PRESS RELEASE: Sevenoaks Town Council is lobbying for safer pedestrian crossings via its Highway Improvement Plan
Published: 20 March 2024
Sevenoaks Town Council has been lobbying for safer pedestrian crossings within Sevenoaks Town via its Highway Improvement Plan (HIP)* since October 2021, with various particular locations highlighted to the Local Highway Authority (LHA) as areas of concern for pedestrian safety, accompanied by a request for a review of the existing pedestrian safety measures.
*A HIP is a document used by Town and Parish Councils in order to propose to the LHA – being Kent County Council (KCC), highway changes which they wish to promote or fund from their own budget. On submission to the LHA, investigations on each priority will be undertaken, in order for feasible solutions and schemes to be presented to the Town or Parish Council for their consideration.
Although the investigations for a number of the aforementioned locations have been put “On Hold” for their safety review*, the Town Council has continued to lobby for safer crossings to be investigated within the Town – both via its previously submitted HIP and recently via a letter to KCC. The latter was motivated by a concerning report, received by the Planning Committee on 19th February 2024, of a member of the public experiencing a frightening near miss when using the zebra crossing on London Road with her baby.
Sevenoaks Town Councillors, as representatives of the most local tier of local government, receive regular correspondences from their constituents including those relating to local safety concerns, with a few of the Councillors therefore being able to echo similar reports which they had received themselves, when this issue was discussed on 19th February 2024. In response to the discussions, the Town Council has since written to KCC to flag the near accident report, as well as requesting a review of the existing crossing facilities within the Town Centre triangle to make them more visible and safer for pedestrians.
The appeal has also been requested to be added to the Town Council’s HIP, in order for its progress to be more easily tracked. In addition to the crossing facilities within the Town Centre triangle, the following other locations are currently up for investigation under the HIP:
- Design of the crossings at the Sevenoaks Railway Station and investigation as to why pedestrian guard rails were installed. This in order to explore options to stop pedestrians from choosing to walk in the busy road from Hitchen Hatch Lane and bypassing the pedestrian crossings accessible via the guarded pavement.
- Hillingdon Avenue, Hospital Road A25 junction, where motorists struggle to exit Hospital Road and Greatness Lane and contribute to congestion
- Seal Road, where a zebra crossing is proposed near Greatness Recreation Ground
- Crossing facilities on Bradbourne Vale Road at the junction with Betenson Avenue
- Hospital Road, for crossing points to allow safe access to the Hospital.
*The following locations and their corresponding safety review requests are currently “On Hold” by KCC, due to their inclusion in the current proposals for a 20mph zone. This is because the proposals – if implemented – would likely result in an increase in pedestrian safety, and may well resolve the concerns. Should the scheme be implemented, the items will be revisited to ensure that concerns have been acceptably alleviated:
- Hillingdon Avenue
- A225 Seal Hollow Road / “Hole in the Wall”
- St John’s Hill / Dartford Road
In a related but separate matter, the proposed zebra crossing at Dartford Road, which previously accompanied Kent County Council's 2022 public consultation plans for 20mph speed limits in Sevenoaks, is also being pursued by the Town Council for progression. Funding of the zebra crossing has been agreed to by the Town Council, via its Community Investment Plan and from Community Infrastructure Levy funds received from developers.
If you have any queries, please contact
Georgie Elliston
planning@sevenoakstown.gov.uk
20/03/2024