Traffic Chaos (again...)

News that residents across Medway are continuing to suffer because of Tory incompetence over traffic management and uncoordinated works is not new. On previous musings this blog has commented on the farce in Chatham over the two-way system and the management of traffic around the Medway City Estate, which was considered a joke by business located on the site.

This blog recommended that the Tories showed some operational control over road works and undertake some joined up thinking to ensure the public were not inconvenienced. It does however welcome the work being undertaken in Strood, though this key piece of work is years late and well overdue.

Despite the reduction in traffic due to school half term, Strood was in complete traffic chaos on Monday morning because of the Council's Highways Department’s decision to close one lane in the Strood High Street, in addition to the slip lane linking the High St to Commercial Road.

The reason for the closing of the offside lane as said to be for the safe removal of the former subway's reinforced concrete walls.

Interestingly, the same service in Rochester, which was coordinated, was undertaken with no lane closures in more difficult circumstances. When a similar railing and wall was removed at the Rochester subway the contractor just put a blue tarpaulin covered fence alongside the edge of the road.

Labour Councillors injected some sense into poor traffic management and coordination by the Conservative administration. Traffic chaos which has mired there term in office.

After significant numbers of complaints, the Council confirmed that it now intends to adopt a similar principal of covered fencing when removing Strood's subway walls.

Labour's Strood councillor, Stephen Hubbard, whose residents were most effected, stated that

"We all know about the problems of Strood Town Centre and its traffic congestion, and how one minor alteration can lead to long queues getting into and through Strood. Monday's chaos was a first-class, classic of how not to manage our highway. It was an obvious problem that should have been avoided. When will the council learn lessons? Good project management continues to be a stranger to Tory Medway Council."

"The Tories have a lementable record on traffic and parking. The residents of Medway deserve better then constant traffic jams, CCTV cars, armies of wardens, pot holed roads and Chatham road alterations which no one voted for or wanted but cost millions."

This blog agrees