head towards Swanley. However, this would not be possible under the criteria for cameras of the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership (which themselves reflect national guidance). We are, however, looking to signage options that will help to address this.

In recognition of continuing concern over illegal right turns at the Eynsford Road/ A20 junction, Kent Highways will also be enhancing the signs and lines at the Eynsford Road junction to emphasise the existing No Right Turn restriction in place. It is important that these measures are demonstrated to have been tried before any other measures to enforce the restriction are attempted; but the situation will be monitored and if justified those further measures could be introduced.

The work will take around two weeks to complete, commencing on 4 November 2024 (next Monday), with the signing and vegetation cut back taking place between the hours of 09:30 and 15:00.

Installation of the average speed cameras will take around four days to complete, commencing on 5 November 2024, between the hours of 20:00 and 05:00.

Lining and high friction surfacing replacement will take place between the hours of 20:00 and 05:00 during the week commencing 11 November.

All this is subject to potential change depending on weather conditions, and the works will be carried out under multi-way traffic lights.

This should represent an important step forward in terms of road safety in an area with a long and tragic record of accidents; and many of the other issues in the area will remain under Kent Highways’ attention, and mine as the local Member. The work does not stop here. 

Safety enhancements in Kemsing

Some minor works to enhance safety at the Dynes Road/ Childsbridge Lane crossing should be installed today. After a collision at the crossing late last year, I asked Kent Highways officers to investigate STOP signage at the junction. 

The junction does not meet the Department for Transport criteria for these signs, but officers are introducing additional Give Way signs (in the West End and Dynes Road approaches to the junction) and the junction markings are being refreshed to reinforce and clarify the need to give way at these points.

Defects on PWE speed ramp

I’ve taken up reports of vehicles being damaged and a defect on the speed ramp near the Row Dow junction in Pilgrims Way East with Kent Highways. They have sent someone from the contractor to investigate it this afternoon/ evening. I’ll post any further information when I get it.

UPDATE: A further update on PWE … The contractors have attended and located two curbs that are coming loose and will need resetting. They have been made safe for now pending a more lasting fix. 

Farningham 20mph scheme installed

As some residents will already be aware, the 20mph scheme in Farningham, long championed by the Parish Council, should be installed next week. Kent County Council will carry out the necessary works overnight between 8pm on Thursday 29 February and 5am the following morning. 

The 20mph scheme will be installed in High Street, London Road, Dartford Road, Hillside and Sparepenny Lane from the High Street/ London Road junction to outside Hampton Court Cottage. 

The Parish Council has strongly advocated for this scheme, incorporating it in the Highways Improvement Plan (HIP) that each Parish or Town Council develops with Kent Highways. I was pleased to support it from my Combined Member Grant; there was also funding from KCC’s Local Transport Plan, and the Parish Council contributed CIL funding to the earlier stages of the project. It’s taken some time, and quite a lot of work to get to this point but in just over a week the scheme should be in place.

A225 Shoreham Road: latest on the works

An update on the works on the A225 Shoreham Road. All still going ahead, but a change of timing.

As anyone using that stretch of road may have noticed, the temporary 30mph speed limit has not yet been introduced (I had previously posted that this would start on Monday 15th. Work has started, but the contractor is so far focusing on vegetation clearance. There’s a lot to do - some 950 metres to be cleared. Most of this is mobile works, though I believe that there were some temporary traffic lights in place on Monday.

The temporary speed limit to accommodate the signing work will now begin next Monday, 22 January. It will be scheduled for two weeks, though hopefully the works should take less time than that. Lining and red surface patching should also be installed at that time, though this is subject to weather conditions (in other words, not as cold as it is now).

A225 Shoreham Road speed limit: works to start tomorrow

Work is due to start tomorrow to implement the long-awaited 40mph speed limit and improve safety on the A225 Shoreham Road, in particular in the section near the junction with Station Road Shoreham. Starting to the north of that junction, and running south beyond the Fackenden Lane junction, it should also support observance of the 30mph zone on the approach into Otford.

The measures introduced will comprise warning signs (pedestrian crossing signs) approaching the crossing points of public footpaths SR18 and SR22 along with white Glasdon Gates, village signs, red surfacing and both 40mph signs and roundels. 

The works are expected to take around two weeks (the precise outcome being dependent on weather conditions) and will require from tomorrow a temporary 30mph speed limit, running from 160 metres south of the junction with Fackenden Lane to 400 metres to its north. 

The scheme has been a long time in preparation and Shoreham Parish Council have rightly been determined in pursuing it. I have worked with the Parish Council and with Kent Highways to get this delivered. It will be good to see it in place.

Speed limit lowered on the A25

A somewhat belated good news story. Last week (12 December) the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the reduction of speed limit on the A25 Seal Road from 40mph to 30mph was implemented. 

The section of the road where the limit was 40mph stretched from within Sevenoaks Town (and the County Division of my neighbouring County Councillor, Richard Streatfeild) into Seal Parish (and my Division). This created an anomaly in the middle of an area that is otherwise 30mph all,the way through and added to the sense of insecurity among pedestrians, including children going to school (or walking with their parents). 

It has taken quite some time to get here; the issue has been raised with me by residents over a number of years. Initially it was thought that Kent Police and Kent Highways would not agree to support it, though we later secured a change of view on this. Part of the argument for caution was that, with the change of limit, there are no longer repeater signs on this stretch of road (because under the Highway Code the presence of streetlights is taken as the indication of a 30mph limit). Nonetheless, the TRO was agreed at last December’s Joint Transportation Board. The scheme was taken on by Kent Highways’ Design and Delivery team in the summer, and handed over to contractors on 1 November. 

This is, I hope, a welcome step forward for residents of both Sevenoaks and Seal.

JTB approves Shoreham and Seal schemes

Tonight's Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board (JTB), which brings together County and District Councillors, considered the proposal to reduce the speed limit on the A225 between Eynsford and Otford to 50mph in its more northerly section and to 40mph from just north of the junction with Station Road Shoreham.

The proposal, which has long been championed by Shoreham Parish Council and which I have supported, was consulted on between 16 September and 10 October. Of 113 responses, 82 were in favour of the proposal, 31 were objections (of which 6 were held to be valid objections on traffic management grounds). The issue was therefore considered at the JTB and the Board supported it. Both Brian Jeffery from Shoreham Parish Council and I spoke in favour.

The JTB also considered the proposed reduction in the speed limit on the A25 Seal Road entering Seal from the west. This was incorporated in a Traffic Regulation Order which related largely to 20mph proposals in Sevenoaks Town, but the JTB agreed to consider the A25 issue separately from a much longer debate on the Sevenoaks Town item. The Seal Road speed limit reduction was quickly approved, recognising the anomalous nature of the stretch of 40mph road between two 30mph zones.

Childsbridge Lane speed limit reduction approved

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Sevenoaks Joint Transportation Board (JTB), the Board reviewed the proposed reduction in the speed limit on Childsbridge Lane between Kemsing and Seal from National Speed Limit (60 mph) to 40 mph. This proposal had been at the head of Seal Parish Council’s Highways Improvement Plan (HIP). Its aim is to reduce speeds near the entry points to the villages, and especially the approach to the railway bridge near Seal.

Since there were a number of objections to the proposal, the JTB had to consider it and decide whether to proceed. Both the chairman of Seal Parish Council and I spoke in favour of the speed limit reduction. I sought to address the concern, which was expressed by a number of the objectors, that this would be a substitute or diversion from the need to create a secure path for pedestrians on the bridge.

This has been a significant concern for residents and one that I support. However, neither the parish council nor I see the proposed speed limit reduction as a diversion from addressing the issue. The biggest problem so far has been one of visibility on the approaches to the bridge, which has vitiated efforts to create a priority system needed to narrow the road and give the space necessary for a secure pedestrian path. This is a difficult issue, and one that we continue to work to address, but quite separate from that of the speed limit. The intention of the reduction is to improve safety but this does not preclude other actions on the bridge when they can be delivered.

The JTB approved the proposed speed limit reduction and it can now be implemented.

A225: Draft Order for speed limit reduction

Kent County Council has placed a proposed Speed Limit Order for the A225 Shoreham Road on public deposit, starting today (16 September). This will continue until 10 October.

The Order proposes reducing the speed limit from the current National Speed Limit:

-  To 50 mph from a point 83 metres southwest of the junction with Station Road Eynsford (in other words, on the edges of Eynsford village) to a point 476 metres north of the junction with Station Road Shoreham; and

- To 40 mph from this point to one 95 metres south of the junction with Fackenden Lane (the start of the approach to Otford)

This is a proposal on which I have worked with Shoreham Parish Council and Kent Highways officers over several years. There have been detailed discussions and debates over where exactly the limits should be placed, and a lot of work has gone into harmonising community wishes with the judgements of Kent Highways and the role of Kent Police as the enforcement authority.

Shoreham PC has long argued for this change, and, if enacted, it should enhance safety at the junction with Station Road in particular. It should also, by reducing speeds near and south of Shoreham, reinforce the 30mph on Shoreham Road Otford. Eynsford Parish Council has also been engaged and supportive though there is much less direct effect on Eynsford than on Shoreham.

The details of the proposals can be found on KCC’s highways consultations page, and you can make representations supporting or objecting to the proposals via the page, or by writing to KCC: The Senior Parking & Traffic Regulation Officer, Traffic Management Team, Highways & Transportation, Kent County Council, Ashford Highway Depot, Henwood Industrial Estate, Javelin Way, Ashford TN24 8AD.

Seal speed limit reductions: consultation begins

Consultation begins today on speed limit changes in Seal. Both address long-running issues on which I have worked with the Parish Council and Kent Highways over several years.

The first proposes to reduce the anomalous 40mph on the A25 Seal Road to 30mph in accordance with the rest of that section of the A25 (this also affects Ash Platt Road and Highlands Park). Secondly, it is proposed to reduce the speed limit on the area of Childsbridge Lane between Seal and Kemsing from National Speed Limit (60 mph) to 40 mph. 

The consultation on this Traffic Regulation Order (with documents on public deposit) starts today and will conclude on Monday 2 May at 12 noon. Representations can be made via the website or by writing to The TRO Co-ordinator, Schemes Planning & Delivery Team, Highways, Transportation & Waste, Kent County Council, Ashford Highway Depot, Henwood Industrial Estate, Javelin Way, Ashford, TN24 8AD.

Vision Zero launched

Vision Zero, Kent County Council’s ambitious long-term road safety strategy, was launched at an event at Manston airfield today. The Vision aims to eliminate deaths on Kent’s roads by 2050, using policy, technology and public engagement to mitigate the effects of human error that will always be a feature of driving. 

I was delighted to chair the opening session of the conference, which included a keynote address from HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who has championed road safety and played a leading role in national and international initiatives to improve it over decades. The event included demonstrations of autonomous braking systems and other technological developments, along with other advanced road safety measures, and was attended by haulage and other key industry representatives, research bodies, Kent Highways and other key road authority officers, elected representatives (including Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott and KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport David Brazier) and others.

I have written before about Vision Zero here; and you can find KCC’s media statement on it
here.

The launch of Vision Zero follows extensive public consultation, and a key message from today’s event - and also integral to the strategy - was that, alongside funding, technological advances and work with the haulage industry, it is public commitment and engagement that will be vital to its success. Already the Vision has attracted strong interest from communities and their representatives, and I take it as positive that already I face challenge from parish councils and local residents as to how we are reflecting that vision in our actions and decisions on road safety measures. Now we start to make it a reality.

Vision Zero: two weeks left to comment

There are still two weeks left to comment on KCC‘s Vision Zero strategy for road safety; the consultation, launched on 26 January, closes just before midnight on 15 March. 

Vision Zero aims to achieve a major reduction - to, or very close to zero - in deaths on Kent’s roads by 2050. Its underlying philosophy is to recognise that human error will always happen, but to find ways to reduce its consequences, either in terms of accidents or in terms of their most serious consequences. A major strand in Vision Zero is a renewed emphasis on community engagement, recognising that community concerns about matters such as sense of danger and reduced quality of life should be taken into account in assessing road safety measures. This represents a more flexible approach than the current focus on deaths and serious injuries, even though that will undoubtedly remain a significant factor in any assessments.

You can find details of the consultation, and more detail about Vision Zero, here. The strategy’s emphasis on a systematic approach, and on close work with local residents and communities should be very welcome.

Reduced speed limits in Farningham and Horton Kirby

I have written before about the troubling crash history on the A20 as it passes through the edges of Farningham. A particularly horrific accident some eighteen months ago, resulting in the deaths of two young men, has since been demonstrated in the courts to be the result of driver behaviour (not that of the two young victims). However, as a continuous fast stretch of road, this section of the A20 is clearly susceptible to more serious crashes, resulting in deaths and serious injuries.

I have worked on this issue with Kent Highways officers and Farningham Parish Council, which has rightly been concerned. Kent Highways brought forward in August draft Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to address the issue. The philosophy has been to focus speed reductions in the area in which drivers are clearly approaching parts of the village, coming from the open road into a more residential area. Thus the speed limit will be reduced from 60mph to 40mph along the A20 Main Road/ Gorse Hill from the junction with London Road up to some 290 metres south-east of the junction with Eglantine Lane.

Similar reductions will apply on the A225 Dartford Road, which covers some of the northerly parts of Franingham (up to Calfstock Lane) and then becomes part of Horton Kirby. Speed along this road has also long been a concern to residents, and I have in the past worked with Kent Highways and local residents on signage improvements and the like. This, however, should be a more substantive measure. The new limit will apply the length of the road from the A20 roundabout to the border where Horton Kirby meets Sutton at Hone (which is the start of a 30mph zone).

Both sets of speed limits will be reinforced with a series of back to back repeater signs. There have been no objections to the draft TROs and so all is set to move ahead. The provisional date for implementation is 15 October, with a reserve date of a week later. This should be very welcome news.

Renewing the Speed Indicator Device in Childsbridge Lane

One of the first issues that Kemsing Parish Council took up with me after my election last year was the need to replace a Speed Indicator Device (SID) in Childsbridge Lane. A SID was installed some years ago, but eventually became faulty. It was removed and Kent Highways were not willing to replace it.

Following discussion with the Parish Council, it became clear to me that there was still a strong desire in the village to have the SID at this point, so I undertook to pay for it - if it could be installed - from my Combined Member Fund. Even so, it was not quite as simple as that; Kent Highways were not prepared to approve a SID, even one paid for from my Fund, if it could not be justified. In particular, traffic counts and speed checks were needed to see if enough vehicles were travelling at 35 miles per hour or faster to trigger the Device a reasonable number of times.

The traffic count - also paid for from my Fund - took place in early March. Because of the snow (which clearly would distort any speed readings), measurements had to be taken over fewer days than would usually be the case. Nonetheless, the end result was that there were enough speeding vehicles to support the introduction of a new SID, and I was able to tell Kemsing's Annual Parish Meeting that we should now be able to go ahead.

A20 Button Street barrier to be abandoned

Kent Highways have announced this morning that the experimental traffic order blocking the turn in and out of Button Street at its junction with the A20 will be abandoned. The barrier to block the turn, which was installed in early October, will be removed next week. This will involve overnight works (between the hours of 9PM and 5AM) during the nights of 8-9 and 9-10 November and will require a full road closure at that time.

This follows a series of problems with the scheme. Many local residents were concerned about possible diversion of traffic up Button Street into Swanley Village, as well as the safety of traffic going down the hill to turn at Kings roundabout at the foot of Farningham Hill. While I recognised that the scheme was a serious attempt to deal with a genuine problem (there has been a pattern of serious accidents at the Button Street junction), I shared many of these concerns. To make matters worse, contractors installed unsuitable barriers, which resulted in the need for lane closures and 40mph speed limits on the section of the A20 near the junction. These would have been lifted when new, more appropriate barriers were installed; this will now happen when the experimental traffic order is terminated next week.

None of this makes for a happy story, and it is now back to the drawing board - the problem remains, though effective and affordable solutions are not easily available. I will meet Kent Highways officers shortly to examine the options.

A20 Button Street junction

The junction of Button Street with the A20 has been the scene of several serious accidents, one of them fatal, in the last few years. Many if not all of these accidents have involved vehicles making a right turn that takes them across the fast-moving traffic coming from the direction of the Swanley interchange.

Kent Highways are consequently installing (on a trial basis) a barrier to close off the central crossover and prevent right hand turns. This will be done under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order which will operate over a six month period. Installation will require a five day programme of road and lane closures, which will start this coming Monday.

Many residents of Farningham and of Swanley Village have major concerns about this initiative, and I share these worries. Under the new arrangements, vehicles coming out of Button Street (including lorries coming from Watts Farm) and wanting to get to the Swanley interchange will have to head down the hill to Kings roundabout and then come back up. Some may seek to avoid this by more dangerous manoeuvres, and there is also the prospect of vehicles choosing to go instead through Swanley Village, which has more than its share of HGV problems.

With an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, consultation (over a six month period) starts when the Order comes into force, so this will provide the opportunity for residents to set out concerns and objections. I will monitor these closely in the coming weeks, and continue to express my own concerns.