LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


School parking solution Dear Sir – I could not help but laugh when I read yet another article in the Downs Mail regarding the appalling parking problems associated with Roseacre School. I have to agree with Mr andMrs Hawkins


that this has got progressively worse over the years. I wrote to each head teacher (at Thurnham Infants, Roseacre Juniors and both Madginford schools) over a decade ago, suggesting a solution that required lit- tle or no finance, but did require the co-op- eration of the schools. It is a simple process whereby each par-


entwanting their child to attend any school has to sign a contract saying they will not use a car to transport their child to school, butwillwalk, cycle or use public transport. Most parents have to sign a similar contract saying they will adhere to uniform or be- haviour policies, etc, so any sanctions can be decided by the individual school, right up to refusing the child a place. This works well with popular schools and


also has a greater impact on ensuring all pupils attend their most local school, reduc- ing the traffic on our already heavily con- gested roads. Support by the local PCSOs would add to the success of the scheme, if they would issue parking tickets to all the of- fenders who block the road from 8.30-9.15am and 2.30-3.45pm each school day. I have watched many cars pick up pupils,


just to drive as far as the bottom of Hog Hill, Sandy Mount or even Roseacre Lane itself (the driver actually admitted they drove the children that short distance because it was not safe to walk with all the cars in the area). For the very few pupils who actually live


more than amile or so away from their near- est school (particularly primary schools), parents (or other carers) can drive part way and then park at a convenient place (pub or shop car parks that may be under-used at those times) and walk the final mile. The advantages are numerous, including


the opportunity for parents to actually talk to their children, encourage children to take regular exercise and also to instill in the children a respect for other people in the world, let alone to decreased petrol costs. I realise many parents have to work, but see- ing the myriad of cars parked in surround- ing streets for up to an hour before school starts or finishes each day, this is not the case for everyone. The response I had from those head teach-


ers? Three did not even bother to reply, and one wrote that it was nothing to do with them. It seems responsibility for one’s ac- tions is not something our schools wish to teach by example. Jeanne Gibson, Birling Avenue, Bearsted


Store wars a common trick Dear Sir – Regarding the plan for a super- market in Staplehurst, this is just another example of two companies pretending to “have a battle” over who gets the right to service the poor souls of Staplehurst , thou- sands of whom have died of starvation and malnutrition over the past few years due to their inability to make a 10-minute journey to a supermarket! It has happened all over the country. A couple of these giants pick out a small vil- lage which has happily existed on local shops and weekly trips out, they pretend to square up to each other and everyone is faced with an either/or situation , instead of just one being rejected . The majority of residents of this village do


not want a supermarket of any description here, with the resulting traffic chaos, small


34 East


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: stephen@downsmail.co.uk


shop closure and increased parking prob- lems. However, remember that MBC will only see themoney side of this – a huge in- crease in rateable income to the coffers is the upside of granting permission. Mike Hawkins, by email


Signs of cabbies’ hypocrisy Dear Sir – I have just read in the Downs Mail South edition how Dennis Conyon and his “cabbies” are furious about the council U-turn at the High Street, after they cam- paigned for signs to inform drivers of the prohibition. Is this not a touch of hypocrisy? At the junction of Mill Street/Bishop’s Way/Palace Avenue there is a bus lane from Mill Street (All Saints’ side) into Mill Street (Robins and Day). The sign clearly states this is a bus and cycle lane and does not authorise taxis to travel north across this junction. Does this stop the taxi drivers? No, it does not. How can the cabbies of Maidstone be


upsetwith a decision that enables drivers to use amore convenient route, when they are continuing to flout the law and use the con- venience of the bus lane? Mr Thom, Coxheath


Clamp down on dog fouling Dear Sir – I wholeheartedly agree with the comments of Gary Seawood about dog foul- ing, in particular the suggestion to install CCTV until the few persistent dog owners have been caught. Aheavy finewith an accompanying phot-


graph could be publicised in all of the local news sheets. My own street, Copsewood Way, is simi-


larly affected and although I spoke to one individual a year or two back, I have been unable to identify the current culprit(s), de- spite messaging all members of the neigh- bourhood watch group. Robin Giles, CopsewoodWay, Bearsted


Road closure chaos THE Boxley Parish Council web site has an article with maps from Vinci Construction showing the closure of Bearsted Road, both fully and partially, in April for a period of several weeks. My wife and I overlook the building site


and use New Cut and Bearsted Road to get to themotorway at J7 and other surrounding routes. The closure of Bearsted Road outside the Notcutts Garden Centre will make that road inaccessible to all who wish to join the M20. Bearing inmindwhere I and several thou-


sand others live inWeavering, Grove Green and Bearsted, how are we supposed to get to theM20 andA249 when Bearsted Road is completely closed? The only alternative I can see is to leave


the estate and travel in the reverse direction along New Cut, then the Ashford Road to the centre of Maidstone, then up Sitting- bourne Road and then to the Hilton dual carriageway and then to J7 of the M20 and the A249. The rush-hour will be horrendous, and


the town will be jammed for hours, as all traffic from the M20/A249 that goes south down New Cut to Park Wood, Bearsted, Leeds etc will have to go through the town. Conversely, those heading for the motorway and Detling Hill who would have used New Cut, that is already stagnant in the rush hour,will also have to go through the town. Imagine those with satnavs who do not


know the town. They will be going round in circles at a slow speed trying to determine how to get where they want, thus making the situation even worse. Absolutely bril-


liant! And, of course, it will add pounds to the motorists’ bills. I am told by the manager of Notcutts that


this work is to install various services, and was postponed from last year. Notcutts have not been consulted and will lose thou- sands of pounds of income, right at the most important time of their year when cus- tomers buy their new plants etc. No-one will go to Notcutts from the east


or south of the town, as they will have no alternative but to go through the town cen- tre, which will be a nightmare for longer than the usual rush-hours. Notcutts toldme they will be seeking the input of their head office (and no doubt their solicitors) for rec- ompense for this lost trade. What about the general public’s extra expense? Surely the best for the travelling public


will be to have SALT (Single Alternate Lane Traffic) controls by installing temporary traffic lights? Better project managementwith consider-


ation for the public is a must. I suppose there is one winner in all of this


and that will be the Chancellor, as the pub- lic will have to drive many more miles daily, thus resulting in more fuel tax being paid into the Chancellor’s coffers. Ian Stuart, Coppice View,Weavering


Town speed limits Dear Sir – I was very surprised to see a let- ter in the Downs Mail March complaining about the possible introduction of more 20mph speed limits in Maidstone, seem- ingly on the grounds that they were too slow.


Whenever I tell anyone I live in Maid-


stone, if they’re familiar with the town they immediately mention the slow-mov- ing traffic. Most of the time during the day and dur-


ing shopping hours at weekends, particu- larly around the one-way system, it always seems to be at a crawl and achieving even 20mph is rare, so hankering for the reten- tion of the usual speed limits because “they have stood us in good stead for decades” appears rather whimsical. Little store can be placed on what the police regard as “unenforceable”, because there is scant evidence of them enforcing the traffic laws in the town. For example, the yellow box junctions on the one-way system (and elsewhere) might as well not be there, because they are widely ignored and nothing is done about it. That’s the reason for build-up of traffic


in St Peter’s Street; speed is irrelevant to that situation. A large number of people pass the pro- hibition sign at Fairmeadow junction with High Street, which clearly shows that mo- torcycles and cars are prohibited, unless the latter is a taxi. The only other exemption is buses, but drivers (particularly in the misnamed “rush-hour”) turn left past the sign, to then turn right into Mill Street. Every one of them is committing an offence, because entrance for non-exempted vehicles is pro- hibited from that point. The only other way that Mill Street can


be approached is via Pudding Lane and even then it’s only for blue badge vehicles, or loading/unloading, or those seeking ac- cess to off-street premises. This means in effect that no vehicle, out-


side those exempted, can use High Street and Mill Street, particularly if they are using these roads as a through route. This would be an easy offence for even the most novice police probationer to report, but


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64