Eynsford - village entry point

There have long been concerns about safety around the point where traffic enters Eynsford on the A225 from the south.  Traffic tends to be fast moving as it comes in from the open road, and bends make visibility poor.

With support from my Combined Member Fund, signage has been enhanced to warn drivers of pedestrians crossing, and a SLOW sign has been refreshed. There is more to do to refresh the high fruition surfacing that also acts as a reminder that drivers are entering a village; this is due to follow, but the existing works already represent a useful step forward.

Swanley Village - The Sign, at last

The long-running saga of the Swanley Village sign has finally come to an end - well, almost.

Some time ago I arranged, through my Combined Member Find, to have the Swanley Village sign, which had become alarmingly unstable, given a new base. The sign was taken down, though the work to set up the new base proved time-consuming as there were a number of changes of Highways staff dealing with the issue.

Eventually, however, around Christmas, the new traffic island, base and pole were installed. This has been well-received, and local residents have created flower beds on the island. But - the sign itself was not there, since it needed repainting.

Throughout, I have followed up with Kent Highways officers and, through them, our contractors, to urge that the job be completed and the sign installed. Over the weekend, it at last arrived. The sign looks good back in its place as the symbol of the village. However, one problem still remains - the pole is bare steel, while its predecessor was a painted a more elegant black. So a coat of paint will still be needed - and then perhaps the job will be truly complete.

Pothole blitz gets under way

Kent County Council's spring 'Find and Fix' campaign - otherwise known as the pothole blitz - is under way.

The campaign will be in two phases. This month some £500K, set aside by the County Council and using a network of local contractors, will be spent on the campaign. A further £1.96m will be spent after mid-May; this is money allocated from national government to local authorities.

The campaign will focus on the minor roads that often get much less of the funding available than do the more major routes. Despite the 'pothole blitz' terminology, much of the work will be patching over a wider area than a single pothole - but it should all contribute to improvement of the roads.

Initial activity will pick up problems that are already known, but where holes are not at the 'intervention level' that triggers immediate action by Kent Highways. In addition, residents and Parish Councils can use Kent Highways' usual fault reporting system.

Crockenhill granite setts to go in

A major element of the safety measures targeted at the centre of Crockenhill - in particular, around the junctions of Main Road, Cray Road and Broadway - has been the potential installation of granite setts to focus drivers' attention that they are coming into the centre of the village.

At a meeting that I held with Kent Highways and the Parish Council in September, it was agreed that an alternative approach, using rumble strips, would be tried out. The strips were installed at the Broadway approach to the junction, and given a trial period to see if it was felt that they could provide the same or similar benefits.

The Parish Council, drawing on feedback from residents, concluded in January that the rumble strips were not sufficient, and so it was agreed to go ahead with the installation of the setts, paid for from my Combined Member Fund. This will begin tomorrow, starting with the Eynsford Road/ Main Road approach. This will require a road closure, probably lasting a couple of days; for the other approaches, contrary to earlier anticipations, traffic lights should be sufficient.

The installation of the setts should give added force to the other measures undertaken so far, including the 20mph zone. For the main action still outstanding, the installation of village entry signs, locations have been agreed; this should take place early in the new financial year.  

Keep Kent Clean

The Great British Spring Clean - a national effort to clean and tidy up the country, hopefully set to become an annual event - is due to take place this weekend. Over the last few weeks, Kent County Council has been promoting the Keep Kent Clean initiative, designed to support the Great British Spring Clean but also to run throughout the entire month of March.

The County Council, working with District and Parish Councils and through community wardens and its other officers, is undertaking its own cleanup and is encouraging others to get involved. KCC's work will include vegetation clearance, refreshing of white lines, litter picks in areas such as country parks (of which more in a minute) and cleaning of road signs.

The County Council is also pressing for details from Highways England as to the work they will be undertaking concerning the condition of their verges (which are a significant concern, and are an issue that constituents have raised with me).

You can find out more about Keep Kent Clean from this Facebook page, which includes a video with KCC Leader Paul Carter.

Events in Darent Valley over the weekend include litter picks in Swanley, in Horton Kirby and South Darenth (starting from the village hall) at 11 on Sunday, and in Lullingstone Country Park on Saturday morning at 10 - I'm planning to be at the Lullingstone pick.

Eynsford school run: next steps

On Thursday morning I joined members of the School Run Safety Campaign (SRSC), the Parish Council and Kent Highways Officers to review the impact so far of the yellow lines installed in the High Street just over a fortnight ago.

We all recognised long in advance that the yellow lines would be only part - albeit an important one - of the response to the traffic issues around the school, that we would need to watch for any intended or unintended consequences of their implementation, and that there are other changes (in particular, the careful use of bollards) that could and should be made on the roads and pavements.

Experience so far suggests that the lines outside Alton Cottages have had a beneficial effect. Among the big continuing concerns are vehicles mounting the pavement; parking on narrow stretches of pavement that blocks pedestrian access, especially for anyone with a buggy; and cars parking across the newly installed dropped kerbs.

We agreed that bollards should be installed in three places: on the narrow pavement near the school entrance, where children pass through in large numbers after the end of the school day; a little further along the same stretch of pavement, outside 19 Alton Cottages; and to one side of the dropped kerb near the junction with Priory Lane. In addition, a pedestrian sign will be put on the column by the corner of Priory Lane to alert drivers to those crossing at the dropped kerb.

These measures (which will be paid for from my Combined Member Fund) will be implemented as soon as possible. We also examined the situation further south on the High Street (heading towards the Bower Lane junction). There is an argument for some bollards to be installed there too, and this was discussed at previous meetings with Kent Highways. There are, however, practical problems; for example, regulations do not allow bollards to be placed on narrow sections of pavement, where they would make the space for pedestrians too narrow - but if they are installed on the wider sections, cars will park on the narrower sections, making the pedestrians' problems still worse. 

We therefore agreed to review the situation again, around Easter, and come to a decision then as to whether more bollards are required. As we come into the new financial year, we will also look at the possibility of resurfacing the pavement outside Alton Cottages, which is in poor condition and likely to take an increasing number of pedestrians.

I will write a further update after we next review the situation around Easter.

Drainage works for Eynsford 'lake'

Anyone in or passing through the centre of Eynsford recently will have seen the works (pictured) taking place near Gibson's Place. These are being carried out by Kent Highways and are designed to address the long-standing flooding there, about which I have posted before. The flooding problems have generated a mini (or not so mini-) lake whenever there is significant rainfall, creating significant problems for residents, the butcher's opposite, parents taking children to the school and others.

The current works in the carriageway should be complete by the end of the week, with the next phase starting next Monday (20 February). A new pipe, running from the current area of flooding, will be installed along with a large catch pit. The final section of piping (some 6 metres) that connects the drainage system under Gibson's Place to the river will be upgraded, with a flap over the end of the pipe run to prevent water running back up the drainage system when the river levels are high.

Barring weather or other setbacks, the works should be completed by the following weekend (around 25 February). Then we will wait to see if - as will hopefully be the case - this long-standing problem has been tackled.