Residents are currently expected to cross busy roads without
suitable safe crossing provision when accessing residential care,
healthcare, local services, bus stops, homes and town-centre
facilities.
The request is not limited to one fixed point on the carriageway.
If KCC considers that a formal crossing cannot be provided directly
outside either entrance, we ask KCC to identify a safe, practical
and accessible alternative serving the same pedestrian desire line,
with a continuous safe footway to and from that crossing. A
crossing should not be treated as a suitable alternative if it
requires an unrealistic detour, relies on narrow or discontinuous
pavements, or still requires pedestrians to cross a busy road
without safe provision.
The crossing near Eden Manor Residential Home is particularly
urgent because we understand that a crossing at this location has
previously been rejected on the basis that it is too close to
nearby traffic lights. However, no clear technical standard has
been provided, no alternative safe crossing location has been
identified, and no safe walking route to an alternative crossing
point has been proposed.
The lack of a safe crossing near Edenbridge Medical Centre is also
a significant concern for residents, particularly older people,
disabled residents, families with children and those attending
medical appointments without access to a car.
We ask Kent County Council to:
1. carry out or publish site-specific pedestrian safety assessments
for both locations;
2. publish the policy, guidance or design standards relied upon
when deciding whether a crossing can be provided;
3. confirm whether any minimum distance from traffic lights or
junctions is an absolute rule or a matter of engineering
judgement;
4. assess alternative crossing locations or alternative pedestrian
safety measures if a formal crossing is not possible at the
preferred points;
5. provide safe, practical and accessible walking routes to any
alternative crossing locations, using continuous safe
footways;
6. confirm how and when safe crossing solutions will be funded and
delivered.
Other crossing gaps in Edenbridge also matter, including opposite
Lidl where new housing connects with Station Road, but the Eden
Manor and Medical Centre crossing issues should not be deferred,
diluted or dismissed on the basis that other crossings may be
considered through future development proposals.
Edenbridge is being considered for significant additional housing
growth through the emerging Sevenoaks District Local Plan. Safe
pedestrian infrastructure should not be treated as a future
aspiration or left dependent on uncertain developer contributions.
Existing safety concerns near Eden Manor and the Medical Centre
require specific answers now, together with deliverable
solutions.
This ePetition runs from 02/06/2026 to 02/09/2026.
8 people have signed this ePetition.