00:00The issue of speeding along here has been going on for some considerable while,
00:06and I've come very close to wanting to get a petition up before, and I've just never quite
00:12done it. I guess the incident with the unfortunate incident which occurred at
00:20the Westgate lights recently brought it to a focus. I mean, by all accounts, that issue
00:28may have nothing to do with speeding, probably doesn't. The police, I understand,
00:32interviewed the driver and he was released without any further ado. So maybe it's got
00:38nothing to do with it, but the problem there has been rumbling on for some considerable while.
00:44Yeah, we should just say Kent Police have told us that they are continuing to
00:50investigate the incident. Obviously, you've called for a particular type of speed camera
00:55in this area, and red light cameras as well. Why do you think the average speed camera in
01:00particular would be important for that road? There is, I mean, there's one speed camera
01:07on the approach into Westgate, and obviously what people do is they slow down for the speed camera,
01:13and as soon as they're past it, whoosh, they speed up again. And on the second stretch from
01:17Westgate into Garlinch, there is no speed camera, and it's on that stretch where I live.
01:24And, you know, I just got sick of hearing cars and bikes screaming past. Well, I mean screaming.
01:32I mean, you would see them go past so fast, you'd barely register the flash as they went past.
01:42I got sick of it, and that finally, maybe after that incident,
01:48resulted in my body wanting to put the petition together.
01:51Michael, how much hope do you have that this, obviously the petition will get enough signatures,
01:56you'll get it to the council, and they'll actually be able to put speed cameras up,
02:01because they have a big job on our roads. They have speed cameras right across the county,
02:06but a huge issue that we know with transport on Kent County Council is potholes. There are
02:10so many up and down the country that they just need to funnel that money into. For instance,
02:16part of their statement that they've given us says that they're reviewing the detailed report
02:20from Kent Police in this particular incident that we mentioned earlier. But once the petition
02:24is submitted, they'll undertake a detailed review of what's being requested. And they're all
02:30processed in accordance with the petition scheme as well. But how much hope do you have
02:34that you'll get the outcome you and I imagine your neighbours really want?
02:41Who knows how KCC will operate on this. It's something that should be done.
02:46But whether KCC has the funding to be able to do it, or the political will to be able to do it,
02:54I'm not too sure. It's something that would be very, very good to see for this area.
03:02I mean, I've personally observed the red light jumpers so often. You can sit there and
03:08they rely on the fact that there is a delay between the lights changing
03:13and the other traffic beginning to go. And so they will just whizz straight across through a
03:18red light. And the problem is a pedestrian may have started to cross at that point.
03:23So it's really potentially very, very dangerous.
03:27It is very interesting. I know it's a story that we've covered many times before where
03:32neighbours, local residents have asked for speed cameras to be put into a certain area that they
03:36feel is dangerous. But there is so much sort of process that goes through in order to even start
03:42the conversation about having a speed camera that sometimes it does require, and I believe it is one
03:47of the actual requirements, is that a fatality has to have occurred. How does it make you feel that
03:53someone has unfortunately had to have lost their life in this area before this conversation can
03:58even be sort of taken seriously? As I say, we don't know what the issue with that thing was.
04:10It may have just been an unfortunate accident. It does tend to focus your mind. And in my
04:20considerations previously when looking at the speed that people were going past, I thought it's
04:25only a matter of time before someone gets killed. And I just don't want somebody else to get killed.
04:31So, you know, it's something I think that needs to be addressed. I really do.
04:37No, of course. And, you know, like you said, we don't know exactly what happened to that particular
04:42incident. We do have a statement from the council, which I'll just read very quickly to you now.
04:47It says, we're sorry to hear about the incident on Canterbury Road. Our thoughts are with those
04:51affected. KCC is reviewing the detailed report, as Abi said. Once the petition is submitted, KCC will
04:58undertake a detailed review of what is being requested in the petition. And those petitions
05:03are processed in accordance with their petition scheme. We mentioned a bit about your neighbours
05:10there. Is this a feeling that has been shared by people on your street?
05:14And also the local authorities as well, local councillors. Have you been able to speak to
05:18anybody? I've not spoken to local councillors, I have to say. I could do that. It's probably
05:28something that we should do. I'm not sure whether any of them actually signed it.
05:36And the residents up and down your road too, what's their support been like?
05:42Sorry, that was a little faint.
05:44The residents up and down your road, have you had much in way of support from them too?
05:51I think anybody who lives down this road is aware of the issue. Again, how many of those,
05:56I suspect of the ones who signed it, and we were up to about 410 who signed the petition. I suspect
06:02the vast majority of those will be people living along the Canterbury Road, because we're the ones
06:07that suffer it. Michael, thank you very much for your time today. Really appreciate you joining us.
06:13Okay.
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