ePetition details

Council response

Thank you for your enquiry dated 19 July 2022, enclosing a petition asking to install a pedestrian crossing on Upper Grosvenor Road.

In accordance with our ‘Petition Service’ as your letter contains less than 1,000 signatures I have investigated & reviewed your concerns in my role as the Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transportation & Waste.

We receive many requests for the implementation of safety measures on the highway and, as such, all requests are reviewed and prioritised. Our evidenced based approach is how we prioritise investment in road safety improvements and identify specific safety issues.

As part of this process, we have examined the last three years of validated personal injury crash data from Kent Police. The length of Upper Grosvenor Road has been examined, from its junction with Hanover Road to Grosvenor Bridge. This data shows that there were two collisions resulting in slight personal injury collision. These incidents took place in November 2019 and March 2021, and neither appear to have cited highway as the primary contributory factor. Furthermore, speed was also not reported as a causational factor in this instance. For your reference, the data we consider can be viewed free of charge on Crash Map http://www.crashmap.co.uk.

At this stage, we have not established any pattern of incidents that could benefit from engineering measures, such as the installation of a formal crossing point. However, I would like to reassure you that we take seriously all concerns about road traffic dangers and as such we will continue to monitor this site.

We do also work with local Parish / Town Council’s and elected County Members to ensure that a community voice helps to prioritise our efforts, and, in many cases, help support funding for improvements that do not achieve sufficient priority through our countywide assessments. To see if there is a wider community consensus for improvements the first step is for you to contact your local Parish Council or County Member. The following link to our website contains all the relevant information about the process and will explain how to research the crash history via the crash data map.
http://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/what-we-look-after/roads/changing-roads-in-your-area

In terms of traffic speed, the lead enforcement agency is Kent Police; the County Council have no powers of speed enforcement. If you believe that drivers are driving at excess speed and without due care, then this is a matter for the Police using their existing powers. Such concerns can be reported to them on their non-emergency number 101. In addition I would encourage you to contact Kent Police Speed Watch Team at https://www.kent.police.uk/advice/community-support/speedwatch/ who can provide training on community led speed action. This allows members of the public to record speeding vehicles on roads in their area, by using portable speed devices. The owners of vehicles seen repeatedly speeding anywhere in Kent over a 12-month period are then sent a warning letter and advice by the police.

Thank you for taking the time to raise a petition and bringing your concerns to my attention. I really value a community voice to flag up local concerns based on your knowledge and experience of the roads and footways in your area. I hope that my review has clarified our position on this matter. If, however you feel we have not dealt with your petition properly, please do contact me again

Yours sincerely

David Brazier
County Member, Sevenoaks Rural North East Division
Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport
Kent County Council