Agenda item

Discussion on Highways – how do KHS prioritise improvements to the roads and what should the priorities be for the Northfleet and Gravesend West area?

Minutes:

Public transport

  • If you haven’t got a car you are relying on public transport.  Not getting improved service we are promised.  Need new buses to make it more efficient.  Old buses are very uncomfortable for elderly and frail people to travel on.
  • Improve public transport service to get traffic off roads
  • Public transport – weekend travel – lack of buses – lack of services – low buses needed and through ticketing
  • Public transport in the Woodlands area – 308 and 455 are very old buses with steps up and majority of people are elderly.  ARRIVA have said they cannot afford to replace with new buses as they do not make money from the elderly.  Spoke to MP Adam Holloway who said it will improve but it hasn’t been forthcoming.  They promised that when other areas got new buses we would get more modern ones but they have gone back on their word.  We get one bus an hour and services are often cut because buses break down and go in for repair.
  • If you haven’t got a car you are relying on public transport.  We are not getting improved service we are promised.  Need new buses to make it more efficient.  Old buses are very uncomfortable for elderly and frail people to travel on.
  • Lack of access on buses for the elderly and access needs e.g. buggies Buses too high off curb
  • Bus service – Improvements – not everyone wants to go to Bluewater
    • routes to hospitals bad service
  • Cars parked at schools are a problem – buses struggle to get through
  • Route to Darent Valley Hospital from Northfleet and West not good
  • Fastrack should be used for new large developments
  • Hospital – early appointments – public transport
    • Fastrack – local service not given priority new link Northfleet to … St – When and where?
  • Low income can’t afford to send children to school Cost of children’s travel to school – £50/week
  • Has analysis been done on users?  What is use of Fastrack – need stats from Fastrack and feedback

 

Highways maintenance / Potholes

  • Street lighting is also abysmal contract
  • Marry up road works to avoid digging up same roads twice within short timescale
  • Lighting – street lights out of order since November 19 2008
  • After utilities work – road collapses and potholes start showing – there should be more supervision of utilities work

 

Speed reduction/lorries and congestion issues

  • Average speed checks on the A2 have improved traffic speed on A2
  • When there is an accident on the A2 there is grid lock – motorways are closed.

·         Concerns about fast traffic on Coldharbour Road and Singlewell Road

·         Need to re-educate young people in schools about dangers of speed

·         Lost lorries causing gridlock at Stone

·         Speeding – waiting for fatalities – not good enough

 

Highways schemes

·         Traffic calming – not good for elderly travelling

·         Bean junction

·         What happens with schemes – political independent system decided politically?

·         Pipkin officer driven – not what was wanted

·         More dropped kerbs

·         Access for St George’s School, Meadow Road – road surface was never designed for heavy traffic - School is campaigning for new access and road – can extra funding be found

·         what about a one way system around St. Mark’s Avenue – will this be in scheme for 2010/11

·         Hall Roard/Springhead Road problems

 

Illegal parking/parking issues

·         Pavement parking not enforced – have only just spent money – what is the point if it is to be ruined.

·         Cars parked on yellow lines – need enforcement

·         Cyclist having to go round parked cars makes life difficult

·         Traffic wardens – enforcement – parking permits work quite well

·         There is limited parking in new developments

·         A2 activity park – access into park … very limited

·         There is Park and Ride for commuters – will the Park and Ride be used? Wrotham/… Road

·         Chilton Road – green is in the middle – want more parking