Date: 2nd March 2010

More Strood Traffic Madness?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Signs have gone up informing drivers about essential gas works along the A2 London Rd.  These will start from Strood High Street, beginning on the 22nd of February, and last for 18 weeks.
However, the Council’s own works started on the 15th of February, and will affect Strood Town Centre traffic for a planned five weeks. 
Utility companies have to give advance notice to the Council of any major planned works that will affect the highway, so this traffic chaos overlap of three to four weeks should and could have been avoided.
Cllr Stephen Hubbard, Labour councillor for Strood North, said,
“Over the last month I have had my own comment that ‘effective management continues to be a stranger to Tory Medway Council’ being echoed back to me from ever more outraged Strood residents.”
“The Council’s contractor has been employed to fill in two subways.  The first subway in Rochester was filled in from mid January to early February – with virtually no impact on traffic flows.  Why didn’t Medway Council have the subway works completed in the reverse order if they knew that essential gas works were to take place in Strood?  This would have meant a reduced impact on drivers and Strood residents”
“As I have said before, 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 – plus rat running through normally quiet adjacent residential streets.  This needs to be taken on board.”

ENDS

For further comment please contact Cllr Stephen Hubbard on Mobile: 07887 714757 .  Alternatively contact the Group office on 01634 332393.