PRESS RELEASE: Sevenoaks Town Council urges Kent County Council to strengthen its approach to delivering Net 0 & Vision 0 in its Local Transport Plan

Published: 08 October 2024

Kent County Council recently consulted on its draft Local Transport Plan, which sets out its proposals for improving roads and public transport in Kent. While partly supportive of the Plan’s objectives, the Town Council’s recently submitted response raises particular issue with the following aspects:

Net Zero: The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, meaning that the total greenhouse gas emissions should be equal to those removed from the atmosphere.
By 2036/2037 and if using the draft Transport Plan’s framework however, Kent will only have reached around half of the target required to decarbonise transport in Kent by the legal target date of 2050.
Vision Zero: Kent County Council has committed to reducing the average number of deaths on Kent’s roads per year from 45 to zero (or as close as possible) by 2050.
The Town Council believes that too little weight is afforded on strategies to realise this aim.

In addition, and to aid in the delivery of the two above aims, the Town Council has urged Kent County Council to strengthen its approach for delivering active travel routes, encouraging public transport use, and reducing urban road speeds.

Suggestions as to how this can be achieved include the following:
To reduce risk of crashes and target dangerous areas: The Town Council recommends more urban speed reduction schemes, as well as that all crash incidents should be considered when assessing the crash history of a site, so as to recognise that even minor crashes discourage active travel and reveal a trend of crash history.
To encourage public transport, active travel, and reduction of CO2, crashes and congestion: The Town Council again recommends more urban speed reduction schemes, 20mph Speed Indicator Devices, reduced HGV movements, new or improved active travel routes – including repurposing suitable footpaths into bridleways as well as targeting roads requiring new surfacing for integration of active travel options to maximise return, better transport interchange facilities, improving the fragmented bus service network, and more cycle parking provision.
Getting travellers back onto trains: The Town Council recommends regular fast trains, integration of metro services, and integration of the London ticketing system
Reducing congestion and pollution: The Town Council recommends that improvements to slip roads be made, as well as improving HGV signage to redirect HGVs from Town Centres via more appropriate routes.

Support is given to the following initiatives and policy objectives:

Bearing down on road casualties on a risk-based approach
Pressing for the reopening of international rail services from Ebbsfleet and Ashford
Connecting Kent with at least one international airport by rail
Strategic aims for Public Rights of Way

To view the Town Council’s full response as submitted, please refer to the Appendix from the Minutes of the 7th October 2024 Planning & Environment Committee meeting, due to be uploaded in the afternoon of 8th October 2024.

If you have any queries, please contact:
Georgie Elliston
planning@sevenoakstown.gov.uk
08/10/2024