Improvement plans have been put forward for some notorious Kent A-roads
Traffic congestion and delayed journeys on a key A-roads' corridor in Kenthave been made a priority to tackle as improvements to the route have made it into the new Transport Plan for the county.
Council chiefs have included the A264 Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells and the A228, a route from the town to Maidstone via Colts Hill.
Improvements aimed at "addressing the pressure" on the West Malling to Tunbridge Wells corridor are in Kent County Council's Transport Plan which was adopted in December.
The A228 joins the A264 at a busy set of junctions near Pembury and near the acute Tunbridge Wells Hospital. The plan acknowledges the issues for A264 drivers: it says there's "queuing and congestion" which creates "overly long journeys" for a comparatively short section of road. It said this "disadvantages Tunbridge Wells town centre".
It also says the importance of the A228 will rise, as Paddock Wood will be a focus for housing and employment growth, and the road, which skirts around the west side of the town, will be "very important" for new journeys, with new developments likely to have built links onto the corridor.
Improvements would also be made for public transport, road safety, and for walking and cycling. The council wants to develop proposals for a "single continuous programme" for development and delivery of the corridor upgrade, which "should" include revisiting the case for a Colts Hill bypass, said the plan.
It is 20 years since the council proposed the Colts Hill bypass. It had followed years of tireless campaigning by residents and road users, councillors and then Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark. Among the reasons were an end to accidents, including fatal ones, on the winding, rural route which is also known for congestion and delays.
But all these improvement works will be subject to developer and Government funding, said the Transport Plan. There are no details or diagrams of what the improvements would be on the ground, the A228-A264 corridor is simply one of seven 'local road network proposals' for Kent in the plan.
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