Agenda item

Councillor Makinson spoke under Council Rule 20.1 and made the following comments:

·  She spoke about a recent article regarding the street and how the recommended restrictions were not necessary, which she also heard from officers working for KCC. She disagreed with this notion, to report that local residents have expressed concerns and fears with crossing this road, even with the refuge islands in place;

·  She reported that witnesses have seen cars driving along the wrong side of the road, swerving around school crossing controllers with drivers shouting abuse at them;

·  Further reports were received of cars crashing into parked cars and garden walls along the area, however these were not always reported to the Police;

·  It was sited that of the two fatalities along the road, although they were reported to be not due to speeding, that the second fatality was still being investigated;

·  KCC have reported that speed checks were carried out with two tickets issued, however Councillor Makinson was unaware of any residents witnessing this with the on-beat Police Officer being unaware as well;

·  She went on to recommend some physical measures for the area, such as speed cameras;

·  Local residents met once a month and exchange stories of near misses and erratic driving along the street.

Councillor K. Bright spoke under Council Rule 20.1 and made the following comments:

·  Councillor Bright supported Councillor Makinson’s position and also shared experiences of local residents having concerns of the unsafe driving in the area, including some residents treating people for First Aid in their front gardens,

·  A petition has been established in order to ask for more effective traffic calming measures to be implemented, which Councillor K. Bright recommends be heeded by KCC;

·  He attended the Broadstairs Town Council – Traffic Safety Day in order to listen to further comments from members of the public, with a large turnout of local residents expressing their dismay for the lack of safety along the road,

·  Councillor K. Bright urged KCC to listen to the local residents surrounding the area, to prioritise their safety amongst everything else.

The Chair introduced this item and invited members of the Board to make comments:

·  Councillors on the board also shared experiences of residents approaching them regarding the lack of safety along Dumpton Park Drive as the subject appears frequently at local Town Council meetings;

·  Funding was sought after by local residents, following the death of a child who was killed along the road, to go towards traffic calming measures;

·  Councillors expressed frustration with the need for 6 collisions in 10 years to be achieved before further plans are put through by KCC in order to implement measures;

·  Recommendations were put forward for flashing speed indicator signs to be installed and for efforts to be put forward for educating drivers, such as a roadside poster campaign;

·  Other recommendations were put forward for the Police to monitor and police the road in a stricter degree in order to curb unsafe drivers;

·  Some Councillors expressed the view that drivers may at times be unsafe and that it was not necessarily the road that could be considered unsafe. It was further expressed that educating drivers rather than implementing restrictions would be a better solution;

·  Councillors were in agreement that a flashing light – speed indicator would benefit the road in as a safety measure;

·  Some Councillors recommended that 20MPH speed limits be introduced around sections involving schools;

The Chair proposed, the Vice-Chair seconded and Members agreed that:

The Board recommends that KCC consider installing a flashing light / speed indicator along Dumpton Park Driver to act as a deterrent for speeding motorists and that further campaigns to educate the public, especially in schools be considered for the local area.