£100,000 revamp for Capel accident blackspot

DEATHS, injuries and gridlock could be cut drastically at the area's most notorious accident blackspot by a road improvement plan revealed this week.

Kent Highway Services' £100,000 proposal for the A228 at Colts Hill will go on show to the public this weekend – and experts believe the changes could cut crashes by half.

Much of the cash will be spent on new signs, modifications to a dangerous bend and the creation of Kent's first "red zone" which will use red surface markings to flag up the dangers of the section near Hawkwell Business Park.

The most radical aspect of the scheme will see the Crittenden Road junction – the borough's worst blackspot – closed to all but emergency vehicles for one year.

Project manager Gareth Williams said: "At the Alders Road-Crittenden Road crossroads we put a team of people out and looked at the manoeuvres people are carrying out to establish a pattern.

"The major cause of accidents at that point was going across the junction.

"Closure will give by far the greatest benefit in terms of crash reduction."

But Crittenden Road residents this week told the Courier they have mixed feelings about temporarily closing the road's western end.

Bernadette John said: "On the one hand I would be delighted from a road safety aspect.

"The other side of it is it will be very inconvenient for us to get to Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone. It will also push a lot more traffic through Matfield village."

Matt Wade, store manager at Crittenden Road-based engineering firm Castle Automotive, added: "We have deliveries coming in from that end every day and vans going in and out.

"The other end of the lane in Matfield is a lot narrower and big lorries can't always get in that end.

"It's going to be extremely inconvenient. This is going to cause some aggravation to us."

The average number of crashes on British A-roads is 23 per 100 million vehicle movements. At Colts Hill the figure is 40.2, but the proposed changes are expected to reduce that to 21.

With funding for a £25 million bypass nowhere in sight, Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark – who convened the working party which carried out the road survey – believes the proposed measures represent the best short-term solution for the critical link between Maidstone and Pembury hospitals.

He said: "We've waited a long time for serious improvements to this notorious stretch of road. It's not easy to get the right measures in place and, of course, some of them will lead to changes in existing traffic movements."

Kent County Council deputy leader Alex King added: "I can't emphasise enough how important it is that people give their views, because it is controversial.

"It is something we are doing reluctantly – if there was another solution we would do it."

Officials will be available to discuss the scheme tomorrow at Five Oak Green community centre, Falmouth Place, from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 3pm to 5pm