Green light for 20mph trials near schools
THE go-ahead has been given for 20mph speed limits to be tri- alled outside a handful of schools in the borough. The experiment includes two primaries in the town – an ad- visory 20mph limit using vehi- cle-activated signs near St Francis’ in Queens Road and school warning signs near South Borough in Postley Road, within the current 30mph limit. However, the only scheme backed by a traffic regulation order will be at Leeds and Broomfield Primary. An advisory 20mph
using signs and flash- ing lights will be used in Ham Lane, Lenham, where the speed-cut campaign was supported by a 1,000-signa- ture petition. Meanwhile, signs and line im- provements will be trialled in West Lane, Hunton.
Maidstone Joint Transport
Board (JTB) heard the schemes should all be in place by the start of next year and be re- viewed by spring 2013. It is hoped the trials will re-
duce drivers’ speed, change par- ents’ perception of traffic dangers near school and en- courage them to let their chil- dren walk or cycle there.
KCC cabinet member for highways Bryan Sweet- land said: “We have listened to par- ents, county council members and residents. This trial will be conducted outside primary schools without using traffic-calming measures, such as speed humps, to slow cars down.We want to find out what difference lower speeds can make and whether measures, such as signs and road mark- ings, can improve safety outside schools.”
Cllr Gary Cooke, who, as pre-
vious JTB chairman, took up the issue with Kent Police, said he supported the proposed trials. He was “delighted” that Leeds and Broomfield primary was at
Greens want speed cuts everywhere CALLS for 20mph limits to be extended to residential areas across the borough have been made by the Green Party. Stuart Jeffery, who addressed the JTB, welcomed the schools experiment as a “small but good step in the right direction”. Afterwards, he added: “I hope that once these schemes have
been shown to be effective KCC will consider bringing Maid- stone into the 21st century by giving all its residential streets 20mph limits, as in other county towns. “It is quite disgraceful that Maidstone is at least five years be-
hind places such as Oxford, Norwich, Lancaster and Portsmouth.”
A MOTORISTS’ lobby group claims Maidstone Tories have succumbed to political pressure on the 20mph issue. The Kent branch of the Asso- ciation of British Drivers (ABD) said: “We believe this push for 20mph outside schools is a Tro- jan horse to justify countywide imposition of these artificially low limits, which are likely to apply 24/7. ABD spokesman Brian Mac- dowall said: “Maidstone Con- servatives have capitulated to the Greens/Lib-Dems.
Lower limit is a ‘Trojan horse’
He said the Green Partywants
all residential streets down- graded to 20mph, but added: “They have not given any acci- dent statistics for injuries caused by alleged speeding to justify these widespread down- grades, yet they are easily avail- able.” Mr Macdowall quoted from a
2008 KCC report of a three-year study outside 154 Kent schools
Counting up the swans! THE mayor’s duties are many and varied but none could be more quirky than the centuries- old “swan upping” ceremony. It involves counting and ringing swans and cygnets on the stretch of the River Medway over which the mayor has jurisdiction. Liberties that were originally granted to the “Queen’s Town of Maidstone” by Elizabeth I in 1559 were extended by James I in 1619 to in- clude the privilege of keeping swans on the River Medway and marking them, now done by means of a numbered ring on their leg. Cllr Brian Mortimer upheld that tradition, ac- companied by swan master Eric Philp, who caught and ringed this cygnet, which is now reg- istered in the mayor’s name. His Court of Survey was assisted by members
of the Hampstead and Yalding Cruising Club and the East Farleigh Cruising Club.
the top of the list. He hoped offi- cers would expedite the scheme as the B2163 is busier than many A roads, with “heavy traffic thundering through the vil- lage in the absence of a bypass that is needed”, he added. Cllr Cooke said members should be open-minded about what is learned from the pilot, but added: “I hope that chil- dren’s safety throughout the borough will be en- hanced.” Cllr Jenny Whittle,
who has championed the campaign for a 20mph limit near Lenham’s pri- mary and secondary schools, was told that Kent Police would not support a traffic order in
Ham Lane and that it was more suited to a 20mph advisory be- tween CherryClose to Malthouse Close.
Police say they have limited resources to proactively enforce
traffic offences and require new speed limits to be “self-enforc- ing”.
Fewer accidents THERE were no child fatal- ities in Maidstone road ac- cidents last year. On average, there are 10 child- injury accidents a year, in- cluding one serious – of which very few are outside schools.
Of 211 crashes recorded
(two fatal, 18 serious and 191 slight), only 17% occurred within 300m either side of the school gate. Both the fatal crashes and
78% of serious injuries hap- pened away from the school gate. He said: “Facts are an incon- venient truth for Greens”, and added: “A far more beneficial approach than blanket penalisa- tion of drivers would be a greater emphasis, in school and at home, on road safety.”
JOHN
MUNSON SHOW TIME
The Comedy of Errors
The Changeling and Hazlitt Arts Centre
THE popularity of much of Shakespeare’s plays is their modernity. London modern dress productions of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘Richard the Third’ have been sell-outs. Local director Rob Fork-
nall’s Changeling and the Hazlitt Arts Centre gave us an absolutely knockout ver- sion of ‘The Comedy of Er- rors’. One left the show wondering: “Why isn’t this turned into a successful comedy series?” It was an absolute hoot
from start to finish. Another Boughton Monchelsea suc- cess.
Jake Hendricks played the
twins, both Antipholus. Le- ander Deeny played the twins Dromio. Just to see these two switching charac- ters, body language, misun- derstanding and fezzes, brought roars of laughter in- terspersed with continuous chuckles. Lucy Thatcher as Adriana
and Rachel Nussbaum as Lu- ciana were the two gorgeous females who contributed to the general merriment and confusion. The way they gave us the lines would have made Shakespeare himself laugh with pleasure. David Corden, Henry Farmer, Vivienne Keen and our own local Tom Oakley made a powerful supporting cast.
Great costumes. Effective, simple set. No throat mikes and we heard every word. Rob Forknall directs this
year’s Hazlitt panto – should be good.
Quality mark MAIDSTONE solicitors Gul- lands has been granted mem- bership of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. To achieve this mark of ex- cellence for the home buying process, practices must un- dergo a strict assessment, com- pulsory training, self-reporting, random audits and annual re- views.
Leisure centre theft A CAR was stolen from the car park at Maidstone Leisure Cen- tre after a suspect gained entry to the staff room. Keys taken from the area were
used to steal an 09-reg black Fiat 500. An Apple iPhone and cash were also taken.
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