"Better Streets" Consultation

The Liberal Democrat council in Tunbridge Wells has abandoned proposals to stop through traffic from using many residential roads in the town.

The idea of imposing as many as seven "roadblocks" stopping cars using existing roads had provoked a furious response from some residents.

There was concern that even more traffic would have been diverted onto already gridlocked main roads.

The council had suggested the aim was to make the St John’s and St James’ areas safer for walking and cycling and also more pleasant to live in.

But in a statement on Thursday 12th December, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said it would "not go further" with the scheme's ideas to block through traffic.

The council statement on the consultation stated: "Initial findings are clear that the concept designs (the proposals that would change the way some roads could be accessed by vehicles) are not ideas that people want to see progressed.

"Some of the suggested enhancements, for example the introduction of new 20mph speed limits, new lighting, and new pedestrian crossings, were welcomed.

"Throughout the engagement programme the Council has said that the concept designs and enhancements are early proposals and nothing would be taken further without the support of residents. As the concept designs are not what people want we will go no further with these.

"The Council will look in more detail at the feedback on the enhancement measures that people supported. For any of these to be implemented we will need to work with Kent County Council as the Highways Authority and secure funding should it become available.

The council said 1,800 people responded to the consultation.

Listen to West Kent Radio News Feature here:

Councillor Rob Wormington, Cabinet Member for Environment & Sustainability (pictured below) said: ‘We are pleased with the high level of responses to the engagement".

Cllr Wormington continued: "People were very clear in their feedback and we are not going to progress anything that did not have public support – which for this project means the concept designs that would have altered the way roads could be accessed by vehicles. We are excited to continue to progress the ideas that were supported, like additional pedestrian crossings and lower speed limits on residential roads."

A report on the engagement feedback will be presented to the Joint Transport Board (Kent County Council and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) on 13 January 2025.

The consultation started in summer 2023 and was funded with a £50,000 grant from Active Travel England.

Reacting to the council statement, David Hayward, who is a councillor for the Independents for Tunbridge Wells party posted on social media:
"GREAT NEWS!!!! The bonkers LibDem plan to have a Low Traffic Network for St.James' and St.John's has been dropped following an onslaught of ridicule. Including from the residents of the areas. It would have forced all the traffic onto already gridlocked roads. Pay attention during LOCAL Elections!"

Earlier, Labour's Borough Councillor for High Brooms, Dianne Hill (pictured below) had told West Kent Radio that the scheme to move traffic off some residential streets "would not work."

Dianne Hill told us she was also concerned that drivers would be forced onto main roads that were already gridlocked at peak times. She said: "They are making life very difficult for a lot of people. It doesn't work. I think a lot of people are quite angry."

She said she went to three hours of the public consultations and she didn't hear any residents in favour of the scheme. She also fears that shops will close if people are deterred from shopping in Tunbridge Wells by even bigger traffic delays.

You can listen to Cllr Dianne Hill's full interview with West Kent Radio's reporter, Brian Johnson here:

The abandoned proposals for St John's and St James' are shown below.