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Call for action to prevent cars speeding near homes


A BEARSTED widow is pleading with KCC to introduce speed restric- tions alongWare Street after her one-woman survey found almost 1,000 vehicles an hour passing just yards from her home.


Jean Beaton has also pledged to


begin a petition to open Aver- enches Road, which she believes would take some traffic away from her neighbours, further along the busy Bearsted Road. After the death of her husband Malcolm in October last year, Mrs Beaton had hoped to find some peace by pottering in her garden in


Hill Jean Beaton


Brow. How- ever, she said: “I gave


up almost immediately because of traffic noise.” Mrs Beaton carried out a traffic


movement survey along Ware Street and she says the resultswere “astonishing”. In just one hour, from noon to


1pm, on Sunday, January 25, she counted 397 vehicles heading out


towards Maidstone and M20 Junc- tion 7 and a further 510 going in the opposite direction, towards the vil- lage green. The total of 907 – equiv- alent to 15 vehicles in either direction per minute – included six motorbikes and three lorries. She said: “Very few of the vehi-


cles were observing the 30 mph limit and most accelerated as they exited on either side of the railway bridge.” Mrs Beaton has voiced her con-


cerns to KCC leader Paul Carter and also to Maidstone Council and Bearsted Parish Council. Cllr Carter claimed some of the traffic movement was due to Operation Stack but Mrs Beaton has since car- ried out a further survey which she says disproves this theory. But she is grateful that he has pledged to have vegetation cut back this spring and the road be- neath the bridge resurfaced in the summer. Mrs Beaton claims that when she


moved to Bearsted in 1972, just one car passed alongWare Street every


cruiseswe took later in life. She took pleasure in the achievements of her family, andwas really happy to discover her first great-grandchild is on theway.” Margaret leaves her husband, children


and grandchildren Paul and Helen. Her first great-grandchild is due in July.


Leslie Broughton


LESLIE “Les” Broughton (79), who died at the Heart of Kent Hospice,was awell- known local publican extremely popular with customers when he ran the Duke of Wellington pub in Ryarsh and later the Black Horse in Thurnham. Les worked in Ryarsh during the 1970s


andwas in Thurnham during the 1980s, in both cases becoming a central figure in his community. A noted joker who enjoyed a Chinese takeaway to celebrate his final birthday in the hospice, Leswas resident in the Algarve for 20 years after leaving local pubs. He will also be remembered as a founder member ofWest Malling Golf Club and as a keen sportsman who had enjoyed two years on the books of Fulham Football Club before a noted career as an amateur footballer. Les, who lost his wife Carole in 2013, leaves his children Chris and Claire, step-


three minutes. She said: “I appreciate very little


can be done about the number of cars passing alongWare Street; it is far too late. But proper framework- ing, making life safer for pedestri- ans can be achieved. “Some thought must be given to slowing down the speed of traffic. The current sign is useless – being wrongly located and mostly hid- den in trees – and is ignored by drivers in any case. “If there are any more housing


developments in this area, this ridiculous amount of traffic will only increase.” Locals who saw Mrs Beaton con-


duct her traffic counts have all been supportive and offered to help her launch a petition.


Have your say


DO you believe opening Aver- enches Road to traffic would be the best solution to ease traffic congestion? Send an email to the editor, stephen@downsmail.co.uk


children Fleur and Christopher, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.


Bert Day


ALBERT “Bert” Day (78) lived locally for 48 years, initially in Yalding and, for the last 15 years, in Glebe Lane, Barming. Originally from London, Bert spent three


years in theArmy Catering Corps before beginning a career as an electrician. Most of his electrical careerwas spent working for The Times newspaper, but hewas caught in thewave of redundancies which followed its move to headquarters in Wapping and finished work in the local area. Bertwasmarried to


Jan for 56 years and was father to


Christopher, Robert, Terry, Kim and Jackie. Jan said: “Bertwas very capable and had lots of hobbies, including deep-sea diving. He was really good with his hands and could make all kinds of things. Hewas often able to help others with practical jobs. He could be a larger-than-life character, and loved to be around people.” Bert leaves his wife, children and


‘Open road to


end suffering’ WHENthe Bearsted Park estatewas built in the 1980s, residentswere as- sured by Maidstone Council and the developer that Averenches Road would be opened. However, they repeatedly asked


for it to stay closed, meaning that traffic now heading to the Tesco su- perstore in GroveGreen has to go via Bearsted Road and the New Cut roundabout. Mrs Beaton said: “If this was a through road to Tesco, as originally agreed, with no roadside parking, manyvehicles would no longer have to end up at the New Cut round- about, clashing with motorway traf- fic, and journey times would be reduced, making a huge saving in fuel pollution. “I cannot understand why Aver-


enches residents have had thepower to prevent this taking placewhile the rest of us suffer.” Mrs Beaton said there would be no


threat to children, who play in their gardens or the cul-de-sac. She said: “The sheer illogicality of making drivers go all theway along Ware Street and Bearsted Road to the New Cut roundabout defeats me.” Cllr Michael Stark, who sits on Bearsted and Thurnham parish councils andwas amemberof Maid- stone Council when Bearsted Park was built, said the plan to openAv- erenches Road was scrapped after consultation with the residents. But Mrs Beaton said: “Which resi- dents? Certainly not us!”


grandchildren: Paul, Kerry, Ricky, Tim, Megan, Lucy, Daniel, Kirsty and Christopher.


Joyce Morgan


JOYCE Morgan (98) of Charlton Lane,West Farleigh died on New Year’s Day, three days before her 99th birthday. She had lived in the area her whole life


and inWest Farleigh since 1936. Joyce spent her early years south of Maidstone, around Benenden and Staplehurst. She worked as a children’s nanny and housekeeper before marrying Edward “Ted” Morgan in 1943. They raised daughters Liz and Jill and ran


a poultry farm. Jill said: “Mymotherwas friendly and smiley andwas very involved in village life. Shewas a great stalwart of the church inWest Farleigh and served as a churchwarden for many years. “She helped to organise coffee mornings,


cheese and wine evenings and other charitable fundraising events. She particularly supported the RNLI. “Mymotherwas closely involved with the Women’s Institute in Maidstone for a number of years.” Joyce –whowaswidowed in 1983 – leaves


her daughters, grandchildren Claire and Alexander and great-grandchildren Daniel and Beth.


There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email nlnxn@aol.com Maidstone East March 2015 55


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