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Highway Issues and Opportunities

On this page you'll find:

  • Highway Issues and Opportunities.
  • Initial observations
  • Speed surveys
  • How to give feedback

For details of the Highway Improvement Plan, visit this page. 


Overview

We are working with Kent County Council to look at potential highway improvements for the Parish of Teynham. This page outlines the known issues plus suggestion from the wider community.


Issues and Opportunities

We are aware of the following issues. This page was updated on 11 August. It includes feedback and suggestions from local residents. 


London Road

    • Air quality: Part of the London Road has poor air quality. It has been designated as an air quality management area by Swale BC. Ref: AQMA 5.
      • Suggestion: Add 'Green roofed' bus stops (as in Faversham)
      • Suggestion: Existing road-side plant-containers are good, but we need much larger planting schemes.
      • Suggestion: Create good native hedgerows along the A2 include small trees.
    • Speed of traffic: 30mph limit commonly ignored. HGVs traveling at speed and large numbers especially at night. Multiple requests for speed reduction over many years
      • Suggestion: paint slow down chevron road marking.
      • Suggestion: Speed Camera at A2 Cellar Hill end on approach to village.
      • Suggestion: Publish data for recent speed surveys (along London Road)
    • Cellar Hill end of A2: Changes to road layout have been completed about 1 year ago. Residents are still concerned by the speed of traffic arriving from the Faversham direction. Many people consider that the majority of traffic is in excess of 30mph; Some lorries may be doing 50+mph. There are multiple examples of poor driving by motorcyclists. It has become a hazard for some residents to leave their driveway as the view is obstructed in both directions.
    • Landscaping: Trees and planters missing missing from new road layout on the brow of the Cellar Hill.
    • Data: The Crash map data is not complete. There have been 2 fatal accidents (2008, 2016) that are not recorded online.
    • Pedestrians: Its dangerous and difficult to cross the A2. Footpaths along A2 are often overgrowth and leads to reduced footpath space
      • Suggestions: Change priority on the pedestrian traffic lights so they are pedestrian friendly
      • Suggestions: Create more safe places to cross the A2
      • Suggestion: Routine schedule for clearing/maintaining pathways and public footpaths. (add examples)
    • Noise and vibration: Structural damage to buildings, many listed on London Road. This has so far been ignored. Noise pollution is incredibly loud. It's like a motorway passing our door. House shakes, especially at night.
    • Parking: Some drivers continue to park on double yellow lines outside the Co-op on London Road. Some drivers park on pavement, which block pavements for pedestrians. 
      • Suggestion: No parking on pavements. Zero tolerance policy.
      • Suggestion: Create a bigger village car park.
      • Ensure all new developments include enough parking for existing residents- not just token spaces. And enforce.
    • Drainage: Many drains on the A2 are completely blocked. Significant surface flooding on highway and pavements, leading to vehicles splash front doors of homes/shops and unsafe driving.
      • Suggestion: Routine maintenance. Clear drains every 3 months
      • Suggestion: Railings with splashboards
    • Identity: London Road is loosing its identity.
      • Suggestion: Add heritage village name entry signs to our villages with planting schemes at both Teynham village entry signs on A2.
      • Suggestion: Revert the name of ‘London Road’ back to ‘Green Street’ as a heritage Street/Village.There are many beautiful old listed houses on the A2.
    • Note: The London Road (A2) acts as the parish boundary. We will work with our neighbours in LWKPC on any potential solutions. 


Lower Road

    • Speed: Speed of traffic is very high. Many examples of poor driving. Examples of road used as 'grand prix circuit'. Road is a rat run from Sittingbourne to Faversham. 
    • There are 3 main sections of the road, each with different issues.
      • Tonge to Frognal lane
      • Frognal Lane to Conyer Road
      • Conyer Road to Deerton Street
      • Suggestion: Reduce speed to 40mph (Tonge to Frognal Lane)
      • Suggestion: Reduce speed to 20mph (Frognal Lane to junction with Conyer Road
    • Data: The crash map data is not complete. Two fatal accidents (one including cyclist), many serious accidents (requiring air ambulance) and multiple near misses. Significant damage to infrastructure (telegraph pole hit twice, second time snapped in half).
    • Visibility: Poor visibility due to overgrown hedge/verge overgrown. Road signs obscured. Sunlight: Lower Road difficult at sunrise and sunset due to rise in road and lack of awareness by speeders that the road narrows towards Frognal Lane. On hill leading up to Teynham from Faversham, near French’s Rd, there are issues for cyclists, including speed of traffic and poor visibility (hedge/verge overgrown); Narrow road.
    • Drainage: Significant surface flooding/foul water during heavy rain. 300+ mm deep at times. Impact road and private gardens around entrance to Harrys Road. 75m section of road.
    • Cycling: Need to improve cycling experience along Lower Road. Pot holes near edge of road. Overgrown hedges/verge forces cyclists in to the middle of the road. Narrow road and fast cars.
    • Junction — Lower Road / Frognal Lane: Restricted view at junction. Fatal accident. Many near misses. Significant damage to infrastructure and power supply. Telegraph pole hit twice; snapped in half on second strike. Garden wall damaged.
    • Note: The Lower Road (Tonge end) crosses the parish boundary. We will work with our neighbours in Tonge PC on any potential solutions.

Station Road   

  • Traffic calming measures: Part of traffic calming measures in place, but work not completed. Project linked to dedicated car parking in new estate. New car park not operational. Issues: Lack of double yellow lines near traffic calming; speed of traffic on Station Road also ... traffic calming frequently leads to gridlock; can’t see oncoming cars
    • Suggestion: Traffic calming island seemingly on the wrong side of the road; 
    • Suggestion: Get new car park operational, to reduce cars on  Station Road
    • Suggestion: Double yellow lines opposite to junction into new estate.
  • Area around Teynham School: Accident near school last year. No working signs to alert motorists to the school No speed restrictions in area around school (other LAs have 20mph).
    • Suggestion: Reduce area around the school to 20mph.
    • Suggestion: review signage around school; add electronic flashing sign
  • Junction Lower Road / Station Road: Traffic parking on the corner, restricting view to on coming traffic.
    • Suggestion: Use large planters on corners and roadsides to deter parking
  • Junction Station Road / Frognal Gardens: Traffic parking on the corner, restricting view to on coming traffic. Restricted view due to bush near junction.
  • Junction Station Road / A2 London Road: 
  • Junction Station Road / Cherry Garden: Parking on junction.
  • Junction Station Road / Roper Road: Parking on junction.

Conyer Road, leading to Conyer

  • Parking: Limited parking space in Conyer, with cul-de-sac. Lack of turning space means that the rubbish lorry has to reverse all the way up the final stretch of Conyer Road (c500m towards the Ship Inn). Visitors attending Ship Inn (pub); and walking along Saxon Shore Way and the beautiful marshes. 
  • The parking at Teynham end of the Conyer road is terrible. The three car lay-by prevents clear vision toward the station which was always hard as it’s a hill anyway. People park opposite the junction preventing clear transition from one road to other.
  • Farm traffic: Multiple farms, with large/slow moving farm traffic on Conyer Road. Need to raise awareness that farms are in area.
    • Suggestion: Add farm warning signs
  • Speed & visibility: Cars travel at high speed along narrow lane. Poor visibility at points due to hedge/verge overgrown. 
    • Suggestion: 20mph on Conyer Road from junction with Lower Road to Osiers Road junction.
    • Suggestion: Co-ordinate planned road works (to minimise road closures).

Village Signage

  • Signage into and out of the area: 2 Lower Road; 2 on London Road
  • Suggestion: Add heritage Village name entry signs to our villages with planting schemes.

General feedback 

    • Suggestion: 20mph for Station Road & Lower Road up to Conyer Road junction. Not speed bumps. Double yellow lines at junctions.
    • Encourage businesses/farms and especially new developments to add trees and planting schemes that are maintained. Make All of Teynham 20 mph this could also include the A2. Newington have done this.

Frognal Lane

    • Issues for Drivers: Frognal Lane is a rat run for traffic. Poor visibility for drivers (e.g. Hedgerows are overgrown. 30mph signs are small, and dirty.)
    • Issues for pedestrians: No lighting/pathway on middle section of Frognal Lane. Sections of the pavements (north end) are very uneven. As a result, people walk in road.
      • Suggestions: larger signs; paint 30mph on road
      • Suggestion: Additional street lights on middle section of the road. Solar lighting?
      • Completed: Clean signs; trim hedge [Reported by TPC; Completed by KCC Highways team]
      • Completed: pot holes in lay-by. [Reported by TPC; Completed by KCC Highways team]


Speed Surveys

The KCC highways team have offered to conduct up to 3 speed surveys.

We are proposing to monitor the following 3 roads. 

  • Lower Road (Tonge-Frognal end and the Frognal-Station section)
  • Station Road 
  • Conyer Road 
In addition, we are requesting copies of the speed survey data for London Road.
  • A2 London Road (Hempsted Lane to Nouds Lane)


Feedback

We would welcome your feedback, specifically:

  • Issues/opportunities
    • Are we missing anything from initial list of issues/opportunities outlined above? If so, what should be added to the list?
  • Speed surveys
    • KCC have offered to conduct up to 3 speed surveys. 
    • Which locations should we monitor? 

Send your initial feedback, by 10 August, to Hayley Steel, Parish Clerk.