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Wednesday July 3 | 2019
andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk THE controversial ‘bus stop G’ on the High Street is finally going to be moved in a bid to reduce chronic congestion on the northbound carriageway. The work outside Caffé Nero will start on July 28 and carry on for four weeks, ending by the August Bank Holiday. The changes were scheduled for February this year but the Leader of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC] Nicolas Heslop intervened so they would not clash with term time. They will require a temporary oneway system to operate. It is understood that buses and taxis will still be allowed to use the southbound carriageway.
Now Green Party councillors have called for the move to be made permanent to help improve air quality in the pollution blackspot. The bus stop has been a source of complaints since the completion of a £2.7million upgrade for the High Street three years ago.
‘A well thought-out oneway system will improve air quality and make it a more inviting retail area’ Buses have to stop in the road, blocking traffic behind them, despite the fact that the pavements were widened. New laybys were also introduced that
act as loading bays for lorries delivering to shops – and one of these is adjacent to the bus stop. The hold-ups consistently cause jams that back up over the Vale Road roundabout and past the railway station. A new set of traffic lights outside the station has similarly caused consternation among residents, with queues also stretching back down to the High Street. Both projects have been funded by the South East Local Entreprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund. Ironically, the relocated bus stop is scheduled to be placed where the old one was before the upgrade. It will allow three-quarters of the bus to pull into the pavement area, allowing traffic to flow past more easily. Kent County Council [KCC] said: “KCC
undertook a post-scheme consultation in February 2018, which highlighted a number of concerns. “One of which specifically relates to bus stop G and the congestion caused by the buses stopping on the carriageway rather than in a layby. “Taking into account this feedback, KCC and TMBC agreed to alter the loading bay to a bus layby as well as extend the 20mph zone to various roads around the town centre which was advertised in December 2018.” Cllr Heslop is insisting the work is completed in the four-week time slot. He said: “I have no doubt there will be enormous approval by residents to see the ‘Caffé Nero’ bus stop relocated.
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