New Herne Bay road layout sparks backlash

KentOnline / KMTV

A new scheme introducing a Spanish-style plaza along the Herne Bay seafront aims to reduce traffic congestion and boost footfall and tourism, but the introduction of a one way system sparked controversy .

Transcript

00:00 Han Bay is first known for its seaside and pier, but now it's been turned into a £200,000

00:08 Spanish style plaza.

00:10 The project is only just kicking off, but in summer they hope the seafront will be filled

00:15 with thousands more and also boost tourism.

00:18 But also hopes to reduce traffic congestion by encouraging cycling and walking between

00:23 the railway station and the central parade.

00:26 While it may be nice to have a stroll along the beach, especially on a sunny day, this

00:30 isn't residents' main concern with the scheme.

00:33 The main concern is the one-way system along this road and up around the high street.

00:36 They're saying it's not signposted well enough and most motorists don't even know

00:40 that this is now a one-way system.

00:42 It's a joke.

00:43 They're making it more for pedestrians.

00:45 There are sufficient walking areas around here.

00:47 You've got a nice park we can walk right the way through.

00:49 I've just done it.

00:50 There's plenty of pedestrian areas to walk through.

00:52 Stop mucking around with the motorists and their area.

00:55 I don't want a Spanish plaza.

00:56 I live in England.

00:58 So please, let me have my bit of road back.

01:00 We've got the plaza up in town.

01:02 We've got the town that's cut off by cars not able to go through during the day time.

01:06 So in the summer this will be horrendous.

01:09 Absolutely horrendous it will, just going up that little road.

01:12 If you've lived in Herne Bay for a while, you'll have got used to driving freely in

01:16 this area by the pier, as it was once a two-way street.

01:20 These are the roads where one-way systems have since been introduced.

01:24 The works themselves have created havoc within the town, but that's gone now.

01:29 So if they had started with the roadworks first and then done the plaza last, they could

01:39 have left this open all the way through and then joined into it.

01:42 We have got to make sure it stays a community area and doesn't become another pier type

01:46 thing.

01:47 That's different.

01:48 That's like a commercial entity on the pier.

01:50 This actually needs to stay a community area where we have things passing through that

01:55 people want to see and draw even more people into the town.

01:59 The scheme has been met with vast opposition from residents, with hundreds signing a petition

02:04 urging Kent County Council to scrap it.

02:06 But it's not actually cost the council a penny, as the funding has come from the government

02:11 pot.

02:12 The plaza project, which has been a joint project between Canterbury City Council and

02:19 Kent County Council, is one that has only just been delivered.

02:24 Indeed, it's still in construction phase at the moment.

02:27 So residents who have got strong views about it already, take a fresh look at it once it's

02:33 completed.

02:34 On the 9th January, a public meeting will be held for residents and business owners

02:38 to voice any concerns they have about the plaza.

02:41 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Herne Bay.

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