Traffic congestion and delayed journeys on a key A-roads’ corridor in Kent have been made a priority to tackle as improvements to the route have made it into the new Transport Plan for the county.
Council chiefs have included the A264 Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells and the A228, a route from the town to Maidstone via Colts Hill.
Improvements aimed at “addressing the pressure” on the West Malling to Tunbridge Wells corridor are in Kent County Council’s Transport Plan which was adopted in December.
The A228 joins the A264 at a busy set of junctions near Pembury and near the acute Tunbridge Wells Hospital. The plan acknowledges the issues for A264 drivers: it says there’s “queuing and congestion” which creates “overly long journeys” for a comparatively short section of road. It said this “disadvantages Tunbridge Wells town centre”.
The A228 joins the A264 Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells
(Image: Google Street View)
It also says the importance of the A228 will rise, as Paddock Wood will be a focus for housing and employment growth, and the road, which skirts around the west side of the town, will be “very important” for new journeys, with new developments likely to have built links onto the corridor.
Improvements would also be made for public transport, road safety, and for walking and cycling. The council wants to develop proposals for a “single continuous programme” for development and delivery of the corridor upgrade, which “should” include revisiting the case for a Colts Hill bypass, said the plan.
20 years since campaign
It is 20 years since the council proposed the Colts Hill bypass. It had followed years of tireless campaigning by residents and road users, councillors and then Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark. Among the reason were an end to accidents, including fatal ones, on the winding, rural route which is also known for congestion and delays.
The Courier reported during the campaign that residents of Colts Hill in one particular blackspot had learned First Aid, as they were so used to rushing out to help people involved in collisions.
But all these improvements work will be subject to developer and Government funding , said the Transport Plan. There are no details or diagrams of what the improvements would be on the ground. The A228-A264 corridor is simply one of seven ‘local road network proposals’ for Kent in the plan.
Kent’s Transport Plan includes proposals to improve A264-A228 Tunbridge Wells to West Malling – see long pink line
(Image: KCC)
Tunbridge Wells respondents to Transport Plan
Although only 71 people responded to proposals specifically for the borough in the county’s Transport Plan public consultation, of those, the A264-A228 corridor proposals sparked the highest number of “respondents in disagreement”.
This information is in the agenda for the Tunbridge Wells Joint Transportation Board’s meeting on Monday, which is open to the public. A closer look at the county consultation document shows people were not asked about specific plans, just the idea of improvements to the A264-A228 corridor. And 28 agreed, nine partly agreed, 16 didn’t know, and 10 gave a flat no.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s response to the Transport Plan was summarised by the county council in the consultation document. An excerpt reads: “They note that improvements to the A228 and A264 are needed to support the Local Plan and that improvements should cater for active travel and public transport too.”
The Transport Plan sets out proposals for improving roads and public transport in Kent. The council said it is “designed to strike a balance between the investment needed to improve the county’s economy, to make living and working better, whilst also preparing our transport networks to meet the environmental challenges facing the county”.
Tonbridge and Malling – the A228-A264 corridor
Excerpts from the Transport Plan:
“Tonbridge and Malling stretches from Medway towards Tunbridge Wells with the A228 – A264 road corridor acting as the main spine of the transport network between these locations and linking to the M20 and M2 motorways.”
“Due to the borough’s proximity to other major urban areas, such as Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Paddock Wood and Medway, the future pressure on its road network arises as much from wider changes to land uses beyond its boundary as from within.”
Where can I read the Local Transport Plan consultation results?
It’s an interesting read, the plan is titled Striking the Balance – and you’ll find the 2024 Consultation Results Report December 2024 by clicking on this link. Please note, you can no longer give your views, but you can see what other residents, organisations, parish and borough councils and others have said.
Where can I see the Transport Plan?
You can look at the entire plan by clicking on this link.