Petition calls for cameras on Westgate's 'most dangerous' road

KentOnline / KMTV

Michael Grantham, who has lived in Westgate-on-Sea for almost two decades, wants more safety measures on the A28 where it meets Minster Road and St Mildred’s Road in the town.  We spoke to him on The Kent Morning Show.

Transcript

00:00The issue of speeding along here has been going on for some considerable while,

00:06and I've come very close to wanting to get a petition up before, and I've just never quite

00:12done it. I guess the incident with the unfortunate incident which occurred at

00:20the Westgate lights recently brought it to a focus. I mean, by all accounts, that issue

00:28may have nothing to do with speeding, probably doesn't. The police, I understand,

00:32interviewed the driver and he was released without any further ado. So maybe it's got

00:38nothing to do with it, but the problem there has been rumbling on for some considerable while.

00:44Yeah, we should just say Kent Police have told us that they are continuing to

00:50investigate the incident. Obviously, you've called for a particular type of speed camera

00:55in this area, and red light cameras as well. Why do you think the average speed camera in

01:00particular would be important for that road? There is, I mean, there's one speed camera

01:07on the approach into Westgate, and obviously what people do is they slow down for the speed camera,

01:13and as soon as they're past it, whoosh, they speed up again. And on the second stretch from

01:17Westgate into Garlinch, there is no speed camera, and it's on that stretch where I live.

01:24And, you know, I just got sick of hearing cars and bikes screaming past. Well, I mean screaming.

01:32I mean, you would see them go past so fast, you'd barely register the flash as they went past.

01:42I got sick of it, and that finally, maybe after that incident,

01:48resulted in my body wanting to put the petition together.

01:51Michael, how much hope do you have that this, obviously the petition will get enough signatures,

01:56you'll get it to the council, and they'll actually be able to put speed cameras up,

02:01because they have a big job on our roads. They have speed cameras right across the county,

02:06but a huge issue that we know with transport on Kent County Council is potholes. There are

02:10so many up and down the country that they just need to funnel that money into. For instance,

02:16part of their statement that they've given us says that they're reviewing the detailed report

02:20from Kent Police in this particular incident that we mentioned earlier. But once the petition

02:24is submitted, they'll undertake a detailed review of what's being requested. And they're all

02:30processed in accordance with the petition scheme as well. But how much hope do you have

02:34that you'll get the outcome you and I imagine your neighbours really want?

02:41Who knows how KCC will operate on this. It's something that should be done.

02:46But whether KCC has the funding to be able to do it, or the political will to be able to do it,

02:54I'm not too sure. It's something that would be very, very good to see for this area.

03:02I mean, I've personally observed the red light jumpers so often. You can sit there and

03:08they rely on the fact that there is a delay between the lights changing

03:13and the other traffic beginning to go. And so they will just whizz straight across through a

03:18red light. And the problem is a pedestrian may have started to cross at that point.

03:23So it's really potentially very, very dangerous.

03:27It is very interesting. I know it's a story that we've covered many times before where

03:32neighbours, local residents have asked for speed cameras to be put into a certain area that they

03:36feel is dangerous. But there is so much sort of process that goes through in order to even start

03:42the conversation about having a speed camera that sometimes it does require, and I believe it is one

03:47of the actual requirements, is that a fatality has to have occurred. How does it make you feel that

03:53someone has unfortunately had to have lost their life in this area before this conversation can

03:58even be sort of taken seriously? As I say, we don't know what the issue with that thing was.

04:10It may have just been an unfortunate accident. It does tend to focus your mind. And in my

04:20considerations previously when looking at the speed that people were going past, I thought it's

04:25only a matter of time before someone gets killed. And I just don't want somebody else to get killed.

04:31So, you know, it's something I think that needs to be addressed. I really do.

04:37No, of course. And, you know, like you said, we don't know exactly what happened to that particular

04:42incident. We do have a statement from the council, which I'll just read very quickly to you now.

04:47It says, we're sorry to hear about the incident on Canterbury Road. Our thoughts are with those

04:51affected. KCC is reviewing the detailed report, as Abi said. Once the petition is submitted, KCC will

04:58undertake a detailed review of what is being requested in the petition. And those petitions

05:03are processed in accordance with their petition scheme. We mentioned a bit about your neighbours

05:10there. Is this a feeling that has been shared by people on your street?

05:14And also the local authorities as well, local councillors. Have you been able to speak to

05:18anybody? I've not spoken to local councillors, I have to say. I could do that. It's probably

05:28something that we should do. I'm not sure whether any of them actually signed it.

05:36And the residents up and down your road too, what's their support been like?

05:42Sorry, that was a little faint.

05:44The residents up and down your road, have you had much in way of support from them too?

05:51I think anybody who lives down this road is aware of the issue. Again, how many of those,

05:56I suspect of the ones who signed it, and we were up to about 410 who signed the petition. I suspect

06:02the vast majority of those will be people living along the Canterbury Road, because we're the ones

06:07that suffer it. Michael, thank you very much for your time today. Really appreciate you joining us.

06:13Okay.

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