downsmail.co.uk 


the real BrexitwhichMaidstone (58%), Kent and the nation voted for and ends damaging delays so thatwe can all concentrate on challenging tasks ahead. The PrimeMinister’s appalling


Wishes forMaidstone in 2019 MailMarks


Brexit Parliament quickly approves


DENNISFOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


surrender of awithdrawal agreement – described by the President of theUSAas “good for the EU” – is li�lemore than Brexit in name only.Howcan anyMP support it now? Iwould like to see an acceptable


agreementwith the EUbut I join the growing number prepared for theUK to a�empt to cash in onWTOterms. There ismuch both theUK and EUwill find mutually beneficial to agreewithout the PrimeMinister’s proposed formal withdrawal. I voted to leave and after the last two


years,my opinion has hardened. I think we are best out of that increasingly- troubled, expensive and undemocratic organisationwhose big ambitions do not match ours – and see advantages far outweighing problems afterwe resolve our teething difficulties. I think themajority of voters see this as


a time for national pride (what problems if they are thwarted) – but I amsad many are in despair.Only timewill tell. OvercrowdedMaidstone Government andMaidstone Council agree residential development in and around urban Maidstonemust be severely restricted. The quality of our lives is being very severely harmed by overcrowding. Most obvious is the impact on our


roads – not just the town centre but now all over the place. It seems almost impossible tomakemeaningful changes inMaidstone’s historic road structures. Gridlock has arrived – and the natives are becoming very restless.And KCC as the highways authority amazingly rarely murmurs any objections. Schools are being rushed up in this


emergencywith li�le respect for local concerns. GPs and other health services


Who cares about buses?


PARK and Ride and traffic congestion in Maidstone are hot topics judging by the le�ers page andDennis Fowle’sMail Marks piece in the January issue. As a retired passenger transport


professionalwith over 45 years in the industry, I feel I amsufficiently qualified to comment as follows: The future ofMaidstone’s Park and Ride


hangs in the balance.Who cares? Buses are for school kids, the elderly and the poor; why should car owners give a damn? Whatwe care about is:when is


something going to be done to ease Maidstone’s growing traffic congestion and the cost of parking in the town centre? Anymotoristwill tell you traffic in Maidstone is becoming impossible,with


46 Maidstone East February 2019


are seriously overloaded and patients suffer inmanyways. U�ermadness. TrainsUrgency is given at last to improving our Victorian train services and stations.We have been promised so often a newMaidstone East Station and a faster,more frequent service. Somany promises – howmanywill come true? Broadband speed Thewhole of Maidstone gets a fast Broadband speed. There aremany placeswhere it is very slow. The ThirdWorld often gets be�er. Yet again,we just get promises. Our big store Howproudwewere when House of Fraser chose Fremlin Walk for amajor store. Nowwe hope it survives the bli� hi�ing the high streets. Sport support The town rallies round to support be�er ourmajor sports clubs. They are having a very tough time. Can the Stones hold their treasured place in theNational League? Their progress in the last fewyears has been phenomenal but after a difficult last season they nowface amajor ba�le to avoid a very damaging relegation. TheMote Cricket Club has a


magnificent history, but last summer all three top league teamswere relegated. It isworking very hard to turn this round. Maidstone Rugby Club,which also


plays at TheMote, has also faced recent relegations and is finding life very tough again this season. MaidstoneHockey Club looked as


though themen’s top teamcould be joining the big boys, but these hopes have nowfadedwith relegation. Thankfully the ladies seemto be on the up again this season. Maidstone could dowith some real


lengthy journey times ge�ing longer and the cost of parking ge�ing ever higher. Well,what can be done to ease the


situation? Someone, somehowhas to find away of deterringmotorists fromtaking their cars in or throughMaidstonewithout restricting their right to do so, as they are an influentialmajority of the electorate andwe don’twant to upset them, dowe? Whatwe need is amethod of ge�ing the


peoplewhowork, shop or do business in the town centre into the town centre without their cars. Thatway the shopswill flourish, reduce congestion andmake Maidstone a�ractive again. So howcan it be done?Monorail? Cable


cars? Chair lifts? Trams?Underground? Helicopters? Teleportation? Levitation? Parachutes? People-carrying drones?


council dust? If so,watch for Government interventions.





Young and old drivers RECENT news blaming slow


elderly drivers for causing impatience and road accidents became significant to me after two appalling incidents over the NewYear period. First, Iwas tailgated exiting theM20


roundabout towardsDetling and then again on the town centre bridge roundabout fromLondon Road approaching St Peter Street.At busy times both roundabouts demandmuch a�ention and considerate driving. On both Iwas overtaken at speed by


fast young driverswho immediately created great danger for others and themselves. I still do not knowhowboth avoided a crash. I amnot trying to generalise in favour


of all old drivers at the expense of all young drivers. I knowas I get older I am more cautious and slower, especially at night. There comes a sad timewhen older drivers knowtheymust retire, but mostwill not give up this very significant independencewithout due cause. There is need forwide respect on the


roads for all ages and too often this is not shown by young, over-confident and selfish drivers. Insurance companies know– this is


why premiums for young drivers are usually somuch higher. These companies, like bookmakers, choose theirwinners.


Flyover?Underpass? Try as Imight, I can't think of any other alternatives. But I have got an idea!Why don’twe


make the situationworse and see if that solves the problem? Let's run down the costly Park and Ride by changing the charging structure and upse�ing the passengers and thenwe can do awaywith it, having given ourselves an excellent reason to so do. Thenwe can take credit for savingmoney and itwill free up land for development. Cynicism, or does it accurately reflect


the situation?Who knows? Fact 1: If the number of cars entering


Maidstone continues to rise; congestion, delay and parkingwill getworse. Fact 2: If public transport doesn’t provide an answer,whatwill?


sporting boosts and Iwish these big clubswell. I hopeMaidstone Council is doing the


same.Driven by Government, the council nowhas twomajor sporting reports before it and is being pressed to become really involved, including serious financial support. Are these reports nowgathering


Comment


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