Willington street / Madginford road traffic lights

Letter to KCC

Re: New traffic lights at Madginford Rd/Willington St. Bearsted.

Dear Louise Rowlands, KCC Highways department.

I wrote to you last October with my concerns over the traffic lights that were being installed at the junction of Willington St and Madginford Rd. for the benefit of the new housing development in Mote Park.
It appears my concerns and the concerns of many other local residents were all in vain and have been completely ignored, as yesterday I saw the new traffic lights in action.
I use the word ‘action’ loosely, as believe me, there was anything but action in relation to the traffic flow along Willington St, yesterday evening!

I was unluckily enough yesterday, at 5.20pm to drive from the Sutton Rd., along Willington St towards my home in Downswood. I got as far as Northumberland Rd, Shepway – this is where I joined the traffic queue!
Of course I understand that there is more traffic at that time of the day and at certain times during the morning, (I have worked in the transport business for 35 years).
Under the circumstances I felt it was too dangerous to initiate a three point turn and drive via Church Rd, but this was not the case for some drivers who were quite rightly, very frustrated but thought the risk was better than the wait. Willington St. is not a dead straight road and there will be accidents if drivers continue to carry out these dangerous manoeuvres in this busy street!
I will only assume that there was also major congestion southbound, along Willington St, especially at the Ashford Rd traffic light junction and I cannot imagine the congestion along Mallards Way and Spot Lane?
Hopefully Mr Blake will give you his views on this area yesterday evening.

I will remind you again that Mallards Way and Spot Lane were not designed for the volume of traffic that the KCC Highways department are forcing to re-route this way by installing the traffic lights along Willington St. Children often wait to cross at the top of Mallards Way, to get to the park – but cannot see the sometimes speeding, but almost always frustrated drivers, approaching the Orchard Spot roundabout.I read in The KM newspaper some weeks ago that during the time the temporary traffic lights were at the Willington St/Madginford Rd. junction, a Willington St. resident had a constant stream of drivers casually looking into her home whilst sitting in the traffic jams.
Is this happening now the new lights are functional?
Has anybody from your department tried to contact this resident to sort out this problem, or offer any apologies?
Do you think this is acceptable?

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