Kent County Council’s contractors have made significant progress on the implementation of the Faversham East West Cross Town Walking route, the major Active Travel England funded project which Kent County Council, the local highway authority, made a successful bid for last year.
At the beginning of the month, a small group of town councillors and council staff were treated to an informal walk through of the work that has been done so far. The visit gave an opportunity to review the impact of the work and raise outstanding residents’ concerns.
Councillor Julian Saunders, Vice Chair of the Town Council Active Travel Committee says: “It’s clear that the work carried out along Lower Road so far – introducing informal crossing points and speed cushions, widening pavements, narrowing junctions and properly marking bus stops has slowed traffic and created a far more pedestrian friendly environment. Work on a new zebra crossing on South Road, which I know many residents have been looking forward to, has almost finished as well and this will contribute to an easier journey for pedestrians and those with assisted mobility needs who want to cross here.
“Clearly the road works required to implement the project have caused some disruption, but now that some of the interventions have been completed, I hope most residents will agree that they are resulting in a safer environment for pedestrians, assisted mobility users and cyclists, while having very little impact on vehicle users who drive to the speed limit” ,
Councillor Claire Martin, Chair of the Active Travel Committee says: “The Town Council supported the Cross Town Walking Route bid, because we are committed to making our streets safer and more enjoyable for pedestrians. We also want to encourage compliance with the town wide 20mph scheme which residents gave overwhelming support to in a public consultation back in 2021. Lower Road was one of the few roads in Faversham where KCC remained concerned about vehicle speeds, so it is good to see work going on to reduce speeds. It’s also exciting to see a new zebra crossing on South Road at a location where residents have been keen to see improvements”.
The next stage of the scheme involves further interventions to improve safety at the road junctions along the line of pedestrianised Cross Lane and Gatefield Lane through to Faversham Recreation Ground. Councillor Claire Martin says “We are hoping that the introduction of new crossing points on Newton Road as part of this stage of the project, including one near the entrance to Solomons Lane, will have a particularly positive impact on vehicle speeds and pedestrian safety on another road where residents have been concerned about non-compliance with the 20mph speed limit”.
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