Barriers come down in a drive for safety


MAIDSTONE residents may have noticed how roadsides and junctions have been cleared of clutter recently. Ironically, barriers that were supposedly installed in pedes- trians’ interests, have been ripped out to improve their safety.


And the man behind the transformation


of the town's streetscape is delighted after seeing 1,000 items of unnecessary metal- work scrapped in the past two years. The last to come down was at the junction of Mill Street and Palace Avenue. Cllr Malcolm Greer takes his job as Maidstone's cabinet member for regener- ation very seriously. He is also a big fan of UK urban designer Ben Hamilton-Bail- lie who advised Ashford on a "shared space" approach to its ring road. Shared space is a concept aimed at


Now you see it… now you don’t. First, high hedges were felled to open up a view of the carriage museum, then the barrier was removed at the corner of Palace Avenue and Mill Street.


breaking the physical and mental barriers between vehicles and pedestrians to achieve an integrated space for walking, shopping and driving. Cllr Greer said Mr Hamilton-Baillie is "one


of the best", whose ideas lead to improved traffic flow and public safety. "It makes driv- ers slow down and makes people realise they have to use self-preservation and think for themselves," said Cllr Greer who added that speed and accidents have been reduced in Ashford since the shared space initiative


A COMBINED television and DVD player was stolen from the shop floor at The Children’s Trust’s shop in Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone. The £140 black Technika TV and DVD player


was playing a series of short films about the na- tional charity, showcasing its work with some of


was launched in October 2008. The extensive removal of signs and barri-


ers in the centre of Maidstone followed a safety audit by KCC's consultant engineers, Jacobs. Cllr Greer said: “They looked at the neces-


Thieves take DVD player from children’s charity shop


the UK’s most severely disabled youngsters. Police believe the TV was taken some time be-


tween 3pm and 5pm on February 10, while staff were busy serving the last customers of the day. The thieves by-passed two members of staff on the shop floor to snatch the items.


sity of every barrier and whether it could be removed with no effect on public safety. The perception of barriers has changed im- mensely – you don't just put them in for the sake of it. “Ashford centre has no barriers anywhere. You don't need them as long as crossings are built in the right place and sound systems are in place for the hard-of-hearing." Cllr Greer said the de-cluttering


of roads exemplifies good part- nership work between the bor- ough and county councils.


W.J. CROUCHBUTCHERS incorporatingRickwoods of Bearsted Est. 1977


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