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cil’s infrastructure priorities for planes, trains, and automobiles for the next 15 years and offers the pub- lic a chance to comment. In Maidstone, the strategy high-
Keeping the county moving Have your say
THE county council has unveiled its transport strategy – Delivering Growth without Gridlock. It identifies Kent County Coun-
lights the issues of town centre con- gestion, poor rail links and restricted rural bus services. Other areas identified include the
need to create smaller overnight HGV parks to relieve illegal and in- appropriate parking by lorries, cut deaths and serious injury on our roads by a third, improve rail con- nections and reduce the cost of train travel. The chaos caused by Operation
Stack still remains a priority and is identified in the report. On the congestion issue the strat-
egy document notes: “A scheme to relieve congestion at the Bridges Gy- ratory is currently being imple- mented, although continued traffic growth on other parts of the net- work is expected to result in wors- ening delays for road users. “These pressures are most evident
on the congested A229 and A274 corridors in south and south eastern Maidstone and on the A20 corridor
Racist aack A MAN who launched a violent, racist attack in Fremlin Walk has been jailed. Tommy Meyers (24) was sen- tenced at Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court where he admitted criminal damage, common assault, racially- aggravated common assault and using threatening, abusive or in- sulting words or behaviour. On August 25, Meyer, of Rochester, damaged four coffee mugs worth £20, assaulted a man and used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to- wards a man and a woman at a shop in FremlinWalk, Maidstone. He also assaulted another man,
whichwas racially aggravated, at a restaurant in High Street, Maid- stone.
Magistrates sentenced Meyers to
120 days in prison. He must also pay a £115 victim surcharge.
Burglar jailed A BURGLAR who stole from a house in Maidstone while the occu- pants slept upstairs has been jailed for 32 months. Justin Wynes (40), formerly of
Grove Road, Maidstone, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court where he admitted stealing items worth £1,800, including passports from the property in Northumberland Road.
8 Malling September 2016
in northwestern Maidstone.” Future schemes list corridor ca-
Operation Stack and right, Clr Matthew Balfour port
pacity improvements to the A229/A274 and the Bearsted Road corridor; a Leeds and Langley by- pass and improvements to junction 7 on the M20 – but no details of any time scale. While rail links across the district
are comparatively poor, with Maid- stone currently having no direct service to the City of London, it is proposed to extend Thameslink to Maidstone East by 2018. On buses, the report notes: “We
have to take a pragmatic approach to funding commercially unviable bus services and will seek to sup-
MEMBERS of the public have until October 30 to comment by visit- ing
www.kent.gov.uk/localtrans- portplan. If youwould like a printed copy,
or the information in any other format or language, email alter-
nativeformats@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 421553 (text relay service number: 18001 03000 421553).
other
means of provi- sion that can achieve the same aims, such as com- munity bus services. However, we welcome the potential for KCC to have bus franchising powers to en- hance services and create an inte- grated public transport network.” Overall, it concludes that there re-
mains a “significant funding gap” for its wish list, which it says “high- lights the need to lobby and explore other sources of funding”. KCC’s Matthew Balfour, cabinet member for environment and trans-
port, said: “This is one of our biggest plans and will shape thewaywe in- vest in our infrastructure up until 2031. The transport plan is vital to boost Kent’s economy and support a growing population which is ex- pected to increase by 293,000 people in the next 15 years. “With potential opportunities for devolution from government, now is the time for us to set out our plans and make clear what we want as a county. “This plan will lay out what we
will do to make sure transport is playing its part in making Kent a great place to live, work and do business.
Stones boost cancer charity Police assault
NATIONAL League clubs, including Maidstone United, have raised more than £15,000 for the BobbyMoore Fund for Cancer Research. Every club across
the three divisions took part in collections and a chequewas presented to Stephanie Moore MBE, Bobby’s widow (left).
Last month, English Heritage
unveiled a blue plaque on the Moore family home in East London
in recognition of the only England captain to lift theWorld Cup. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second most common cause of cancer death. Since the fundwas set up in 1993 mortality rates have fallen30%and more than £22 million has been raised. The charity hopes to raise an additional £500,000 this year, the 50th anniversary of England’s World Cup win. Maidstone’s collection during the Bishop’s Stortford game and raised £405.
A HOMELESS man who assaulted police officers has been spared prison. Dale Cooper (52) was sentenced
last month at Mid Kent Magistrates Court where he admitted being drunk and disorderly and two counts of assaulting a police officer. Later that month Cooper, of no fixed address, was drunk and dis- orderly in High Street, Maidstone. He also assaulted two police offi- cers in Maidstone. Magistrates sentenced Cooper to
21 days in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must also pay a £115 victim surcharge.
Hospice looking for scary volunteers
A CHILDREN’S charity is on the lookout for daredevil dramatists and dancers to help create a scary atmosphere for a Halloween event. Running Scared is a sponsored
run which takes place at Maid- stone’s Mote Park on the weekend before Halloween. The event, from 8pm to 10pm on Friday, October 28, is a major fundraiser for Demelza Hospice Care for Children, and will see hun- dreds of sponsored participants running through UV paint, foam, bubbles and assorted slimy sub- stances and getting a few spooky
surprises along theway. Monsters, vampires and ghouls
will leap out of the shadows to give entrants a fright night experience. Events co-ordinatorGemmaMur-
ray said:“We are looking for groups of amateur actorswhoare willing to put on their scariest outfits and make-up, as well as dance groups who can put on a “Thriller” style routine or something equally spine- tingling.”
Applicants should callGemmaon
01795 845183 or email
gemma.mur-
ray@demelza.org.uk. Tickets, priced £20, are already on
sale. Entrants are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and will receive a special glow-in-the-dark headband on arrival. All sponsor- ship will go to Demelza and runners who raise more than £100 can have their entry fee refunded. The 5k run is recommended for
over 16s, although younger entrants will be permitted if accompanied by an adult. A more family-friendly event called the Monster Dash takes place at the same venue from 5pm to 7pm. Child tickets for this are £7.50 each. Details at
www.demelza.org.uk.
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