Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Brian A. Lewis, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- mwser MI2 6 ectepeR 1973 DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2, MARSHAM STREET LONDON S.W.1 Lome 1972 Dear Mr Lewis The Minister for Transport Industries has asked me to let you know that he has not overlooked your letters of 5 and 8 June about the extension of the M2. Mr Peyton will let you have a reply as soon as possible. Yours sincerely J A OWEN Private Secretary BA Lewis Esq » ACT, 1939 f Police COLLECTION ct, 1939, I hereby ven below, is for npleted within 4 IN, PO! ° cantere att those set forth overleaf) will not _. sue the purpose and within the locality and period psvinoter(s) named below or to any person authorised by hin _. as a collector for yhe purposes of the collection. “i a Ley ee (Signed) oos0sGveechescccsccoveee chief Superintendent ; 20.972 Particulars of Collection Name(s) of promoter(s). The Ae2 Group (Secretary: B. A. LEWIS, "Weston Villas", 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury). Purpose of collection. To raise funds in aid of A.2 improvements, Locality to which collection City of Canterbury, Parishes of Bridge and is to be confined. Harbledown. Date of commencement of (1) 23rd September, 1972.|(2) 30th September, collection. 1972. Date beyond which collection (1) 24th September, 1972.|(2) Ist October,1972. must not continue. Printed in England by Chas, H. Challacombe Ltd., and published by Her Mwvesty’s Stationery Orrice Price 6d. net per 10 forms, or 4s. 6d. net per 100 forms (exclusive of purchase tax). 2147 nerd HOUSE TO HOUSE COLLECTIONS ACT, 1939 CERTIFICATE OF EXEMPTION OF A LOCAL COLLECTION OF A TRANSITORY NATURE In pursuance of section | (4) of the House to House Collections Act, 1939, I hereby certify that I am satisfied that the collection, of which particulars are given below, is for a charitable purpose which is local in character, and is likely to be completed within 4 short period of time. Accordingly the provisions of that Act (other than those set forth overleaf) will not apply, in relation to a collection made for the purpose and within the locality and period indicated below, to the promoter(s) named below or to any person authorised by him (them) to act as a collector for ye urposes of the collection. (Signed) .ccosacecshecccocscceceesechief. Superintendent 20.972 Particulars of Collection Name(s) of promoter(s). The Ae2 Group (Secretary: B. A. LEWIS, "Weston Villas", 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury). Purpose of collection. To raise funds in aid of A.2 improvements. Locality to which collection City of Canterbury, Parishes of Bridge and is to be confined. Harbledown, Date of commencement of (1) 23rd September, 1972.|(2) 30th September, collection. 1972. Date beyond which collection (1) 24th September, 1972.|(2) Ist October,1972. must not continue. Printed in England by Chas. H. Challacombe Ltd., and published by Hex Mwesty'’s Stationery Orrict Price 6d. net per 10 forms, or 4s. 6d. net per 100 forms (exclusive of purchase tax) . 2137 A2 GROUP CHIEF HITS OUT OVER LORRIES . | ab Terror of the forty: tonners THE Government had ae not recognized the ge SF kM problem of heavy lor- ries and should build u € f Weighbridges where they enter England until there are better roads, John Purchese, A2 Group chairman, aCcé : told the Liberal As- sembly at Margate. He was speaking, on Wednes. SECRET traps are to be f day, on an amendment to a setupon the A2 and A20 to motion about the environment catch overweight Con- which said heavy articulated tinental juggernaut lor- vehicles should be restricted to ries. ‘ bel Specific and Iimited trunk Holes are being con- 2 secretar routes. It also said they should | structed inlay-byssomo- tone terminal were MrBrian Lewis falar not be allowed to getany bigger. | bile axle weight testing overweight, | 0 04 wWecare giving public The delegates applauded him | equipmentcanbeusedfor | He te enn traubles in warning to the Minister when he called for lorry weigh. | snap checks. shaded am. that unless he brings in bridges at ports like Dover The testing gear would carrying out ex emergency measures where trans-continental trucks | be moved from point to inations of lorries. uld along the whole road from should have their ae and gross point to point to prevent _» Drivers in future wo! ly Brenley corner to Dover, weights checked orry crews from estab. not have to watch tis aie! going to demon- lishing their own intelli-s overweight. Prohibition We are, "We have been fighting these | gence system and tele- orders could be.put on The road rebels plan to lorries for ten years and in 108 phoning warnings to the them if examiners felt h their feelings. with Gays we can expect to have 40 | Dover and Folkestone they were too long or. § “ae ati caait. sit- tonners. In parts the A2is18feet | quaysides. wide, or if the driver had — Proves) ‘eid axe Gatos wide and the pavements are just | “Worried Folkestone notkeptproper records. “id in Bridg 18 inches. contemplate what Us | business people and resi-. Rumble of discontent Ber?) ee ained eee || dents were given this againstthenolseofheavy |, Ait @eW t aor con- Mr. Purct dded that the || Teassurance at a Cham- lorries also rose a ain in y trols overhauled: “If 15 A2 had been improved but this || Der of Trade public meet- ees or ira mph is the correct Iimitat was between villages and not || '2g on Monday. Barham cross-roads, y-passed egional troller of week. ae, ; 2S tala gia the Department of the Nowirate residents who why Cae cod village - EMOTIONAL Environment, Mr A. Holt. suffer the crashandcrush danger poin \ ts told members that-more of continental lorries The Group also wan Cllr. Tony Payne, from || than25per centofthe TIR every 5S0seconds, are tak: geal ebidaraghe tl pate Bridge Blean Rural District || lorries coming into the ing their campaign into Aes ay A ie ee | ident on the Council, also spoke. He said that || new £1- million Folkes- the streets. 7 im ‘O ests B roundabout o: Canterbury's Rh P : b) ————— narrowm { Sescrived Ay abn oy Pe A survey last month and thought that there was revealed a 38 per cent nothing wrong with emotion. increase in traffic in two u e or li years, and a 344 per et prorie were tasted Sc lve rise in heavy lorry traffic ins affected villages ‘they “would over the past eight years. be emotional. “Breaking regulations is one | S thing for lorries but breaking people and breaking people's houses is another thing,’’ he said. “There can be fines for bro- ken regulations but how do you | restore someone's home or shop if it is demolished?" In this part of Kent there was a very real danger indeed from lorries as the road system was quite incapable of taking them. There were villages where it was impossible to keep orna- ments on a mantleplece because the vibrations from the lorries were so bad. Mothers and children suffered from diese] fumes and there was a lorry along the A2 on average every 8 seconds. This was far loo many “Lorries must be kept clear from where people want to live. ‘There has been no provision by previous Governments for lorry routes but the conception is not new. They used to be called railways.” Dover road involving a massive TIR lorry the A2 Group |” Ke 249.9, A2 ultimatum to atter another incident Within 24 hours of another major incident on the London- Wried ond was detained in hos-| has announced plans for its biggest-ever protest demonstration at Bridge. A Continent-bound articulated. lorry carrying 25 Minister al The lorry, owned by Samuel) Williams Ltd., of agonharn | | Docks, Easex, suffered denting | land othor damage that incl | tons of beef overturned at the St, Peter's Place roandaboot at! « snattered windscreen Canterbury's Rheims Way on Sunday lunchtime. Two people wore injured in the crash — nolther seriously. It took a gang of docally: | recruited men several hours ta} reload the sides of meat on to} & replacoment lorry and scene was finally cleared 12 | hours after the accident. A police spokesman said: “It | was lucky nobody was walking | past at the time, otherwise they would have been | death instantly.” crushed TARP The. driver, slight Mri Leonard «| the | Southgate, aged 46, of 45. Crow- lands Avenue, treated for Romford, was\ "| injuries at} “The A2 On Monday the militant A2 Group \asued an ultimatum to} Mr. Graham Page, the Govern-| ment Minister responsible for! roads, who recently visited East | | Ken Group committee Kent; and Canterbury Hospital| «ives notice that it Intends to. and was released, Austria, A hitchhiker he had | Storg Fridolin, aged 19, of picked sustained a fractured Baa ‘ 2. This lorry, carrying 25 tons of beef bound for the Continent, overturned at the St. Peter’s icims Way on Sunday, It took 12 hours to transfer the cargo to another lorry and clear the road. | David WP Crouch, organise a demonstration, the jiike of which has never before j been seen in Kent, if the Mint-| jster faile to announce the | implementation of - emergency | mensures before October 21, | “On that date, at 3 p.m. the residents of Bridge, Canterbury and Harbledown will be Mmvited/ to protest by blocking the road in the High Street, Bridge.” Members of Bridge-Blean Rural District Council, and its Clerk, Mr. Ivor Soifleux, h been invited to show solidarity! ning the sit «f District Office : Telephone : . Baten teal Maidstone 52654 ; ’ po idstone, Maidstone 61199 4 w RC/SD ‘ i ‘ _ 13th September 1972 The Department of Environment 2 Marsham Street London S.W.1 Dear Sir, A.2_ Trunk Road I write on behalf of our members regarding the A.2 Trunk Road from Canterbury to Dover. 1 would like to bring to your attention that in view of the increase in the heavier vehicles that are now being used on this road, operated by U.K, transport operators and also continental operaters, there are serious hazards and traffic congestions in the region of the towns and villages of Boughton, Harbledown, Bridge, Lydden and approach roads to Dover Docks. I would suggest that very serious consideration be given by your Department to bring forward plans to by-pass Canterbury and the places mentioned above as I do not think I am exaggerating to say that this road is now extremely dangerous bearing in mind the above points regarding larger vehicles etc. I understand that there are plans for a by-pass at Canterbury but this is not due to be started until 8 years time, This,quite frankly, im view of the dangers now involved, is quite unrealistic and I cannot emphass2« enough the importance of this matter receiving the greatest priority. “1 Hon. baat tac Brian A. Lewis, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- M411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. The Editor, 5.10.1972 The Kentish Gazette, St. George's Place, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Sir, Your readers may wonder what demonstrations can do to speed up a roadbuilding programme. The A2 Group accept that the long-term solution is the set of by- passes; but there are many small interim measures that could be undertaken to safeguard A2 drivers and the people along the road. It is the failure to show intent to bring these into play that has made the A2 Group decide on another public meeting, involving a sit-down, at Bridge on October 21st. Briefly out safety proposals are: review all speed limits in the villages and danger spots, insert slow-down lanes before these places, check all TIR on entry at the ports for axle loading and gross weight, check them on a routine basis for mechanical defects and patrol the road vigilantly with Police cars. The cost of these measures should be covered by Government as part of the cost of joining the EEC. It is the failure to bring any of these measures into effect that has led to the proposed sit-down and rally. Public pressure can affect decisions as has been proved over the proposals for the third London airport. Accidents on the A2 have become so commonplace that it is now only the spectacular incidents that are even reported in the local press. Demonstrations have the effect of publicising dangers both nationally and internationally, so that many drivers are made aware of the potential risk who might not otherwise know of it. This is why we are protesting. Yours sincerely, daa. ici $e a ee CO Seb Conte C XT) ———~Ashford 2222) "Aitcohil1" Maidstone Road, ASHFORD Kent. 25th September; 1972. Department of the Environment, South Eastern Road Construction Unit, Federated House, DORKING Surrey. Dear Sirs, I hereby make objection to the Departments plans to construct a Motorway from Maidstone to Folkestone, namely the proposed Motorway M20. There are a number of objections to be made in dotail as to the Proposed route but these I have not embraced for the purpose of this Present submission which should be acknowledged as an objection to the Proposals as a whole. The objection has been carefully considered and it is supported by a calculated assessment of the probable traffic flows likely to arise as a result of our joining the E.E.C. and of the possibilities of a channel tunnel being constructed in due course, You will appreciate such assessment, from whatever source, must be subject to & great deal of conjecture as to environmental pressures, other than traffic movement, to which we may or may not be subject. Having until very recently, driven on average 1,200 miles per week for over ten years throughout the U.K., I claim some knowledge of traffic movement and of motorway functions. My objection is not therefore without some understanding of the problems related or of the need to effect improved highway facilities, It is noted the Department's Proposals are primarily based upon a forecast projected to the year 1990 and that all indications are that nothing short of & new motorway will suffice, whether or not there is a channel tunnel. I am of the opinion no decision should be made until all the relevant factors as to probable traffic flows through Kent, including the known factor, tunnel or no tunnel, as the case may be, can be properly assessed as a whole. Regard should also be extended to the Proposed developments at Foulness. It is reasonable to assume there can be no more justification for two motorways through Kent, i.e., the M 2 and proposed M 20 than there is for two motorways to service the North of the U.K. and Scotland out of London and points between, In the same way the M 1 and Al service this need supplemented by the M 6 and certain lateral _— a Pe Oepartment of the Environment. Page 2. M routes through the Industrial Midlands and North West, so, I am of the opinion, the M 2 extended to Polkestone and Dover, coupled with a dual carriage A 20 will meet the needs of traffic flows through Kent. I believe also, particularly as to domestic traffic, the choice between motorway driving and that of A class roads should remain for there are marked temperamental considerations to be here acknowledged. Where there is a question of priorities it seems certain the first need is to eliminate the problems existing and arising from the traffic using the present A 2 between the M 2 and Dover, The extension of the M 2 to Folkestone and Dover would seem to be the desired solution, A possible route for this extension would seem to be from the M 2 at Faversham, south of the present A 2 to map reference 124562 or thereabouts, (ordanance survey map 1/63360, sheet no.173) where an interchange to service Canterbury and Thanet at the A 28 could be introduced. Thence to describe a South Easterly curve to map reference 140540, thence via Stone Street (B2068) to tho area allocated for the proposed M 20 interchange at Stanford. The suggested dual carriage A 20 could also be extended to this inter- change. It is realised this would create a marked detour for the London Dover route (mt) through Kent but the overall environmental conse- quences would in my view be less damaging than as per present Proposals. The M 2, thus routed would service not only Dover but also Folkestone, Canterbury, the proposed Channel Tunnel and Thanet. To overcome the possibility of unwanted traffic taking the short cut to London from Stanford via the suggested Dual Carriage A 20, traffic, i.e. the ‘juggernauts'. In effect the M 2 could be established as the primary industrial route into and out of the U.K. via Dover and Folkestone (and the channel tunnel) and the suggested dual carriage A 20 as the primary domestic traffic route. As to traffic flows forecast for the year 2990, £t is assumed, for the want of other evidence, these are based on growth rates extracted from the past twenty years projected forward over the next twenty years. This basis for forecasting is in my view invalid for taken to logical ends, the burden of traffic to be expected by the year 2010 to say nothing of the year 2030 'ad infinitum’ will defy accommodation by any means. Also despite North Sea oil, the world situation as to petrol and diesel fuels indicated a not unlikely rationing of these fuels by the year, say 1980, first by price and later by decree. Marked changes can be expected in t ies to be employed for the movement of g the improvement and extension of rail an echniques and basic facilit- 20ds and persons probably via d new forms of transport Department of the Fnvironment. Page 3. confined to conductors giving rigid control and direction as opposed to the random control and direction allocated to the driver of a conventional road vehicle on any given section of highway. In considering the overall traffic probability to and from tho Continent it appears there is a case for careful study as to the role of the proposed new developments at Foulness. From Foulness it is possible to service, via sea routes, the whole of the E.E.C. (including the industrial regions of North West France vie Dunkirk) without the shipping here employed having to cross the path of the high volume of sea traffic moving through the Straits of Dover, into and out of the Thames Estuary. From Poulness, into and out of the U.K. a major Motorway directed North of London could service virtually the whole of the U.K. in linking with the A 12, All, A 10, Al, Ml, A 41, M 40, M 4 ond M 3. The existing ferry services via Dover and Folkestone could continue to sustain the domestic traffic flow for which it is well suited and this being so one arrives at doubts as to the need fora channel tunnel. This brings me back to the proposed M 20 and my objection as above. Respectfully, E. D. Dyke. Copies. Rt. Hon' William Deeds, M.P. Sir Richard Costain, M.P. Rt. Hon' David Crouch, M.P. Rt. Hon' Peter Reece, M.P. Ashford Motorway Action Group. Channel Tunnel Opposition Association. i ag (Canterbury) A 2 Action Group. e. “CANTERBURY & DISTRICT TRADES COUNCIL UMOUSTRIAL) (AHHILIATED 10 KENT FEOERATION OF TRADES COUNCILS) a RESETS Hon, Sec. our rot A217 (12 H. J. G. SHARP, 1, TREASURY VIEW, Your Ref — ICKHAM, CANTERBURY 2 (0-72. Lat My Luss. have agaed 4 vupport Ke At Glaup AD N have announced details of the been” Aerting Me, Council has to turn dowune requests What | THE A2 ACTION group Kent against the Goy- stubbotrees fhe, Ministry's does one have to do these days| biggest protest yet staged in Ken suddenly when oe pay lbp to ensure safety in a village} ernment's failure to take swift action to Improve the pepe APpeared with the an- juch as this? Maybe the time! 7 oodon to Dover road and by-pass villages in the nouncement that Mr. Pace wna has come for the Parish Council fo visit the ‘area, the councii {9 cit. Inthe road and voice} Canterbury area. Was ignored by the K.C.C. One Coun Yi Conclude “that the | to to’! ouncil—save for the s sit-down in Bridge High fone fighter in the pe Sitting down may not be a| M4 5 . Cilt, AL J. Ross — is as: apes strictly democratic method of ' Street tomorrow aterno00} thetic as the Ministry in realis- achieving an aim—but let's be | totally blocking the road. They ing the problems of the road. honest—It docs attract publicity | wil) be marshalled by 20 stew- Ind +, One can further con- t© & serious problem which is ards, and protesters will par- Counell ais Rape cen, roel erpder ss " ticipate from all the villages pt at bay because I ipat all . . wien eawistently blunt altitude to como in the samening or ike | along the A2 threatened by with higher authority js well Kent Best-Kept Village Com-| giant TIR lorries. A petition rather amusing, for in | What a farcical state of the judges’ comments’ it was DEAD TO NEEDS affairs it has come to when the Teported that “this was a diffi. Group should have their cult village to judge, owing to. after the sit-down there will an and secretary to- | the caused by the Dover| be a march up Brewerly Lane, gether with Cllr. Tony Payne | Road traffic and all the confu-) past the scene of the fatal in his capacity as member for sion of broken shops and} accident in May which re- arbledown, not as council rep- | houses. sulted in the demolition of ' At erp eg MG pariah, is You're telling us! | houses ie rt OAVIN ET liv w thewuihority responsitie cone | We try to live hore to. tho , A rally will then be eld in of the “black-spot" villages Sta of puis apulity although | the car-park of the Bridge unable to voi Bier authority seems deter-| Country Club, and an effigy of “a talon mined to ensure that lfe should | officiaidom “dead to our needs” The time is fast coming when “4 “= 5 i public opinion must rear ita °C. intolerable. | Wil be burnt and a resolution isapproval as the , } | of the villagers see ft} More than 1,000 people are | do time to time. expected to take part in a | head again. Th tre Yom- The time has come for the! calling on the Government to mittes gives notion that’ it er inhabitants to stand up for their | act proposed. tends to organise au demon- “ehts, | In their statement today, the stration, the like of which has | Broup point out that it has | never before been seen jn Kent. cite een ane, ving 7 “elt now been over a calendar | If the Minister fails to announce the 40 cone pat ete a. 18. ~~ month since the Minister, Mr, | © implementation of emer. wide Hick er he Ad on, Graham Page, saw for him- | Breabra, on this Teere, OStobee Bridge don't tolerate thon ign | Seif the conditions on the route 1, 1972, on this date at 3 p.m. your village. So pressure the described them as “mur- } the residents of Bridge, Canter- Ministry into speedin up the! derous.” | ' bury, and Harbledown, will be } mitings by-pass by writing to David A a Hien ene Crouch; M:P., House of Com- FAR FROM HELPING = Bridge. Then will be the time ™°"%, London, 8.W.1 Yet, says the ¢ este eate a AROS ‘pee nee dpaye at Mis. work to} Ministry. far from h , cluding the clerk, are invited to help GloUP: let's help them even rejected a request by KH to participate. P us. the Kent County Counci) and 1 000 I trust that they will see At ¢ P, A. LAVIN, (Miss). police for 40 mph slow- {0-10 Surrounded by a huge map Hit \ and run hin showing the line of the A2 and j 7 its beleaguered villages, Cllr. Fuller and Mr. Seaborne ex- fa) plained the group’s aims and r j appealed for support for the fo} i u massive sit-down demonstration i planned to be held in Bridge on ' October 21. } LICE and dock authorities were: scarching over the weekend A2-Group organisers are anti- s . * A ing . . cipating that, providing the | LL, 3h, py which mee i ‘ima hit-and-run accident in weather Is tine, over 1,000 people ' Bri j treet on Friday night , will join the protest outside B Be B y %, ep Rere Meceee in He aed oe The blue lorry was in collision with an M.G. saloon,. driven part of Bridge High Street, | > ' = % where a TIR lorry was involved (by 24-year-old ee Anita ile of 59 eae Drive, ety in a hit-and-run incident on Fri- i i Cam olkestone, Sustain ruising,. shock a ay. ‘ a Ps & Kan Footnote: The Dover Harbour _ abrasions, : Board ‘has | Just revealed that { P ° * ; uring the first seven months o | Passenger Mr. Barry Lewin suffered abrasions to the ‘fore- the year 82,795 lorries passed _ head and hands. Both were taken to the Kent and Canterbury Eastern pitt, foll‘on, | roll-off be - . 3 nal, an in- | Hospital for treatment but nor detained, crease of 3829 per cent.. over The lorry was travelling in the Dover direction through A petition supporting the A2- + 5) " Group in its calt for a 5 “up Bridge, when the accident happened, in AS improvements wasnt by over 600 people, COUNTY OF KENT Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1916 255 PERMIT TO MAKE A STREET COLLECTION OR SALE ——eeeeess |} , the undersigned, Chief Constable of Kent, in pursuance of the powers conferred on me by the Regulations as to Street Collections made by the Police Authority under the provisions of Section 5 (1) of the above Act, hereby authorise Does Secmetany, the Ne CoO U teens of....1..High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kemt ence mnnnme to make a Collection or Sale in... Bridge Blean slsnsssvtbpisesnse ening eee terteicaR se a Re r Wa 4:30 P-m- in the iid to, and applied for KENT COUNTY CONSTABULARY (ERS. SSE et E 65432 SUTTON ROAD, f the said Regulations 211 MAIDSTONE 27/ST/72 ME15 9BZ 23rd October, 1972 .. i972 Dear Sir, Street Collection Permit nstable of Kent I have pleasure in enclosing a street collection permit as requested, together with a form of statement of income and expenditure, etc. I would draw your attention to the need to complete and return the statement within a month of the collection, as required by Regulation 16, which is printed on the reverse of the form for your convenience. Yours faithfully, Chief Constable of Kent. Mr. B.A. Lewis, The Honorary Secretary, The A2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. COUNTY OF KENT Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1916 255 PERMIT TO MAKE A STREET COLLECTION OR SALE FI , the undersigned, Chief Constable of Kent, in pursuance of the powers conferred on me by the Regulations as to Street Collections made by the Police Authority under the provisions of Section 5 (1) of the above Act, hereby authorise OF sch. to make a Collection or Sale in... igh Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge; BROm re hor opmosturday the. 248¢ day of __ October wnjo72 between the hours of ..3:9 P:™+ in the forenoon and... 4:39 P-™- in the afternoon, the proceeds of such Collection or Sale to be paid to, and applied for the benefit of..2sProvements tomthe AZ runk Road This permit is granted subject to the terms and condition of the said Regulations and does not authorise a house to house collection. 9/2 23rd Dated this... day 0b kas Chief Constable’s Office, Chief Constable of Kent Kent County Constabulary. Maidstone. Form No. 102 (revised June, 1969) ° | h A G uw ( . Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer; e 2 ro P een Purshene, Brian A, Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas? : 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, ° Kent. 29th October 1972 The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasurer;: Brian A. Lewis, ot John Purchese, a z Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. 24th October 1972 David Crouch Esqe, MePe, House of Commons, London S.Wel. Dear Mr. Crouch, On behalf of the A2 Group, I would like to convey my thanks to you for coming to speak at the Meeting last Saturday. We were very disappointed at the lack of national T.V. and press coverage, and understand that the I.T.N. film was lost on the train at Victoria} Finally it was found, and shown on Southern Television last evening. From the A2 Group campaign angle, we have clearly got to rethink what tactics should now be adopted. Sit-—downs have obviously served their purpose as the press have proved by virtually ignoring the event. Also, with the Police now prepared to mount a counterattack, it is felt that less peaceful tacticts should be applied to achieve the publicity required, It was a pleasure to invite you into our home for tea after the demonstration, and it ig hoped that you will have cause to accept a similar Bi eg at some future date. stdun ( Cin» —— ae Yours sincerely, G X O up irman: Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer: 4 2 Sohn Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury. Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Tnink road to Dover from the M2 lil a ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, * Kente 29th October 1972 David Crouch Esqey, MePe, House Of Commons, london S.Wel. Dear Mr. Crouch, Further to our telephone conversation this morning, I confirm that the A2 Group are to launch a Christmas/New Year card scheme. It has been agreed by the A2 Group Committee that the cards should consist of a sketch of Father Christmas on the front shown to be in collision with a T.I.R. vehicle. Inside will be a message pertinent to Britain's entry into the Common Market on lst January. The scheme has been devised in preference to a straightforward petition, and it is hoped that its unusual nature will achieve a certain amount of publicity. It was understood from you this morning that the cards . Should be passed to the Secretary of State in the presence of our delegation, and I look forward to your confirmation of a date, time and place as soon as you are able to make the necessary arrangements. For your information, we will be launching a Buggestions Scheme shortly. From this it is hoped that practical ideas will be forthcoming, Yours sincerely, \ /) Brian A. Lewis: Lt lan () AQLn Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Groupe —e 10 CARLOS PLACE, GROSVENOR SQUARE, ¢, a LONDON, WIY OHA. wd TELEPHONE: O1-629 706! AMO AT (OO/110 JERMYN STREET Swiy Gua. ALCS MINSTALA, 2 HMW/KRG j 27th October 1972 J. Purchese, Esq., Chairman, A-2 Group, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, CANTERBURY, Kent. Dear Sir, I apologise for troubling you, but I am retained by the Whitfield and Guston Society in connection with the proposed Dover Eastem By-Pass. I am sure no-one would wish the new road to go actually through Whitfield as is now proposed! Could you please give me a little help? If it puts you to any expense, I shall be pleased to reimburse. Essentially I need simple traffic flow figures, along the A-2, northbound and southbound. I am sure your Association has a mass of such figures. If possible I would like such traffic census figues as you have over say, the last three to five years. I am sorry to worry you, but it would be of enormous help to me. Yours truly, (Flr, bribe ( } flee ut (Dictated by Mr. Wilks and signed in his absence.) The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secreta’ Chey John Purchese, Brian A. Le Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, ‘Teidge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kente 29th October 1972 Dear Mr. Wilks, Thank you for your letter dated 27th October passed to me for reply. The A2 Group are of course extremely disappointed that the Whitfield and Guston Society have not seen fit to support our aims recently,despite promises at tne public meeting held at the County Hotel, Canterbury following the T.1I.R. accident in Bridge. It was understood at that meeting that the Whitfield continguent were to fight with the remainder of those living along the whole route between Brenley Corner and Dover to achieve a formular for all concerned. We do however support the aims of the Whitfield and Guston Society, and accordingly enclose a copy of the summaries in connection with the Census conducted in High Street, Bridge during August last. The only other census conducted by the A2 Group was that of 1964 when it was found that 6,700 vehicles of all types passed through Bridge in a 24 hour period. I trust that the enclosures will help you with your campaign, and wish you every success in achieving your ain, Yours sincerely, Grin (1, Brian A. lewis. Sec] Treasure — QQ Gwe. Canterbury Constituency Conservative Association Parliamontary Reprasentative: DAVID CROUCH, MP. site Canterbury & District Y.C, gpancy Constituency Hoadquartors: Ploase raply to: 9 HAWKS LANE 132 014 D URY over Road CANTERB tag 3 , Kent, 30th October, 1972, B, Lewis, Esq., 1 High Street, Bridge, Nr. Canterbury, Kent, Dear Mr, Lewis, We are just starting to prepare our next year's programme (January to April), and would very mich like you to come and talk to us on The A.2, if possible, If you would be prepared to do this we wondered if you could manage to speak to us on Tuesday, 6th March, 1973. or any Tuesday in March which suits you, It would be helpful to ue if we could have an answer as soon as possible because of sending the programme to the printers, Hoping we shall see you next year, Yours sincerely, —_— - N Una Sank June Simnett (Miss) Secretary 600 join protest over juggernauts beet 1 E r H if i seth Hi ie as a i Z cI 32 i ? © A72 SIT- OVER 600 people pack- ed into a solid banner waving mass across the A.2 at Bridge on Saturday where the road is only 18 feet wide. « And in spite Seg allseraicahers. cas eine cet Boughton all along the A.2 to Dover, staged a passive sit) AYP |e aoquieideg uo ‘ulaey Ay| “WPH “AW ®UeuYyee2z01 soyjy ljenjow wy Aursneo ‘Moc %LG-OO3 iuejerunt o’ BAyVe OMOLIBY | ay " i bc Aueou)) 4S3US1NI | i 9h OF mew sop apo ujaq [PEM Plovverge guy] #01 prepue MOU!) SS3U3LNI 010 syUeweduvliv “sornbex Aq | BI U OAS YM ‘IPUNED Ayunoy fs aa any sa | ADYIOA 7298 39 sowed Ayndeq #1). fot ote a uy oUYwoIzaL UAT PuL one SeUnsUD vy unt ‘eUL0;U) OumM UY Wu Alun wUeWUIO, pi AGS BSUA SU 78 TI lagu u 1) Fir mer WS eur ep ; ‘e20quie, Suw% o1u eis g “Aanqaoy saree ee Since the demonstration, very organisations which we of th onstra' j Paerait ai agai in Brid| , 1 n the continuous n vipration, and congestion | making life intolerable along their residen ds. Warn that there is a i of prosecution for seat dati the Retains ns~ ed Oo} n in Bridge Mave eon declared | illegal advertisements, These slogans haye been in position for some months, and o ; ers by what process of law y have suddenly | eee , ; “It is indeed strange that thi ‘set up and are maintaine © ratepayers to promote and e thelr best interests are » © most active in ensuring that 1 ; ublic shall not gets tit + nanifestly needs, and in im expression of public A proper A2 moto’ from Boughton to Dover, ch will — by- and safeguard the his- ¢ toric city of Canterbury and the | A2 villages, has been an obvious necessity for at least 10 years, and with the approach of our en into the Common Market it should have beon even more obvious to the appropriate authorities, yee Many people have long won- dered why Canterbury and East Kent have been so long neglec- ted in this way; whatever the ‘reason it is now time the public was informed, ce Cc, J. L. TURNER. 78a New Dover Road, Canterbury, Sir, , In reply to Mr, Pocknall’s ‘letter about. the A2 diversion during the demonstration at Bridge (Kentish Gazette,” Octo- sparse carried an account ttl ose* In 4 ‘ { ‘ of Wingham, me would be maki its 00, a it permanent is that the vil- bi} and Wauechourad F ing their io » a8 the “diversion” s routed through these ier country roads on ular Saturday, ‘That ri uch though I sympa ingham hi with the Bridge difficulty, eit ave far too much ‘allic now, let alone igh Streot, m. | ‘ber ). The reason for not mak- Sit d ANGRY residents took action into their own hands on Satur- day in the village of Bridge. People liv-— ing along the noisy A2 staged a sit-down in the road in an attempt to draw at- tention to their plight. The expected hold-up of traffic was forestalled by _ ‘the Kent Police, who redirected the ve- hicles along minor roads. wd This action provided the two organisers of the rally, John Purchese and Brian Lewis, leading wards, it was revealed that the two public warn- ings from the superinten- dent were not antici- pated. At about 3 o'clock, the «crowd which police ‘sources estimated to be about four or five hun- dred, but which cam- eramen reckoned to be more like a thousand -— took their pitch on the road. The demonstrators were then addressed by Brian Lewis, to the click and whirr of the press and television. After the sec- ond police warning the gathering slowly edged its way down the road and off down a lane to a mead- ow where they listened to Speeches. As they turned off the A2, many demon- Strators, urged on by cameramen, shook their fists and shouted at a sin pital ns ica bowler-hatted effigy of obstructing a ublic high “‘officialdom'’. Hung | es en- around its neck was a Sriuats Ave ' Bean : \Min- Ja vei tee y — dead to pur nent diversion for Bridge. Cc. P NELSON, | Fi The speakers included Cur. Mike Fuller, David Crouch, Conservative M.P. for Canterbury, who expressed his plea sure at being able to take part in the legal part of Me protest — even though he was turning a blind eye on Trafalgar Day. He de scribed the lack of by passes and motorway as “a disgrace to the Min istry, a disgrace to the Country, a disgrace to the County’’. He concluded by congratulating the group on their “peaceful protest, which Is all part of our Parliamentary de mocracy. "! The rally, whicn a se- nior police spokesman de- scribed to INCANT hav ing gone "very peacefully indeed, though the two men were reported by one of my officers’’, finished with a burning of the ef- figy. See also pages 6 and ts Clive Griffiths 2—In Se cant November 11972 own in Bridge and peated cin aos Ja oa BE 1 suooseso 0) Ueda i DEY FUuyws0syA qduieije ou uae pey asey) “Uf Useq aaey pinom “{nousnosyL “savyeg Be UONPUlWsajap pesoddns aav Bye YIM saApe a enevueq Aieasaes Ano folue oF pepeeroud 1}4 ‘ano UO Aseys *"Ysny, HY a ouvpunu puL Ap ‘@9) © INOW ‘Dag ey | “POUF 4) 30 LoRYpouw0D panjo(dxa ‘sappo;oypes ~~ PeanjuU-poos yt BY OM ~ nm “ ” ote eay ae P22USlI® Gua paxoos PUL “suonsenb sarsou “A)PNdUNYe ywojswwyo ¥yy UY the State AVIPUD Buypsany Ss srnvyyoy UBB OY PUMP agape meee “UN, A1U9H TUNIS ‘9SNUE 4ngq “pip | os puv *s00f 07 [Wuwy “}UOWUTHIZ9IUe aUioD puyy 110) una Apissvy prard 40 pune eUUOM 40) BpUYUOP UaeMjaq spenber SUB) Puss puv o1941F “Aiuopy yawnyg qow oj sai[jop Buyyeiys 107 ues ain pasoains Anueyoedxo 1; youd AYO ING BNOPBI0Id AW Wl “\UsUle;|9x9 posseidor yo Relies ou Ul wy AIT® © InoInH pexwu wow) y ped GUO “#,UingyoVl AUuOL oq 0) ydwey)e puL oun Ld) "H'N pusjesd oym 8,6 'q puv ais0ulsue e804) j0 oun Oo) AunqiajuVD ul eum 98l) ANO Olavu LOppoy Opes. Incant November 1 1972 — 5 SPARTACUS The Social Science Part I examinations were organ- ised last term. The Humanities Part I exams are to be held this term. Quite a number of students involved in inter-Faculty degree courses are bound tosuffer Service Staff have been approached on several occasions In the past, by Security Staff, requesting thern to raton what g0es on in student rooms. So far the vast majority of service staff have refused declaring that they will never never be “copper’s narks.'' We pay high rents at this bloody place possibley some of it foes towards paying off* ‘squealers.”' Speaking of squealers, the Monday Club nas ae. clared its Intention to organise a student squealing service. A motion put up at the last Union General Meeting by the Conservative Association was intended to fend off criticism but we can't be fooled by this white-washing. If they are so conc erned with this quasi-fascist organisation w hy don't they, within their own association, expose the Monday Club members and chuck them out. After all it is the Tory lot that harbours those specimens of inhumanity Meet the man who can’t get wed until the A2 gets by-passed! BRIAN LEWIS, 28, secretary of the A.2 Group, can’t get married until Bridge gets a by-pass. His fiancee won’t let him. Why? Because he spends nearly all his spare time organ- izing protests like sending 2,000 Christmas cards to Graham Page, secretary of State at the Department of Envi He has spent ove ) fighting successive govern- ments In ‘their complete failure to do anything about the inadequacy of the A.2 as a trunk road, und the complete lack of urgency in speeding up the improvement programme.”’ Brian Lewis thinks that people In the government are acting “dead from the neck up over the A.2."" This is why he writes several hundred letters a year, peti Uons, demonstrates, sits down in the road and keeps on shout- ing for action ONE OF MANY Brian Lewis is only one among many, but the A.2 prob- lem |s so wound up in his life that untl the by-passes are built — 4nd finished — he cannot and not let things rest He has lived In Bridge all hig life and moved Into 1 High Street in 1946. I first got involved with the A2 in 1961,"" he said. “I was responsible for organizing the first protest march in Bridge, and then I had only just left school.’ The protests ten years ago were because the A.2 was a dangerous road. Two people were killed in Bridge village. Quite independently Mr. John Purchese, now chairman of the group, started his own cam. paign. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Pur. chese joined forces in a common fight, which has spread from Bridge all along the road from Brenley to Dover We are not against T.LR. lorries, we are not against heavy goods vehicles, or their drivers. They want the same as we want, a decent road,”’ said Mr. Lewis WITH DRIVERS “We are fighting with the lorry drivers for a better road Their lives are at risk just as much as the people who live along the A.2.’' The first Bridge by-pass cam paign started in 1963. Mr Lewis and his colleagues collected 664 Signatures when the population of the villa 08 897 In the last cight years, accord ing to the group's census figures, ordinary traffic has gone up by 246 per cent, Heavy goods vehicles using the road have gone up by 344 per cent Kent County Council's estima Uon of the passenger car units for the road Is 9,000 in 24 hours The present volume is about 20,000 ‘p.c.u.s.’ ina day Mr. Lewis Is not obsessed with the weights and size of HG.V.s but "who can forget figures like these? "’ When we join the Common Market in January it is likely that lorries equal to 44 British tons will be using the A.2. Axle limits will be raised from 10 tons to 11 metric tons “Crunch goes the road,’’ Mr Lewis added 1ISOLETTERS In the last four months Ihave written 150 official letters to government departments, the Minister, Canterbury’s M.P., and members of our group, and other people who support us," he said. "Our money comes from street collections and we have had a donation from the Canter- bury Society “The 1360 section of the Transport and General Work- THIS is the second in a series of articles in which we ask people in the headlines to give the background to the stories that ers’ Union, who represent, the T.ILR. drivers at Fords, are Supporting us too.’’ The peak Ume for demonst raling was 1964 but in recent months practical protests have hotted up again. There was the sit-down three weeks ago, and now the ava lanche of cards to Graham Page ‘BLINKERS’ Mr. Lewis keeps on saying the government are wearing blin kers over the whole problem “I do all this in the Interests of Sanity for all the people along the road. We are gradually getting people behind us We've been shouting for a long time. But people are starting to remember the accidents like the One that demolished the shop in Bridge High Street. I am not against the Com mon Market, my group is non political, we just blame success ive governments." The group has given up fight ing for an extension of the M2 Now everything is geared to speeding up the programme of by-passes Brian Lewis and his col leagues say they are not agita tors, but a group of local citizens fighting to get what they need and must have If the government would act they would not demanstr but protests seem to them the only way to make the situation alive to officials stuffed away in envi ronment departments have made news. Today we talk to Brian Lewis, Secre- tary of the A.2 Group, who plans to organize ‘PERSONAL FIGHT’ “This battle of the A.2 is a? very personal fight;"’ Mr. Lewis said. ‘leat, sleep and walk A2 I have to, and so do a lot of other people ‘We get tremendous help from many people who are not on our committee, and couldn't do without them The A.2 saga Is '‘more inter esting than Peyton Place". The story is told in piles of cuttings in Mr. Lewis’ home. Whenever a lorry Uhunders by the quiver shakes yet another leaf in the file. the sending of 2009 Christmas Cards tf the Minister as a Pro! test against governs ment inaction, ——E— Se -” OVER 600 people protest on the “bridle track to Evrope”’ — the rambling A2 whichat places is only eighteen feet wide. Understandably they are fed Up fo the teeth as the heavy continental lorries rumble through, causing congestion and danger to life and limb. But, as we prepare to enter Europe, what is being done by the Government to all- eviate the problem? Precious littie, it would seem. And, like so many other cases of this kind it could take a Grim and frightening series of road crashes before the situation receives the atten: tion if deserves. Too late But no amount of action then will heal maimed limbs or bring a child back to fife. It will be too late. And if the cause is put down fo inactivity by a@ government Separtment the people will recall the many protests that have taken place. They will know where to point the finger of blame. & plan of government action Must therefore be drawn up and made public now, And during the next few the Kentish Observer and its many thousands of readers will be watching for ‘the first Signs. We expect to see such sig betore Christmas — fst Mr. Peter Walker é those Christmas conte 2,000 cards to decorate the ministers mant IT’S NOT SUCH A CHRISTMAS FOR SAI TWO thousand special- ly designed Christ- mas cards will be sent to Peter Walk- er, the secretary of State this year from residents living along the A.2. Besides wishing him a Happy with presents fying all over the place. There will be a space for names and address- es,and on the inside a message pertinent to 1 January when we go into the Common Mar- ket and when 40 tonners come rolling off the boats at Dover."’ SUGGESTIONS? The deputation will include rep- resentatives from Bridge Blean, Canterbury and Kent County Councils and mem- bers of local Womens’ Insti- tutes and other bodies. They will give the cards to David Crouch, M.P. for the area, and it is hoped he will hand them to Mr. Walker in the depu- tation’s presence. The A2 Group has also decided “WORTHLESS’ “Petitions as such are worth- less. We know they get through to the t people and then go straight into the waste paper basket for fil- ing,” said Brian Lewis, the A2 Group secretary. “We decided on the cards idea as it would be a petition In | effect but with a kick. | | ‘The sketch on front will show | Father Christmas involved in | a collision with a T.LR. lorry e wa Councils’ 4.05 A? talks Talks on the A2 were held esterday (Monday) between t County Council, Canter- bury City Council, Dover Town and Dover Rural coun- cls and the National Far- mers’ Union, presided over by Mr. David Crouch, MP. ‘As a result, public meetings are to be at Bridge and Harbledown in the hopes that objections to by-pass schemes can be ironed out by volun- tary co-operation to avold de- lays that public inquiries would cause. romised to poms! doing at he could to ressurise ‘speed: the Environ | : ae to start a suggestion scheme and invite anyone to offer ideas to help them win improvements along the A2. They pe Pn fy one for any that are 5 B KENT COUNTY CONSTABULARY Police Headquarters, Sutton Road, MAIDSTONE Your Reficcs cess Dear Sir, sa aad Fonaof Statemewttl I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 9B ackees. IANO send A the contents of which are noted. However Could Ypr 4) ead Reisen [ist <4 colledoys Showty amowtS colleck Ss as ia\ “ hove no auditer . Yours faithfully, R. D. LEMON, Chief Constable of Kent. <3 10m “Surely the size and the lack of manceuyrability are every bit_as im) nt as Especially to us mo! Market is peeping to bite. . Sy HARVEY ELLIOTT THE village that has become a symbol of the fight against jug- gernaut lorries is at last to get a-by-pass —after more than 30 years of promises. Draft proposals for the by-pass—which will take traffic on the A2 London- Dover road round the village of Bridge, Kent—- were announced yester- by Mr Graham Page, Minister for Local Gov- ernment and Devyelop- ment. Reac tion of the villagers to azles ? fengpe Tule by Common By-pass_ plan after 30 years the proposals «which, the Government admits, have yet to gét.financial backing, was cautlons, Mr John Purchese, who has jed the fight against the traffic for 32 years, said: “1 shall béleve it when I see it But it now seems that the Government has woken up to the plight of the embattled village (pop. 1,500). Ministry planners baye drawn up a proposed route for the by- FLASHBACK : To pass. together with another 10 start at nearby Upper Har bledown. The plans wil) go on display in the village and residents will have a chance to lodge objections, Some farmers are expected to protest at the loss of their land and adjoining villages will not agree readily to the by-pass coming 50 near to them, :. k71/10560 _ + The result of to year! cameioing bythe people of Bi Ju uggernaut village the Mail picture spotlighting the lorry menac Mr Purchese, chairman of the A2 Group, said; “They have always sald there would be a by-pass around Bridge sometime. But we are still faced with three or four more years of heavy traffic—parti- cularly now that we are going Into Europe. ‘This will mean a_ greiit increase in the number of lorries using Dover, We want shorl-texm em¢ now—such as ind police cl lorries as they « hill’ Throughout t dren and adul killed at almost vals at Bridge a fight has-been | Whitehall Always they route is fixed wt FEXEN years of agitation, petitions and sit-downs by the; Road as well as pass over the iM. villagers of Bridge were rewardeil this week with the official| fovne toad om = new bridge. lication of the proposed route foy the village by-pass. A two- HPetoe ier Pivaiial te nh of Highis a by-pass is planned to i | jroblem of traffic thundering | Court, pass over the Lane, an hich Depirtment of ironment| Coldharbour Lane j : et the Ea rejoin the existing trunk road f the (Friday was; “Unplrasant and dangerous in the eis itn ‘ards re of its junc- unity. ose e. Bae om f ‘Dual carriageways 24 feet told : ‘Sometime, afford it,’ l« Top level ; The fight came fo @ he q he plan was published simul- be, ast year when giant 40.1.) c0usly. with the proposed Top. level talks aimed at entail intercontinental lorie “Nite of the controversial |Smoothing the way for future while the arriving £ Tres besin rhledown by-pass and both |A2 improvements were held on Thei Rom the Continert, emes will be-on show In the| Monday between Bridge-Blean fhe bee tS chuines, sque: i. ages on Friday and \Satur-| Rural. District . »- Kent Ng brakes grinding gears y. The Bridge, route will be |County Council Dover Town belching ex) rs ard Diayed in the village hall and |&nd Dover Rural District coun- thesvillace, ‘MuUStS — angersdy Harbledown one in. Vernon |cils and _the National. Farmers’ the gers so much ithit ame. School; Union. Canterbury's MP. Mr. id decided to take Action. Pho Bridge by-pass would David Crouch, presided. I Before they could, Foseqwe' the existin 4 just east Ty ee Biace mathe alias OOTY. carecred down the | 7 Mre feeb ity poesia of Bridge-Blean Council, which CY action ines of control and smash. dd pass Morti suet if the vil- psiuoran eh a L peibie ie pe seed mit * raw Of Nouses. Tt kid see, Swinging eastwards, it |find'thesceous ue ° the driver dt ge. & . hind-the-scenes work to hasten dow the The _ residents emo esse | Improvements WN the &roup to block Tore a” After the two-hour discussion, cars chy. — BStanuy walking icon M Guise re notes ave been The Daily Mail spotlight d very valuable, It showed how lar intes the plight of the village councils can come together and constant August with a pictu erie work very closely with ‘the on with © fONTY. thundering by “why County Council, 2 inehes of the houses “ mn “IT am confident that if the vo been Picture has since been ase 1 | |splrit of cooperation we have ——____FONservationists m fy }/seen at this moeey, can con- Saiok ; ‘ = 3 }tinue, we can probably save a lot of time. Unemployment _ "Now Wa, up to me to get a On unemployment I have re- Canterbury ¥-pass completed in peatedly criticised the Government pl seven on cightts oper ae for not recognising the high level | The get-togother was arranged of long-term unemployment in our 1} by Bridge-Blean Council in an attempt to exchange viewpoints the nousibi~ region, | am hopeful that the new policy outlined in the new Indus- try Act will enable us to get the limited industria] development we need, We also require much greater financial aid for our hotel and tourist industry in the coastal towns is Broige Parish Council, said yes- terlay “Of course we are very pleised to see something solid at last. It's marvellous to know tht it is under way at last. Now it’) vital to get the co-operation when we cin ’ dlr, Lawrence Shirley, of all concerned to get this | through as quickly as pos- ldge Parish Council was ing last night to discuss route, 1 November 23 there will be int meeting between pr Patrixbourne (the neigh- cing parish through which t of the by- would run) nable each parish to put its - wide would be provided, with grass verges 12 feet wide and a central reservation 15 feet wide. There would be no access. to the by-pass except at its ter- minal points where it connects with the existing trunk road. Ultimately, It ls envisaged that a full by-pass of Canterbury will link the north-western end of the proposed Bridge Land ri with the proposed Upper acGoples at the Bridge oples of the route can also be seen at the offices of Kent County Council; Bridge Blean Rural District Council; and at the Post Office, Bridge. and to investicute “It is being considered matter of urgency. We |make an announ | the turn of the year.” But Mr. Page holds hope for an early sol traffic chaos in the city. cast an eartier opening date than seven or eight years hence.” Mr. Page examined the A2 “Following our inspection of the A2 I asked for further considera- tion to be given to the Harbdle- down by-pass proposals, to see te what extent visual Intrusion and impact on the village could be reduced so far as practicable “Kt seems unlikely that an al- ternative line can be found which would not, for instance, demolition of housing Department's pre- ferred line, which has been es- tablished for many years, ts com- pletely clear of properties. “It does however seem Likely that the level of the road pro- posed by the Department can be lowered in places which would make it possibe to reduce the heights of the embankments which will be required, “It is of course intended that landscaping work will be under taken to ensure that both the cut- ting and the inevitable sections of embankment will merge into heir natural surroundings.” iP linfia A | AG m~ 2 nyictia ©6717 Ned, The az |” ne I think everyone knows the fight I have had with successive Gov- etnments over the A2, I'am not Satisfied at all with the present programme, and 1 have told the Minister concerned that there must be a speed-up in the work, I am tired of the words of ex- planation of why it is all so diffi- cult, Our entry into Europe demands action. The proposed Canterbury by-pass was granted by the Con- seryative Government after yery heavy pressure from me, I am now telling them that the target must be to build it in four years — not eight! Unemployment On unemployment 1 have re- peatedly criticised the Government for not recognising the high level of long-term unemployment in our region, | am hopeful that the new Policy outlined in the new Indus- try Act will enable us to get the limited industrial development we Need, We also require much $reater financial aid for our hotel ped tourist industry in the coastal 5 Jine on a map showing the proposed route of the village by-pass. | At last! The Bridge by-pass route is fixed of a Bri Bridge Parish Council, sald yes- terday “Of course pleased to sce some at last. It’s marvellous to know that it is under way at last. Now it's vital to get the co-operation thing through as quickly as pos- sible.” meeting last night to discuss the route. On November 23 there will be a joint meeting between Brid to enable cach parish to put its | wide would be provided, with grass verges 12 feet wide and a central reservation 15 feet wide. There would be no access. to |\the by-pass except at its ter- minal points where it connects with the existing trunk Ultimately, it is envisaged that a full by-pass of Canterbury wa in tne ea Bridge by-pass C pro} ge by-pass with the proposed Upper Harble-. down by-pass. 5 Copies of the Bridge route can also be seen at the offices of we are very thing solid ll concerned to get this dge Parish Council was ‘land Patrixbourne (the neigh- 3 bouring rish through which el county Kare Seth most of the by-pass would run) Jand at the Post Office, Bridge. wohe pl blished simul. Top: level he plan was pu simul- : hin eowsly bry the proposed Top. level talks aimed at ilroute of the controversial smoothing the way) for future |} Harbledown by~ and both | A2 improvements, ‘eed. hes oa }jschemes will be on show in the et pints pats ef ~— j|villages on, Friday and Baturs County “Council, Dover Town Holm Th and | lage. woul day. The Bi displayed in the v the Harbledown one in Jeave the existing A2 just east /of Bridge-Blean lof the Canterbury city boundary although not res ridge, route will. be) illage hall and Vernon end Dover Rural District coun- cils and the National Farmers’ /Union. Canterbury's M-P., Mr. | David Crouch, presided. They took place in the offices Council, which ponsible for the pass north-east of the vil |road, has done. much of the, be- Swinging eastwards, it|hind‘the-scenes work to hasten a pass under Bekesbourne | improvements. - R fter the two-hour discussion, Mr. Crouch told the “Kentish Gazette”: “The meeting “was very valuable. It how councils can come together and work very closely with the | County Council. |“ “1 am confident that if the spirit of co-operation we have seen at this mieeting. can con- tinue, we can probably save @ lot of time. | “Now it’s up to me to get a | cantorbury by-pass completed In lrour or five years, rather than s;seven or eight.” The get-togeth Alby Bridge-Blean jattempt to exchan: Tland to investizate ne School. e Bridge by-pass would or Was arranged Councll in an go viewpoints the noasibi~ important ahould be considered, In a letter to Mr. Crouch. | Minister, Mr. Graham be caused , inahinies. by large-scale public Mr, Crouch added: “Tt ts | that local in This week a top Government Mit or "nal eeraled hat oc ca rma beg considered as “a matter of erney 7 By the Department of the : “The report 6f the consul- tants who have been examining oeeihe rogsee Oe eee Urgent matter “It ds being considered as matter of urgency. We hope make an announcement about a, to the turn of the year.” | But Mr. Page holds out Mr. Page examined the A2 from Breniey Corner ta Dover in September and he continues “Following our inspection of the A2 I asked for further considera tion to be given to the Harbie- down by-pass proposals, to sec te what extent visual intrusion and impact on the village could be reduced so far as practicable. “Ft seems unlikely that an al- ternative line can be found , for Instance, j entall while the De pre- ferred Une, wh has been es- tabliahed for many years, ts com- pletely clear of properties. “It does however seem likely that the level of the road pro- ed by the D. t.can be wered in places which would make it possibe to reduce the heights of the embankments which will be required. “It is of course intended that landscaping work will be under- taken to ensure that both the cut~ ting and the inevitable sections of embanianent will merge into heir natural surroundings.” hope for an early solution to the EN years of agitation, petitions and sic - downs by. the ;Road 49 Wee and. Pe EYES | Sreitic’ cence Dona looking stiee the élile, the small seagate wiki beget Sesser -s i i S - Sons! x reen{age, and ignoring those who re ing c ¢ of puice our greatest care in a scientific and ev of the problem with which we are compassionate age. faced. The Government have been curiously coy about giving any measure of the problem to the House. Indeed, in their abandonment of all open economic plan- ning we are forced to make some guesses at the nature and size of the problem of regional disparities within our economy. If we look at some of the ingredients of the problem we can realise that the measures which the Government have embarked upon are wholly inadequate. The Gracious Speech is sadly deficient in its attention to this problem. It is true that it refers to the Government's intention to pursue measures to create confidence and stimulate employment in the assisted areas, but there is no recog- This is where such decisions can be reversed. We shall debate a reorganisa- tion of the National Health Service which has to do with administration, with col- Iecting the responsibility of the three sides into one central body, When that happens, we must direct our priorities from here and sce that they are carried out by the administration of the National Health Service in all those areas for the benefit of those who need the help and 1B 21 suo HOUS? Dear Mr.Lev should kee Same and m Speech ix Federatiozx, Cauterbury,/j 87? Queen's Specch— (Mr. MACLENNAN, First of all, we face the abet a those who are at present unem 4 figure not far short of 900,000 at this time, Secondly, we face the problem of the low activity rates in the development areas, particularly for women. Thirdly, we face the problem of net migration out of these areas, the trend of which seems to have reversed from the time when the Labour Government had suc- ceeded in checking this unfortunate trend. Fourthly, there is the question of the expected growth in the supply of labour over the years ahead, Fifthly, we face the problem of the anticipated decrease of jobs in such industries as stecl, coal, (ex- tiles, shipbuilding and engineering. 1 think it reasonable to expect that there is likely to be a secular decline in most of these sectors in the years ahead. There has been virtually no recognition of this today in cither the Gracious Speech or in the speech of the Prime Minister. If these factors are all taken into account this Government—any Goyern- ment—is faced with a monumental task in creating new employment in the regions, and I venture to suggest to the Government that the scale of the task is of the order of 100,000 jobs per annum if we are to achieve the full employment to which this party least is committed, that is if we are to reduce unemploy- ment to the region of 1'5 per cent. If one looks at the record of what has been achieved in recent years, and particularly in the years when we had an effective regional policy, in the last years of the Labour Government, when we were creat- ing some 30,000 new jobs per annum, one sees what a shortfall there is and how inadequate are the present Government's measures to tackle it. The Government also, & seems, have failed even yet to recognise, even in their revised approach, which amounts to the abandonment of the attempt to cut public expenditure by starving the regions of development aid, the crucial importance of those sectors of the economy which have traditionally not received assistance to the same extent as the manufacturing industries, At this time some two-fifths of our jobs are in manufacturing indus- tries. The prediction of economists, for example of the Department of Applied Economics at Cambridge and the recently- publicised estimate. by the National 1B 22 31 OCTOBER 1972 Debate on the Address Instkute of Economic and Social) Researeh, is that the jobs in the manufac.) turing industries will decline still furthe in the period up to 1975. A reductio of some 300,000 jobs is expected to have occurred in the manufacturing sector o industry, during the half decade ending in that year. That being a reasonable expectation, it scems important that the Government should endeavour to try to assist jobs in the other sectors, particu. larly the services sector, which may be mobile to move to the regions, and jobs in the distribution services and financial services and professional and _ scientific services, All of this ought to be looked at with much more sympathy by the Government as areas in which they could do more to help the growth of the regions. Above all, the time has come, I think, for a completely new approach to the problem of decentralising central Goy- ernment, because that, in itself, provides massive employment and this Government have not shown any commitment to move as far or as fast on this as they should. I would ask the Government to indicate during this debate what reply they have sent to the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Lord Provost Gray, who wrote to the Prime Minister calling for decentralisation of central Government services, and par- ticularly to the west of Scotland. We must also recognise that there is a possibility of attracting mobile inter- national firms into the regions, but only if we offer incentives which are at least competitive with those offered by forcign countries. I believe that at the moment our incentives are, broadly, competitive. Second, if we are to attract mobile industries there must be some stability in the incentives which we offer. ‘I think the Government's policies have proved disastrous, Since they took office they have reversed themselves repeatedly, and left businessmen with a completely con- fused picture of what to expect. One incentive I would single out for particular mention is the regional employment premium, which the Government have indicated they intend to phase out by 1974. By so stating, the Government have, of course, seriously damaged the effectiveness of this tool, as it is now being regarded by industrialists as a benefit Lewe 4 i Villas', Ly High Canterbury, Tho Rep ean of State for the Environment has published draft for a by-pass of Bridge on tho A 2 trunk road. The by-pass, which Pry. ig 2 miles long, has been designod to relieve the A 2 through the villago of Bridge. - The present road runs dowmhill to tho middle of the village from both directions and is only 174 feet wide in places, The pavoments are narrow and the traffic is heavy, with a considerable proportion of large commercial 4 vehicles, These conditions are unpleasant and dangerous in the centre of a * village community. The new road would leave the existing trunk road just east of the It would swing Canterbury City boundary passing north-cast of the village. eastwards passing under Bekesbourne Road, over the Nailbourne River and Patrixbourne Road. It would then turn south-castwards running south of Highland Court Annexe, passing over the Prog Lane/Coldharbour Lane junction to rejoin the existing trunk road about 600 yards north-west of its junction with Rose Lane, Dual carriageways would be provided with grass verges 12 feet wide and a 15 feet wide central reservation. There would be no access to the by-pass except at its terminal points where it cormects with the existing trunk road, Draft proposals for alterations to existing roads, footpaths, bridleways and private accesses affected by the by-pass have also been published. Ultimately it is envisaged that a full by-pass of Canterbury will link the north-westerm end of the proposed Bridge by-pass with the proposed Upper Harbledown by-pass. Copics of the draft Orders and relevant plans showing the proposed route of the Bridge By-pass and altcrations to side roads are aveilable for inspection, free of charge, at all reasonable hours at the following addresses: Department of the Invironment, 2 Marsham Street, London SWi. ae b. Regional Controller (Roads and Transportation), South Easter, "Edgeborough", 74 Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey. ce. Kent County Council, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent. d, Bridge Blean Rural Dietriet—Councit, Council Offices, 41 Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. e. The Post Office, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. A public exhibition will also be held at Bridge Village Hall on Priday 17 November (3 - 8 ym) and Saturday 18 November (10 am to 4 pm). Turther information may be obtained at this exhibition or from the office of the Regional Controller (Roads and Transportation) at Guildford. Until 22 December 1972 any person may object to the proposals by writing to the Regional Controller stating the grounds of objection. ¥ Department of the Invironment "Edgoborough" Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Y ae 34/T 020 an eine roaches pepaaetghartap En KENT COUNTY CONSTABULARY TELEX NO, 96132 POLICE STATION, CANTERBURY 61282 OLD DOVER ROAD, i ore. aL CANTERBURY atone. F/TL/72/10 YOUR REF. coups 9th November, 1972 Dear Sir, With reference to the interview which recently took place between yourself and a detective officer from this station, it has been reported that you conspired with others to incite members of the public to obstruct the free passage along the highway on the A.2 road at Bridge on the 2lst October, 1972. Having considered this report, it has been decided that no further action will be taken in relation to this matter... _ KENT COUNTY CONSTABULARY [a TELEX NO. 96132 POLICE STATION, CANTERBURY 61232 OLD DOVER ROAD, CANTERBURY ext. No. 201 no. FAI /72/10 Al REF. RES 9th November, 1972 Dear Sir, On the 21st October, 1972, you were reported for the offence of “without lawful authority or excuse wilfully obstructing free passage of the highway on the A.2 road at Bridge", contrary to Section 121(1) of the Highways Act, 1959. No further action will be taken in regard to this matter, but I am to inform you that if you are reported again, it may be necessary to take proceedings against you in respect of the later case. Yours faithfully, Mr. B. Aw Lewis, Weston Villas, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, Chairman; Hon. asurer: John Purchese Brian rafal 4 Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. llth November 1972 The Chief Superintendent, Police Station, Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Sir, I acknowledge with thanks receipt of your letters, both dated 9th November 1972, The A2 Group feel that it is only by continual pressure on the authorities responsible that road safety will be achieved between Brenley Corner and Dover. I am sure that the dual-carriageway when complete will ease the police burden in addition to those living along the route. On behalf of my Group, I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to you and your officers on the occasion of the bridge sit-down, 21st October, and wish to thank you for your tolerence in connection with this matter. Yours faithfully, Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. Chairman; John Purchese Mill Cottage Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer: Brian A. Lewin, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply tos Your ref: DSB 200/09/TR 34/7 020 Department of the Environment, "Edgeborough', Epsom Road, Guilford, Surrey, Dear Sirs, road narrows down to 15 Fete flgh rust that the last to be i the prisTes 145642 éhly deserves. ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, bridge, Canterbury, Kent. llth November 1972 Thank you for your circular letter delivered to my property in Bridge Down concerning the proposed Bridge by-pass. The second paragraph contained therein is quite an admittance by your department, since we have been pointing out the dangers which exist for the past 10 years without success, I would be pleased if you could clarify the following: 1. When is the proposed starting date? 2. When is the proposed completion date? 3. Is the money required for the scheme available? 4. What interim safety measures are to be introduced in the village High Street until the new road is completed? 5. What is the anticipated cost? 6. Will the statutory procedures be cut back due to the urgency of the by-pass? Since Britain is joining the Common Market on lst January, Bridge will be faced with 40 tonne intercontinental vehicles en route to London. Your department at last realise that the existing village is at ‘ y Brian A. Lewis: Vitae. Q) aD Secretary/Treasurer, ee A2 Groupe eke te Pe 0 oF as 2A Cecelia wale taser ie aes ‘TRUNK ROAD (Ewart OF TRUNK ROAD ASING TO OC TRUNK ROAD Ve o ct . ING TAUNE ROAD FILMS. slides and tane VILLAGERS at Bridge and Upper Harbledown will be looking at two black lines on a map this week-end showing them the routes of | their long promised by- | passes. Both plans were published before the week-end by Mr Graham Page, minister for local government and development who toured the A,2 in Septem ber Bridge by-pass should have dual carriageways 24 feet in width with grass verges 12 feet wide and a central reservation of 15 feet ‘Mere would be no access to the by-pass except where tt connects with the A.2 The Department of the Envi ronment says that eventually it is seen that a full Canterbury by pass will link Bridge's new road with the proposed Harbledown route Bridge by-pass 1s planned to run north-east of the village From Canterbury the new road would start just past the city boundary and continue for two miles skirting Bridge on the left hand side, travelling Dover It is proposed the route would go under Bekesbourne Road over the River Nailbourne and cross. Patrixbourne Road on 4 new bridge The by-pass would re-join the present A.2 south of Highland Court 600 yards west of the junction with Rose Lane Villagers at Bridge can inspect thelr map at the post office or the offices of Kent County Council and Bridge Blean Rural District Council The new road at_U towards {E PLANS published for the Bridge and Harble- down by-passes have left A2 residents angry | and dissatisfied, the A2 | Group said this week. For no starting date has been given and no money has been set uside to foot the bill for either scheme they say Mr. Brian Lewis secretary of the A.2 Group, told the Obser ver As far as we are con cerned we are not any further forward than before the by-pass routes were published “There are no firm starting dates for either the Bridge or Harbledown by-pass. The government have not announced any interim safety measures to make safety in our villages immediate. ‘NO SPEED-UP’ Mr. Lewis added that there was still no indication from Ure yovernment that they were going to speed up in for the whole of renley lo Dover He sald the m: eed to look into t cutting down t pr involved in statutory tures, but there was no reaise tion of this When we started our car 1902 we were told U © a by-pass t ad announce { I do not than we were betore sid he {fict treating s situation emergency,” he said, “7 route that has t publishe ry for it ls on We will not case our campaign ‘FIDDLING’ ‘We do not want Kent Couns Council fiddling arow man juid boy when it co building this foad “If that happens po one » along the A.2 will be left al “ see this by-pass complet Mr. Lewis added He sincerely hopes that peor will not object to the propest lines for the village by passet which could hold onstruc jon for years ' An A.2 Group su howe there were only " - treHridge village » concerned at ‘The next st battle will be starting dat building prog Bridge plan aible, art: cam: + f the Environment fs Tipe, the | Sonseiounly contradicting itself ‘ It admita, as your rted | Stratte thundering through e é completed i RUARS tn Whe canere of. the in late angerous in oe gia * Village community, a ! Only two days before han eves there received in etd welcomed as irec- § At} elation at © down is acute, as anyone livin also been out- £ on Church Hill and Summer Hi * knows to their cost. It is further 4 icated by the fact that ate “the niternative route was con- ed as far back as 1958, when c there were few houses along ment’s pubs for the Harb} 3 and nature of the trafic were « different. jects are 7 totally i - thi unenviable task but they are, eine reacat = pene the © one hears, learning by past mis- | whole route, 4 tales. XC a0, 1t-seomis tare. dagh |, & No cutback in the statu. ; cal to give | immediate | ane ; the con- ¢ une 1 of « Canter- tory he within Beeman supported proposal o struction of Proposed i by-pass rather than plough 5. No interim safety mea- = on with yet another out-of-date Gures to be introduced. “4 and environmentally damaging Without doubt, the outlook is ; scheme. Still one of se for at least What has four years in ge and Harble- idea of using ed to the ap ies as down, but what of the jer ¢ means of perebia the huge #erm problem—Canterbury by- } container loads that bedevil the pass? A2—if only until proper lorry- ! ways are available? J, A. BODGER (MRS.). ard depart. ° the area of the same ve pooh © prodlem of Harble- » ® side it and when the volume ° Planning authorities have an} lorries ‘to be © iar UGGERNAUT lorries from the Continent may not be allowed into Britain to the Ministry of the Environ- ment and M.P.s_ showing Father Christmas being run over by a juggernaut. The increase in_ freight lorries crossing the Channel in the past year is as high as 80 per cent. ; after all. Common Market countries, sci articularly France an | On Wednesday the Rolland, want Britain to Government is likely to accept a motion sup- ported by M.P.s of all increase the maximum from 32 to 40 tons overall, and the axle weight from 10 to 11 tons, as @ result. : a ee parties cape ei Load ‘When vict can eventually merease in size an Mrs Neu @Maften/"Tory Me TCO diets lahore force 4s Kept weight of lorries. for Banbury and’ a. leading Well at bay. Judging by the rate of progress attained Transport Minister. Mr. John Peyton will be told to go to Brussels before Christmas and inform his European colleagues: “We won't allow your 40-tonners into Britain,” This would be a victory for the villagers of Kent’ and other counties through which anti-Marketeer, said yesterday: “T think, whatever the Govern- ment does. Parliament will agree not to increase the size and weight of lorries, “This will establish the wish and the sovereignty of Parlia- ment, It will- instruct our Ministers not to go beyond this in Brussels.” He added: “Haulage com- Group) sie, trunk roads carry these | Danie. must learn’ to accept Weston Villas, POSURE: these limitations because the \1H Street, life and environment. of the | Bride. Houses country is more important. | Juggernauts pass _ through its our country—it doesn't e lorry ers,”" the afttie village of Bridge, betong to lorry drivers KH | complain A word to the A2 Group and, in particular, to its secretary, Mr. Brian Lewis. You have every POCKET CARTOON By OSBERT LANCASTER right to complain that the Minis- Sn TL has failed to approve the limits proposed by the ct Council and supported the Police. You are wrong criticise the failure to define ting date. 1e Government has made lable to the public the pro a route of the Bridge by- THR ! Are route will meet with universal Wwe to assume that this “pproval, that all landowners will sell without objection? This nost unllkely and it may be that the Government will be forced to consider a fresh route to invoke compulsory pur- chase on the land required. is only when the Govern- t have completed all these iles’ that they can then go out to tender and announce a tarting date PROTEST about traffic conditions on the A2trunk road from Brenley Cor- ner, Faversham, to Dover has not been silenced by last week's announce- ment of the line for the by- passes of Bridge and Har- bledown. While villagers, wel- comed publication of the intended route, they stay Kent, at the rate of one every An RAC. spokesman said : 7 “ There axle load 50 seconds. The road—the A2 a sy = Bg London to Dover—is only 18ft. | Permitted in France and a 7 > | 90-ton Weight allowance Wide ‘and some houses only | {,"395) This must not be 18in, away from the giants. permitted here." Mr. Brian Lewis, secret of the A2 action group, sa: “It (rightens us’ The bigger the lorries the bigger our roblems. As far as the A2 concerned Britain is not prepared to enter the Common Market.” This week the group will deliver 2,000 Christmas cards Protest group will continue A2 fight tary of the A2 Group, said ‘We are disappointed that 40 m.p.h. speed lim- jtes for each side of the village have been turned down,” And he pointed out the other demands which have not been met by last week's announcement by Mr. Graham Page, Min- said Mr, Lewis, ''N money has yet been all cated for either scheme @ Bridge or Harbledo and there has been n cutback in the statuto: procedures In by-pas construction. There is ni indication that the whol Programme ts to b speeded up." | I fall ha “What wa Mowere un }MAt saying about ‘la belle Prange ing behind when a 1974 completion nplain, agree that the timetable is it should © been speeded up, and that ate seems ‘ely, But kick the Minister on the points where his!’ rtment is slipping up, Don't though, at open ernment, . Channel highway. ister for Local Govern- ment at the Department of Environment, “There {s no starting date or finishing date’’ a Mr. Lewis claimed that Dover Harbour Board ex; pects a 30 per cent i angry about lack of action to ease the danger on the crease jn traffic throug Mr. Brian Lewis, secre- the port next year. Soaitth A MESPONSABILITA Limivae 4 AU GAaprTAL o@ 200,000 ¢ A.C. Sama; #9 @ O18 S, RUZ DES ITALIENS - PARIB (o=> Tat, PARI 770 o1-n0 TELEX s LE MONDE 66-878 PARIS C.C.P, PARIS 420723 LE CHEF DU SERVICE EQUIPEMENT Paris, le 16 Novembre 1972 Monsieur John Purchese Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne,. Canterbury Kent Greeat—Britain Monsieur, J'ai bien regu votre lettre du 10 novembre & propos de l'article de Philippe Lemaftre et je vous en remercie. Vos remarques ont retenu toute mon attention et je les transmets & notre collaborateur chargé de cette question. En vous remerciant de 1'intér&t que vous portez & notre jourml, je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués. ) FS fre epee Jacques—Francois Sinon ——— anna coe een tennant From: David Crouch, M.P. November 17,1972 Dear Mr.Purchese, I thought you would like to see a copy of a letter I have received from Mr. Eldon Griffiths, concerning speed restrictions on the A.2 at Bridge. I also enclose a copy of a statement I have issued to the Kent press. Yours sincerely, ows John Purchese,&Esq., Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2 MARSHAM STREET LONDON SWIP 3EB O1-2523434 Id november 1972 LS gore wr A Graham Page has asked me to reply to your letter of 13 October about speed limits at Bridge. Perhaps I could also use this letter to reply to yours of 26 October on the same subject which followed up our talk in the House. I have had a further look at the full detailed information about conditions on the approaches to Bridge. This, as you know, was supplied 4s recently as June this year. On the basis of this information, it is quite clear that the Department's criteria for imposing 4O mph limits are not met. The criteria are designed to ensure that speed limits are applied uniformly throughout the country in circumstances which fully justify their imposition and at a level which the majority of drivers will accept. Experience has shown that if speed limits are not set at a level which seems reasonable most drivers ignore them; the result is not greater road safety but a debasement of the value of speed limits us a road safety measure. It leaves the police with an impossible task of enforcement. However, in view of your representations and the very strong local feelings, I am arranging for warning signs to be installed on the A2 road either side of the village. These will be put well in advance of the 30 mph signs and will be the standard "road narrows" signs with "reduce speed now" notices fixed to the posts. I am afraid I cannot agree to impose the speed limits suggested but I feel sure that the new signs will help~ uv! yar fects by pend! ¢ / A Note, ~ | ELDON GRIFFITHS David Crouch Esq MP David Crouch, M.P. November 16,1972 A.2 - Speed Restrictions at Bridge Mr.David Crouch, Member of Parliament for Ganterbury, recently made very strong representations to Mr. Eldon Griffiths, M.P., Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment,concerning the need for additional speed restrictions on the A.2 at the approaches to Bridge. As a result of this, the Minister has re-considered his decision and, whilst not agreeing to the imposition of a 40 m.p-h. speed limit,has agreed "in view of your representations and the very strong local feeling " to instal warning signs either side of the village of Bridge, which will be put "well in advance " of the 30 m.p.h. signs and will be the standard "road narrows " signs with "reduce speed now " notices fixed to the posts. David Crouch commenting on this decision last night said " This is a small but important concession from the Minister and one which, I believe, will go some way towards ensuring greater safety for everyone living in Bridge. From my talks with the Minister,I can say that he is certainly well aware of the strong local feeling in the matter and it is because of this that he was prepared to make this special Order. " eevee reerreeeees * FeeeRo oT OTL FOLLOWING despair from the A.2 Group that nothing would be done to make Bridge safer before the by- Pass is built, the government is now faking action to slow down traffic through the village. The immediate decision is to put up “road narrows” and “reduce speed now’’ signs well in adfvance of the 30 mph boards, either side of the .1 lage | Canterbury's M.P. Mr. David | Crouch made “strong rep resentations’’ to Mr. Eldon Griffiths undersecretary of stat atthe Depatment of the Envi t over the need for extra Speed restrictions at Bridge tut in spite of his pleading the government has refused to im plement a speed limit of 4 mph. “but agreed to the ex road sings Mr. Griffiths changed his mind in view*of Mr. Crouch’s representations and very stro local feeling "GREATER SAFETY’ Mr. Crouch “This is a sr concession fr one which son d the Observer “From my) minister I certainly stron, Special order Mr the A.2 "FIGHTING ON’ The A2 Group has not given up Its fight to bring the starting date for the Bridge by-pass nearer Mr. Lewis sald Dover Har- bour Board had announced an expected 30 per cent increase in traffic during 1973 He added that (24gmillion is to be spent on a new ferry terminal with extra parking space for more heavy goods lorries. This is expected to open in June By then 58 ferries will be operating from Dover daily and all traffic will travel along the existing A.2 he said Proposals for the Bridge by pass will be discussed at a Public meeting in the village hall on Tuesday, 5 December at 7 p.m. Mr. Robert Cooper, chairman of the county's Roads Com- mittee and Mr. Allen Smith, county surveyor will uanswer questions cil's Planning Committee been told the general line of the Channel Tunnel is now likely to pass under the English coast at Shakespeare CIUf instead of Dover Harbour£ The British Channel Tunnel Company Lid, has applied for permission to use nearly seven acres of land at Oid Folkestone Road, Dover to obtain experience in underwater tunnelling along the proposed line of the tunnel, i a KH 2)-U-7e Another death crash at Boughton IN YET another crash on the A2 — this time at Boughton carly Wednesday morning —a woman passenger was killed and her driver seriously injured when their car was in collision with a lorry The woman was Yugoslavian- | born, Mrs. Peirina Brown, aged 47, of 47 Bankhead Avenue, Air- drie, Scotland, who died from multiple injuries. She was o passenger in a loeft- hand drive Fiat car being driven along the A2 towards Canterbury by Mr, Alberto Bradolin, aged 41, a mechanical | engineer, of Trieste, Italy Shortly after 145 om., the car was involved in a collision with an articulated tanker about 350 yards the Canterbury side of | the Chalky Lane junction The lorry was travelling to-| wards London, and the driver, Mr. Frederick Squires, of Wan- stead, London, was unhurt The car was severely dam- aged and both Mrs. Brown and Mr. Bradolin had to be released | from the wreckage. Mr. Bradolin’s condition was} Jater described by a spokesman at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital as “improving and sat tisfactory Opening the inquest on Mrs Brown on Wednesday, the} Coroner, Mr. Wilfred Mowll, Was told that she was dead on arrival at the Kent and Canter- bury Hospital at 3.45 a.m P.C. Edward Tudor told Mr. Mowll that oa post mortem had showed she dicd from multiple injuries, of which the chief ones were a_ dislocated neck and ruptured aorta. He said Mrs. Brown's had been identified by her son, Mr. Daniel Brown, of Balmar Lawn Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Mr, Brown told Mr. Mowll that his mother had lived in Italy for about two years. By-pass agreed The Department of the En- vironment has approved the line of the by-pass for Dunkirk and Boughton which will relieve the traffic chaos on the A2 through the two villages, The final details of the scheme Were froned out at a mini-public inquiry in Boughton in April and the Department has con- sidered all the points made then in coming to a final decision over the route. The new road will by-pass the village on the south side and will have two-lane dual carriage- Ways with grass verges. There will be no way of getting on to the new by-pass except at its terminal points, where it joins the existing A2. Government action over RH ‘A small, but important concession’ — M.P. ‘ BRIDGE TRAFFIC oLOW-DOWN PLAN Bridge traffic speed The Government is to take immediate action to slow down the speed of traffic travelling through Bridge on tho A2 The decision — to put up Narrows” signs with “Reduce Speed Now’ warnings fixed to the posts — follows a re fusal by the Department of the Environment to impose a 40 mph. limit on either side of the village. “s M.P., Mr. David Pleaded on behalf ers for 40 mph. signs! ad well in advance of mr oF warnings either © village. When was refused, Mr.| UMN Ie Crouch urged Mr Eldon liv-} Griffiths, th der Secretary of State at the Department of the ronment greater safety for everyone ing in Bridge, “From my to reconsider the | Minister, I can | talks with the Say that he is decision certainly well aware of the! Now, in v of Mr. Crouch's | strong " Jocal feeling in the} representatior and the very) matter and it is because of this strong local fecling, Mr.| that he was prepared to make Griffiths has agreed to the) this special order.” warning signs either side of the The chairman of Kent County village Council's Roads Committee, The signs will be put well in! Clir Robert Cooper, and the advance of the 30 m.p.h ns, County Surveyor, Mr Allen | Mr. Crouch told the Kent | Smith, will both attend the Herald" yesterday (Monday): | apecial public meeting called to “This is @ small but important! discuss the Bridge by-pass pro- concession from the Minister! posala, and one which, I believe, will Ko It will be in Bridge Village some wey towards ensuring! Hall on December 5, at 7 pm KENT COUNTY COUNCIL A. D, W. SMITH, 8,90.(E NG), C.EN., FLILC.E., ML Mun.e., MilnetHe, COUNTY SUAVEYOR i YOUR NEF. This mattor is being dealt with by EF. 9BJB/BI4/H5/4 Mr, Beaver Bay H6/4 Dear Mr. Lewis, Trunk Road A.2 passhaeneneenet Roads Department KENT HOUSE, LOWER STONE STREET, Maidstone 66400 Ext. 275 24th November, 1972 Proposed Harbledown Bypasses A public meeting has been arranged for 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, 7th December, 1972, at the Church Hall, Harbledown, for the discussion of the draft route of the Upper Harbledown bypass and the draft side road { alterations for both of the Harbledown Bypasses. Mr. Robert Cooper the Chairman of the County Council's Roads Committee and I will be there and will answer questions. Individuals affected by the proposals are being notifed of the meeting and you and members of the A.2 Group are cordially invited to attend. Yours sincerely, Y fro S ¢ war nr Gownty Surveyor. FIRST CLASS [ot A. Lewis, Esq., Hon. Secretary, The A.2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. BC Please reply impersonally to The County Surveyor quoting my Ref: A : Hon, bette ly A2| Group Caaivneh Eee ure John Purchese, Mill Cottage, Bekesboume, 1 High mien, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to’ ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. 24th November 1972 David Crouch Esqe,MePey, House of Commons, London S.Wel. Dear Mr. Crouch, Thank you for your letter dated 17th November together with enclosurese John Purchese has I know written to you, 50 there is little I can add other than to convey my personal thanks for your continued efforts. You will no doubt have read in the Kent Herald that the columnist 'Diogenes' has made capital out of me again this week over the A2 issue. You and I know full well that this weekly article is of a right-wing origin, often bordering on a libelous statement. As you are aware, I am also right-wing and therefore have to date refrained from counter-attacking the comments. The time will come when I whall have to reply and in the sodoing can not fail to do both of us harm. Could you kindly apply whatever pressure is necessary to silence the loose tongue which is both misguided and misinformed over the A2 problem? We both know the facts which exist, and I feel that you will appreciate that it is important to avoid a political issue over our mutual problem, For your information, the police have now contacted all of the A2 Group Committee Members stating that no action is to be taken in connection with the Bridge sit-down. Yours sincerely 610 () Tins Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group, Reference Code of Application ....A7/#8/6/72/369 COUNTY OF KENT TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACTS. Town AND COUNTRY PLANNING (CONTROL OF ADVERTISEMENTS) REGULATIONS, 1969. Notification of Refusal of Consent to Display Advertisement(s) TO:— _ dj Purchese Esq . ‘Nill Cottage 4 ‘Nekes bourne tanterbury I HEREBY GIVE YOU NOTICE that the Bridge-Blean Rural District Council, acting on behalf of the Kent County Council, the Local Planning Authority under the Town and Country Planning Acts, HAS REFUSED CONSENT for the display of [an] advertisement[x] situate at 90/92 High Street, Bridge referred to in your application for express consent dated the Seventh day of ! July 1972 ,madeby youtothe Bridge-Blean Rural District Council, on behalf of the Kent County Council, Reference: Code apss/6/72/369 , AND that the groundg for such refusal mmmeex is:- ‘ The sign is detrimental to visual amenity and a danger to traffic safety . _ DATED this Twenty-third day of November 1972 + | : 7 fF, XFOMMRSELEFK Of the District Council. Addres3:— Council Offices 41 Old Dover Road Canterbury ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE INFORMATION OVERLEAF monsters an hour... iver of the Continent-bound lorry which hit it nd-crossbones and a cry for mercy. THE BUTCHER'S SHOP in Bridge vanished last May. The dr died. Now its green shuttering displays a skull-a EVENING STANDARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1972-3 now it could be worse E 5 - - ee ~ kumbple, rumble —more trouble! NEWS ON CAMERA STORY : JAMES IRVINE PICTURES : JAMES JACKSON THE VILLAGE of Bridge. Straddling the A2 three miles south of Canterbury and already shaken to its cient dations by mter cor T lorries today faces a w menace the jumbo-size jugeg Market coun. he Bricish lorr vole, imits decided in tls would affect all Market 's-—-and places like Bridge more thany anywhere Militant For an hour—from to 214 pm. ye tored 43 huge tin artery and the 16ft. wide entrance a 1 Olice pleads y more must die is bypassed 7 *How ma escaped Today the green shuttering covering Uhe wrecked store bears ing for heim ram EB. Shop. Tha and several — Ma A PEDESTRIAN stands back as a lorry and Continental—pass with inches to spare through 1 by militant villagers. A the powerful anti gan reads; Ban TIR’s lobby sb shi now! Bypass Bridge Ti:cy would also damage 1 The Environment Depart- built for much Meier vel: ment has recently sald a road On averag { wilt be built round Bridge, but pases thri few e it will be ready in minutes o: than five years For every The juggemauts I say head: now 4 Hamburg and Mann Ae, + fa and Belgrade, and Narrowly missed al East and West Cross an countries would’ be tors bel) compared with 40-ton nnel shipping opera eve the tralfis double within two years and are thelr udgment by Which bu nts perjuggernauts more ships, Fran and Belgium — want, Even the pavement seemed to woul ige mo buildings shudder a watched #& heavily bring down more ings and laden TIR (Transport Inter Anerease accident rt dating national Routler) lorry pass & mobile crane—neither of them trans- Bridge's narrow street. within three feet of ancient cottiges on its way to London It narrowly missed another freighter heading for. Dover docks. In 90 seconds, four jug Rerauts lumbered through the Village which has been the scene of many protests and numerous near-accidents Several Tory MPs are bitterly Opposed to bigger Juggernauts and threaten to vole against the Government unless assurances are given that British weight limits would not be imereased, Bridge, founded in quiet horse- and-bugey , IS Now @ nolsy lace where danger always urks, And this is the quietest part of the year, £ %Mrg—rsswt,) uo sman” ; A EVENING STANDARD TUESDAY, NOVEMDER 28 1972—g ie monsters an hour... now it could be worse WIS DAE Se io le Set Rete Te eee ~~ ne eee ~~. FRANCE AND BRITAIN are linked on a British container lorry, stretching the limits of Bridge's street with other traffic as it lumbers through the village. _—— =~ =" ss ead) ET TF Sn Ome ae ae » see FRANCE AND BRITAIN are linked on a British container lorry, stretching the limits o street with other traffic as mbers illage. __ NEWS ON CAUDDs i ss oe ETRE Se AEE) STORY JAMES IRVINE PICTURES : JAMES JACKSON THE VILLAGE otf Bridge Straddling the A2_ three miles south of nterbury and already shaken to i ancient oundations bj inter con tal. lorr today faces a w me the jumbo-sized jugg naut. Some Market Market and has a vote Any new limits decided in Brussels would affect all Market countries—and places Uke Bridge more than anywhere fe vanished last May. The driver of the Continent- Militant bound lorry which hit it died. Now its green shuttering displays a skull-and- Por an hour—from 1.14 pm crossbones and a ery for merey, to 214 pm. y day—1 moni b : ol B ters rim painted by militant villagers. A the powerful anti-jiuggernaut within three fect of ancient 43 huge uf t igh street huge Slogan reads: "Ban TIR's lobby cotkiges on its way to London. our now! Bypass Bridge. ‘They would also damage rouds It narrowly missed another In part u main artery The Environment - Depart- built for much lighter Vehicles freighter heading for Dover between . 1 and the 1 has. recenlly sald a road On average a juggernaut docks, In 00 seconds, four jug- Coptingn i re 164 wide will be built round Bridge, but passes through Bridge every two gernauls lumbered through the hand written entrance a few believe it will be ready in fh ites or thre day and night Village which has been the scene *How many. more mit a> 1°S3,than five years For every 10 last year there are of many protests and namerous piow greny icra muiat die noes JuRgern outs I naw Heat now l4 nearaccidents, {0 1 is bypa ? i” for amburg and Mann i 4 This is 4 reference to an acci heim, Sofia and ‘Belgrade, and Narrowly missed opie ta He {npecte dent last May when a Con- from several East and West Cross-Ohannel stupping opera. and thre: in ry 1 é ; + i < : 4 ireaten to vote against the Unental-bound lorry loaded with European countries would be tors believe the traffic will Government unless “Sssurances Mest careered into a shop. The minis compar ¢ with 40ton double within two years and are are given that British weight G. _was_ killed and several giants backing teir judgment by limite Yeoula ne be iorekeet. > Rarrowly escaped Me. superjuggernauts, which building more ships Bridge, founded in quiet horse- F the: giten’ bi (Gaal! srehco and Belgium — want Even the pavement seemed to and-buggy days, is now a noisy wering the wincked nou Meeks ‘ would canige more buildings. " shudder as watched a heavily- place ve. danger always fic a And cross BONG, bleeas eo NT more cellings and laden TIR (Transport. Intex turks, And this is the quietest x bones nerease gookient ritks, “claims national Routier) lorry pass part of the year, “ayy? pean tL sy ROO Desr the traffic how that traffic can be squeezed between the Castle and Western Heights!" Mr. Lestie Huckfield, a former round «such places. have the utmost prior PROGRAMMES Mr. David Crouch, M-P. for ay” roads. “Only in that way, I believe, shall’ we over come 4 t deal of the difti- aceon er fe hell for so many of our constituents.” Mr. Peyton, he said, had pro- eet that heavy lorries should directed from ports on_to roads suitable for them, “But there Gre many areas na apo approaches to our ports, such as Dover, where the roads are utterly inadequate.” So great was public anxiety in the Canterbury area that je were the law to to speed up improvements, he continued. “The A2 Group has recently been sitting on the A2, barring ali trafic from Dover to Can- terbury. They have done it against the law and have been investigated by the police be cause of it eis is not a violent psd ul © necessary protest to regis- ter in Parliament that there is & great public concern that something should be done.” The Commons passed the Opposition motion that “this Ouse, mindful of the environ- ment, is against bigger and heavier lorries.” Mr. Crouch, yesterday (Thurs- day), told the “Kentish Gazette” that the debate was « triumph for those who had been protest- ing about the AZ. “And I shall certainly be pressing Mr. Pey- ton in the coming weeks on his statement about stepping up the improvements programme.” —_—— MR ae FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1972 North or south: Where should the by-pass go? A NEW. by-pass battle is in the juggernaut- besieged village of Bridge. Veteran A2 Group campaigners, poised on the brink of success, have run into problems . . . with their own villagers. The storm centre is whether the by-pass should go to the north or south of the village. And some even Question whether ir is needed at all. Opposition to the northern; railway route was declared at Tues-|sidered and discounted on en- a fe meeting at the village|vironmental grounds. hall, held y the Kent County! tho assistant county sur Council to discuss the by-pass ay Berge: Sai veyor, Mr. proposals and to see if objec- ; tions could be ironed oes that four interests had ‘to be line, had been con- considered—residential, agricul- Se inquiry, - which |tural, environmental and high- ¥. the scheme, could “We think this northerly ve avoided. my? pie route is the best balance for ail The official by line runs | Patties concerned,” he said. through Eifrong » skirting | The southern routes, he went close to houses at Con: on, posed the problem of how Lane and Bridgetown, although to get back to the A2 from the two other routes to the old railway line. This meant the using the old Eiham Valley | road would either split Bourne z Park in two, passing in front of the Queen Anne mansion, jlsted as a grade one bullding Ue historical and architectural mMportance, or would pass very Paver to Bishopsbourne village eit. } “The view of Bourne Park and the house through the trees ‘is Of national value und it would be a disaster to go through the middle of it,’ he went on. “It should not be spoiled.” The northern route would most hit people living in |Conynham “Lane and Bridge }down, he admitted, At Conyng- ham Lane, the by ~ pass went over an embankment 350 jfeet from the nearest house. By Bridgedown it would gO through « cut and traflic could not be seen from the bedrooms lof the nearest house. ee. she aa Beas : het reason- at SE TMS Bite ttes surveyor, sald, At Bi own it would be about 86 dectbels (only six more than the summer sound of birds, bees rot "would, be Belge: Seog at the primary school . John Purcheso, chairman of tho Az Group, expinined. that noise in Bridge High | Street had been measured at decibels and that tree planting would do much to absorb any noise. “Mr. George Cobbett, chairman aro rne Parish Coun- z : sere eet Morag 1c olished, sald, ld be left |S "thy “Seutne Ml Ey Shoughe it would be be to take It down, . MOVED AWAY Some people wanted the by- pass moved nearer Patrixbourne and away from Bridge, to which Mr. Bergg sald it would cut }more into valuable agricultural ‘land, But Mr. John McKeever, |the farmer involved, said it | would make little difference to him, Many people were objecting to the by-pass going rough Bifrons Park. Dr, David Pratt, of Patrixbourne, asked: “Is there no alternative that would | javoild desecrating one of snl loveliest valleys in Kent, one that is not even Muted by| overhead power cables?” But Mr Smith replied that whatever alternative was pro- posed — even an extension of the M2 — would involve a new road cutting through unspoilt country. Mr. Ronaki Hooke sald that little by-passes round villages was the thinking of 25 years ago. "My view js that this by- pass won't last five years as there will be an extension to, the motorway.” ] But tnat view was not shared by Ald. Robert Cooper, chair-| man of Kent County Counct)'s Roads Committee. The motor-| |way, he sald, had mainly been bullt as a by-pass for the Med- way Towns and to link up with) the heavily used Thanet Way. MORE ROUTES Mr. Hooke also wondered why villagers were not given more than one route. “I think we should have been given two or three, with the pros and cons for each to consider,” he sald. | Mr. Smith said that even if the Minister said tomorrow that | the motorway should be ex- tended the A2 would not be | relieved for a long time. “I shudder to think how long it | would taka to build the motor-| way, starting immediately.” } | Mrs. Joan Tarrats, of 3 River- side Clone, urged that something should be done as an! jinterim measure to slow down {Juggernaut passing through the | jvillage, And Ald. Cooper | promised to raise the subtect | personally at Tuesday's meeting | of the Ronda Committeo, | Afterwaniu, there was an in- | formal meet. of villagers from | Bridge, Bishopsbourne and Patrixbourne, which showed about 75 to be in favour of the | northern route and 26 against. | } Bridge, Blin 290 vnsshen, Harbledown, and in order to save protracted discussion at Wednesday's meeting, I beg your indulgence and ask you to consider the following: 1. I 2. 4. The line for the Lower Harbledown by~pass now under consideration was proposed 19 years ago! This was confirmed by legal order in 1958 (14 years ago) and it is this order on which the present proposal to build a new road is based. There has always been concern locally about the environmentally damaging road through Duke's Meadow. As long ago as 1960 at a Parish Meeting held on 18th March, the minute records that with a good number of Parishioners present and with only two votes against, the following resolution was passed: "This Annual Assembly of the Parish Meeting of Harbledown protests against the proposed route of the widened A2 road from the Dunkirk boundary to the city of Canterbury on the following grounds: 1. The whole conception of the scheme is wrong and the proposed route is already out of date for the needs of modern traffic. To route the whole of the A2 traffic into Canterbury where it will converge with traffic entering the City from the London-Maidstone road will create an impossible traffic situation within the City. Any scheme to be effective must by-pass completely both Harbledown and Canterbury. 2. The proposed route will increase public danger by bringing a fast motor road unnecessarily close to schools and dwellings. 3. There is ample scope for an alternative route by-passing Harbledown on the south side and passing to the west of the City of Canterbury. Resolved that a copy of the above resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Transport, the Member for the Canterbury Division, the Kent County Council, the Bridge-Blean R.D.C., and the Canterbury City Council." | I have spoken at length many times on the problem of ) The passage of years has done nothing to change this attitude and you will remember the Council Meeting earlier this year when I brought to you the unanimous continued.:... n of the Parish Council that "The construction eee iteitteris by-pass road at Lower Harbledown should be deferred, pending the route and design of the Canterbury by-pass being agreed. You expressed concern when you passed a similar resolution in May. At a very well attended Special Meeting of the Parish Council in August the Council again unanimously endorsed the May decision. -1It is within the past year that the advisability of the Harbledown proposal has been seriously questioned because it is only recently that positive moves have been made towards a Canterbury by-pass. In a letter dated 15th March 1972, from the Engineering Intelligence Division of the Department of the Environment, this was written: ".... the improvement at Harbledown is an interim one as the whole area will be by-passed later. With the construction of the M20, M25 and improvements to A20, consideration has also to be given to traffic diversion to this route from A2." A letter from the Minister, Mr. Graham Page, 5th October, 1972, to the Member for the Canterbury Division has shifted the emphasis and the claim is now made that the Harbledown road will be needed for local traffic. But, a letter from the County Surveyor, 8th August, 1972, said, "However there is still uncertainty about the route for non-bypassable traffic from the west...” The conclusion must be reached that the Ministry are searching for an excuse to proceed with a proposal which is very outdated. The Buchanan Report (copies of the relevant p@ragraphs I am enclosing), recommends against the Harbledown road if the Canterbury by-pass can be opened by 1980. This question of timing is the crux of the problem. Every effort is being made to press the Government to build the Canterbury by-pass urgently and Mr. Crouch, M.P. has Said that he in about five years, David hopes this to be achieved Many will consider this to be Optimistic but it must be admitted that it can be done, in fact, Mr. Hammond from the South East Construction Unit when Speaking at RBRDC ; gave five years as the Period required. It is not unreasonable therefore to expect the deadline of 1980 to be comfortably met. continued..., 9, The importance of the Harbledown proposal should not be considered in isolation from the overall traffic needs of the Canterbury area. There are some of us who see the situation developing where the Harbledown road is built as a temporary measure and then in order to relieve the Eastern side of the City the New and Old Dover roads are made one way. This could carry traffic the Western end of the Bridge by-pass. Tf this were to happen what chance then of a Canterbury by-pass before 1990? In other words, Harbledown may be the key to either the solution or the creation of many problems. Hence the suggestion that the Lower Harbledown road should be deferred perding the design of the Canterbury by-pass. 10. Duke's Meadow is only 20 mins. walk from the Westgate. What other countryside is left within ecsy reach of the City? At one place the proposed road will be 30 feet high only 30 yards from the existing A2. to Zor all these reasons I would like to suggest that BBRDC continues to express concern over the Harbledown proposal. 7° do so does not go contrary to the aim of seeing improvements to the notorious A2. Years ago an M2 extension was expected, then | because of a promise of speedier action a greatly reduced standard | of dualling was accepted. How low do we allow the standard to ii} fall? To approve 2 single 24 ft. carriageway? il To be agains? the Harbledown road is not to deny a by-p2ss |i (which the Harbledown road certainly is not passing 4s it does j as close to as many houses as it is supposed to relieve), but to campaign for dualling to be completed. hil Because the trunk road order has already been made, there is ii } no way in which a formal legal objection can be made to the i | Harbledown proposal. I shall ask for your support when I propose y | that: \ i "The Clerk be instructed to write to the Minister expressing i our concern that the proposal to build a trunk coad at a Harbledown, on a line reserved fourteen years 2g0, may not } ‘ call be the best solution to the present and future traffic | problems of the area, and that this Council is of the opinion that an enquiry should be held. Copies to te sent to the Member for the Canterbury Division, the K.C-C-, the Canterbury City Council, and the Harbledown Parish Council." coatinued.. Further, because of the wide implications of the Harbledown ad for traffic management in the City, and because before the rbledown road is built the new District Council will be stablished, I would like to move that: ; "The Clerk be instructed to write to the Canterbury City Council and invite it to send its observations on the proposed new trunk road at Harbledown to him and also to the Minister, and to seek ways in which our efforts might be joined to obtain a satisfactory design for the Canterbury by-pass and its early completion.” a... Orouch, M.-P HOUSE OF COMMONS | LONDON swia OAA : November 29,1972 Dear Mr.Purchese, Mr.Crouch thought you might like to see the enclosed short statement he has sent to the Kent press, I am writing a similar letter to Mr.Brian Lewis. Yours sincerely, V tune. Private Secretary The Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, John Purchese,isq., » Kent. | Ha ia Dav _ for Canterbu _ of putting a ¢ < Ovouchs. 4) eespr: to the Pr ° to the P: | ayo we og 7 f yesterday, concerning It arose following an earlier Question to the Prime Minister asking him when he was going to pay an official visit to France. Both David Crouch's Question and Mr.Heath's reply were received with warm appreciation by the whole Hous and caused the Prime Minister to emile when he said he knew the A2 well as it was in his qwn Ps \ oie ) EY countys ©9279 is Gare ne ees , ; ' “T, ; ate AB ye ok OC estie t B . Reet ae as ’ : a t Pr ron j ‘ ' ete x & 4 are a Fs woes ‘ Re - a ; . aot ae - if) Ft . a »* “ ‘ ’ et ; ' ? $* 4 ’ *’ i sel } _ From: David Grouch, MiP. ¢ November 29,1972' David Crouch,, Member of Parliament for Canterbury, had the unexpected opportunity of putting a Questipn to the Prime Minister yesterday,concerning the A2. ‘It arose following an earlier Question to the Prime Minister asking him when he was going to pay an official visit to France. Roth David Crouch's Question and Mr.Heath's reply were received with warm appreciation by the whole House and caused the Prime Minister to smile when he Said he knew the A2 well as it was in his qwn county. ; ‘ 4 Oral Answers 233 The Prime Ministers My right hon. Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary has said that the Government's views on these matters will be announced shortly. The greater part of them—about 800—are under contract to the Govern- ment, or to Makerere University, with the Government making up a portion of their salaries. We have never suggested that any of them should break their contracts. Mr. Evelyn King: If there is no case for my right hon. Friend to visit Uganda, is there not a case for his entering into the closest possible communication with neighbouring African countries, prefer- ably now? Docs he accept that if any African country were to seck to expel 40,000 African Asians there could be— and I use the mildest language—consider- able difficulties in this country? The Prime Minister : Yes, I agree with my hon. Friend. We have been in the closest touch with the other African coun- {rics, as well as with the member coun- trices of the Commonwealth and many other countries, ever since General Amin’s expulsion order. I pay tribute to President Kenyatta and President Nyerere for the help they gave us at once in enabling United Kingdom passport hol- ders, stateless persons and Indians to pass rapidly across their countries without let or hindrance to go to India and other countries and in some cases to come here. , g FRANCE Q3. Mrs Renée Short asked the Prime Minister when he next intends to seek to make an official visit to France. The Prime Minister: I have at present no plans to do s0, Sir. Mrs. Short: Is the Prime Minister aware of the French Government's con- cern about the high level of British invest- ment in French industry? Not including oil, banking, insurance and property it amounted last year to £250 million, and in the first eight months of this year an additional £200 million was invested in French property. That is all investment that should have been made in Britain. Is the right hon. Gentleman also aware that French imports into Britain have risen by 32 per cent. in the first six months 6H 43 278 NOVEMBER 1972 Oral Answers m4 of this year compared with the same period last year? he not think that there are serious problems here, particu- larly in view of our entry into the Com- mon Market, and should he not take this up with the French Government? The Prime Minister: 1 should like to check the hon. Lady’s figures before I accept them. It is well known that British investment has been going into France and into other Community member States. The first series of investments which the hon. Lady quoted give rise to invisible income which further extends the Jarge amount of invisibles and the impor- tant part they play in our balance of pay- ments. British investment provides an outlet for British production and, as we are moving into the Common Market, it is natural that this should occur. Of course we shall also expect investment from other members of the Common Market to come into Britain. Mr. Crouch: May I suggest to my right hon. Friend that when he does make this journey to France he considers travel- ling by road and sea instead of by air? He would then have the opportunity of realising some of the dangers of travel- ling to Dover on the A2, which is in part only 18 ft. wide. Perhaps my right hon. Friend would see some of the difficulties which I and the Secretary of State for the Environment are facing. The Prime Minister: With respect to my hon. Friend and to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, they are not the only people who are facing dangers of this kind. The A2 runs straight through my own county. I frequently travel on it and am weil aware of the problems. That is one reason why Government Ministers have taken Up the position they have in the Community in discussing axle weights and the overall size of lorries. PRIME MINISTER (GUILDHALL SPEECH) Q4. Mr, Arthur Davidson asked the aoe Minister it pgp in ue Li a copy is public speech o} 13th November on economic efits & made at the Guildhall. confirmed what ing had agreed: ag En in their opinion is the line to be rolloweds north or south of the The matter therefore now rests very largely in_ . of the residents of cepts Patrixbourne. White Gates, Patrixbourne. was ve te to choose ¢ present north ¢ is favoured on environmen- ds — though no one da the bourne Valley are: of Seniee ose value than the park The chairman made it abun- clea at the end of the t that all residents have the right—indeed duty—to send recommendations jections to the Environment, Road, Nap ig co} e County Surveyor, cron Stone Maidstone) December 22, | If objections are numerous road conditions on the A.2from Brenley Corner to Dover we request the following: 1. Mandatory speed limits of 20 m.p.h. in the villages with slow down lanes on approaches. 2. Mechanical checks on T.LR.’s entering British ports in Kent and a compulsory weigh. bridge and check on over- THIS is the Christmas card — 2,000 of them in fact, that A.2 Group members intend sending to the Minister at the Depart- ment of the Environment. The card was drawn and designed by Mr. Barry Kirk of High Street, Bridge, who is in charge of art history at Canter. bury College of Art. Said Mr. Kirk: “We wanted to convey to the minister the in- crease in noise, danger and smell from this appalling road of ours and Santa Claus being chased through the siush by a monster lorry seemed the most appropriate way. “1 can't remember if it was my wife’s idea or mine original- ly. Pen and ink sketching is a medium | use quite often. The design took the best part of a day to work out.” Secretary of the A. Group, Mr, Brian Lewis, said the word- ing of the Christmas card on the left hand side will say: Petition to the Secretary of state, Department of Environ. ment, In view of the dangerous 3. A grant to Kent police to enable proper supervision of the 4. Every endeavour to speed up the programme of by-passes and improvements if no exten sion of the M.2 is forthcoming. The right hand side will say — Wishing you a Happy Christmas and the residents of the A.2 a safer new year. “We are going up to the House of Commons in about a week's time with all the cards to hand to our M.P. Mr. David Crouch,” Mr. Lewis said. “He is going to pass them to a minister at the Department of the Environment.” ve assessment! is the best route for PLEDGES of tough ac- | tion to resist pressure to — get 4i-ton lorries on DK | roads are not worth the paper they are written on, This was the reaction of Mr. John Purchese (above) chairman of the A2 Protest Group cam- | pal for safer roads. G 8 agreed It was against heavier lor- ries but the Government has to persuade Europe, especially France, that we will not allow any extra axle loads above our present limit. r. Purchese, who lives at troubled Bridge, and has led several dem- onstrations against the dangers, noise and fumes of the trunk road, re- | torted:— “We just don't believe the Government when it makes thiS sort of state- ment and takes these et 2 “ivhas showz'Jiselt and the Department in- capable of appreciatin the situation for the last 1 years, why should they change their attitude now? ‘These TIR lorries are coming through our yil- lages and we will have to live with them until such time as the Ministers and the Department bani f L to the very real problem and do something to'Te- strict it. “We don't believe that a statement of intent is worth the paper it’s writ- tenon..." Mr. Purchese has been told by police he won't be prosecuted following an A2 sit-down last month, ou) Uy usw *jans9 puv dsjso 8] 38 dju v suy Osty oF us “Sol [TEMpood oy ing *sUOT}BI}suCWWED " Aosduly Op U;poury 103 teedde pamouas © Ais0 fam puB jusWuOsyAUq *saajstuyy JO JUSUIBGUY oy, Zujyeq oie SpiBd ayy -81qN023 ay Suoyw seduy “1A JO syuspser ‘dnoup ZV Om Aq yuos Jupeq pwd om jo “a ‘sjiod =Yuns3 juey ysUq ou0s {pies “yonoxy “AI 0} popusy Peg la ‘dK uae | acip aim 10 3 ‘s[mo] UYJIg “IC q7P puv oS muup ‘s03uup 0} pessud oq o ‘Ainqiay jeuuBYyD oY43 Wo puL *O} Sapo] HILT Aavay jo -uBD 40; PIAva — “a «VU aq ips AOYL ‘uopucy of — PPIMS siojsajoid oy Aq poudys TT e894) ureyy JO 000‘ — SP1BI 94) UMOP-3]8 PUL 83893010 ST 31 183294 948303 sodoy dnoiy syy peydwoid swy yorga peor Picea MAN JasBg B40; sadoy puv — YsEM suungsyy Addey anwar, @ ssaidxo spied oy] mi peade “AU FULYy ways oy wu BO Seu0Z UMOpP-mols jm Of OF USsaW pad{y w QALY 1S9}0U0 Puld SPWISIYD 40} spuewoep qe Zu & uF -uy 4js0d01d oq “seq saded ojsem uy poly 2q OF pus} ‘uLI0j peNSN ay) U] PeHoNpUOD suCAAed,, 38y3 pedoy @OSRTA 943 Uy “y'd*ut opjsuy puv soded % “UOTSTA -aadns 19330q 103 Aud soT0d 2uay oj yueID “9P is Yowe “3432.4 uo sysay9 109 PUE sjiod Ys] Fg Jujiqjue sap0; yyy UO SYOVYI [eIuBYI em JO UOTsue}xe Ou aq 07 ey} }Bede1 ayy puy Ss] Wem 7 suewesosdwy puv sessud-{q jo gunueid 0} ‘WEYSIeATA ‘19010D ve -o1d ay jo dn-peeds Agquerg wo Aemiojour Aazosind ‘osjou ou Aq ponderd ‘gy SBUNsTIyD O4y 8] STH a ee ba AR BL LL EDOWN WI NEED A BY-PASS, SAYS ENGINEER E theory that if a Canter- y by-pass was built there ild be no need for a by-pass Harbledown, was a “com-! c¢ mistake,” a top Govern- yt engineer told a public ting in the village on Thurs- | 1 a repeat of the “grass- ‘s" discussions between Kent nty Council, Government ineers and villagers at Ige on Tuesday, the village urged to accept the Harble- n by-pass proposals. rotesters who are calling for alt to the plans until a de- on is taken on the Canter-| y relief road were warned 7 were making a mistake by Rex Hammond, a senior inecer with the Department the Environment. he objectors, who fear the d will be an unnecessary ecration of the village, have med yn the planned city by-pass | dual-carriageway will eventually + Joined to the Upper Harble- m by-pass. IMMEDIATE RELIEF tut this would not be the e, Mr. Hammond assured the ked meeting in the village |), . He said that when small Way. | \that any pub’ it would be redundant} |details here with me.” ces were by-passed they got | nediate relief. tut if Harbledown, Bridge { Canterbury by-passes were | down to a single carriag” } } eme the sheer size of it uld bring problems. duoting the M2 as an ex-) combined into one massive ple, he said a combined b } 8 would leave a lot of resi-)| ul traffic using the stretches the old A2. This sort of situation has sen so often before, The facts quite simple. If you do not ve a Harbledown by-pass now 1, if In time, there is a Can-| bury by-pass, I can assure 1, you will soon be asking y can't you have your own le by-pass.” Co shouts of “nonsense,” Mr immond added: “The residual we will astonish you. I am house damaging the roof,and demolishing approximately 30 feet of guttering. last week, a cyclist died after falling from his machine under a lorry. . The facts are, I regret, grim. But this regrettably is the freightening day to day risk which exists on our inadequate trunk road, Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Gro j REGIONAL CONTROLLER (ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION ) Department of the Environment Dinetera not Prose pi ae (South Eastorn) Edgebarough 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Tolex 86335 AB Dreso Guildford Telephone 0483 (Guildford) 71101 ext 274 B A Lewis Esq Your reference The A 2 Group ‘Weston Vil Our reference 1 High Street) ee 200/09/TR 34/020 Bridge CANTERBURY 7 December 1972 Dear Sir - LONDON-C. 3URY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD A 2 a BRIDGE BY-PASS a le I refer to your letter of 11 November 1972 about the above proposal. 2, I should perhaps firstly explain that the Department has been preparing schemes tan the improvement of the A 2, including Bridge By-pass, for several years in order hi to cater for the anticipated increase in the volume of traffic using the route. The Secretary of State's statement last year merely outlined the Governments overall National policy for roads, which, was already in hand in the case of the A 2. a 3. I would cemment as follows on the various points which you have raised:= Ae It ig extremely difficult to attempt to forecast a start of works date in view of the many unexpected problems which can arise, both legally and techhically. This however is primarily dependent on the outcome of the statutory Orders which have recently been published and on the draft Compplsory Purchase Order which it is hoped will be published shortly. If objections to the scheme are received, as seem likely, it may be necessary for a Public Inquiry to be held in which case a start of works date of summer 1974 could probably be achieved. Obviously if a Public Inguiry was not required, it should be possible for work to start earlier, but this would be dependent of course on the time it takes to satisfy any comments or objections which are received. I am sorry that I am unable to bé@ any more specific on this point. be The gtormal contract period for a scheme of this nature is 2 years. Consideration is however being given to whether this can be reduced and it is hoped that a period of say 21 months will be possible in this case. The gontract period cannot however be finally agreed until all the survey and design work has been completed. Ce As you will no doubt have seen in the local Press, this scheme has now been included in the Secretary of State's Firm Roads Programme for construction in 1974 subject of course to the satisfactory completion of the statutory Orders. de A number of safety measures have already been provided or are proposed to improve conditions in the village until such time as a by-pass is built. A 30 mph speed limit already exists through the village and arrangements are being made for the speed limit signs to be illuminated at night. In addition, “arrangements are also being made for "Road Narrows" signs bearing the | j This paper is suitable forByeline photocopying A2| Group oa Trea: Brian A. Lewis, asus 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, 13th December 1972 David Crouch Esqe,MePe, House of Commons, London § oWele Dear Mr. Crouch, On behalf of the A2 Group, I would like to convey my sincere thanks to you for arranging yesterday's meeting at the Department of the Environment. I am heartened to learn that Mr. Speed is proposing to visit Canterbury to view the situation for himself. When the time comes, I trust that the Officers of the Group can be of assistance, and would be pleased to learn of further developments, It would be appreciated if you could press the Minister for an early decision on the 40 m.p.h. slow-down lanes. This is just a small interim safety measure until the bridge by-pass is completed. I look forward to receipt of the information concerning the lorry debate when convenient. Yours sincerely, | Ls | Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Group. —_ Ke Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent d y e A 2 Gr oup Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purche: Brian A. Lewin, if t a es We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Vi ', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. 15th December 1972 David Crouch Esde,liePe, House of Commons, London S.Wel. Dear Mr. Crouch, Last evening, the electorate of the Parish of Bridge met to discuss the route of the proposed by-pass. A proposal was put to the meeting as follows: 1In view of the deplorable refusal of the Ministry of the Environment to consider the provision of an M2 hotorway extension from Brenley Corner to Dover, this meeting approves the construction of a Bridge by-pass as presented to us by the K.C.C. engineers, except for the lay-by and subject to the road being moved north east to the maximum available discretion.’ This was seconded and put to the vote since no amendments were forthcoming, and it was carried by 127 to 0. It now appears that a small number of objectors from the Parish of Patrixbourne are to try our patience by forcing a public enquiry. Together, we have worked extremely hard to press the scheme ahead as quickly as possible, and therefore must reject any attempts to hold up the construction. Clearly, the objections are being raised on the grounds of pure selfishness and as such are to be deplored. 7 We therefore request that you endorse the wishes of the village of bridge in a statement to Mr. Speed in the hope that the threatening delay does not occur. Your support for the village at this time is vital. Yours ‘sincerely, . : Brian A. Lewis: (sais Q. kee Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. Department of the Environment 2 Marsham Street London SW1 Pp 3EB Direct line 01-212 Switchboard 01-212 3434 B A Lewis Esq Your reference Hon Secretary The A2 Group Our reference 1 High Street TPRA 234/19/01 Bridge Date Dear Sir 1. I have been asked to reply to your letter of 17 September addressed to Mr Graham Page, the Minister for Local Government and Development. I am sorry it has not been possible to do this before now. 2. I can assure you that in the course of his visit on 12 September the Minister acquired a clear picture of conditions on the A2 between Brenley Corner and Dover. The relevant facts and figures are well known to the Department. 3. The Minister appreciates that to those living on or near the road, as well as to those who use it, the most important parts of the planned dualling of virtually the whole of this length of the A2 are the by-passes of the villages. 4. Because these are quite large schemes which involve completely new routes having & greater effect on agricultural land and residential and other property they take a long time to prepare. Alternative routes have to be examined and when it has been decided which is most suitable Orders under Sections 7 and 9 of the Highways Act 1959 to make the route a trunk road and to authorise alterations to roads which will be .* affected by the new route have to be made. Preparation of the draft Orders for publication, consideration of objections and attempts to resolve them is a time con- suming process which is often followed by a public inquiry. Adequate time must be allowed for these processes which, I am sure you would agree, are necessary for the protection of people whose property, living conditions or livelihoods may be affected - even if the environmental effect on the countryside were ignored as you have suggested, Much of the engineering work, with a large amount of detail leading to the letting of a contract, cannot be completed until the Orders are made. 5. Schemes on the open stretches of road for the addition of a second carriageway, which do not involve a change of route, and often do not require Statutory Orders, can be designed and carried out much more quickly, These schemes contribute very considerably to road safety by providing lengths of dual carriageway where faster vehicles can overtake without danger; no by-pass scheme had to be put back because they were undertaken and there wes no sound reason for delaying them until after the by-passes could be built. 6. Preparation of by-pass schemes for Boughton and Dunkirk, the Harbledowns and Bridge is well in hand and is proceeding as fast as it is possible to complete the necessary steps. The decision to make the Orders for the Boughton and Dunkirk by- pass has now been announced. The draft Orders for by-passes of Bridge and the Harbledowns were published on 10 November. Much now depends on the nature and number of objections which may be received as to whether and when these Orders can be made, and final preparation of the schemes completed. TI can assure you that there will be no avoidable delay in bringing the schemes to the start of construction. Draft Orders for the last section of dualling in between the villages (from the Bishopbourne Road to Black Robin Lane) will be published this month; those for the section from north of Lydden to Dover have already been published, and are now being considered at a public inquiry. 7. You are, I am afraid, quite mistaken in thinking that from 1 January next lorries with a laden weight of 40 tons will be able to enter this country from Europe. The statutory weight limit for commercial vehicles will remain what it has been for some years, that is, 32 tons. If, as the result of discussions now taking place in the EEC a change in this limit is agreed it will not take effect before 1980. You may, however, have seen in recent press reports that Mr John Peyton has strongly resisted the proposed changes during the recent discussions, and you will no doubt have read about the debate in the House of Commons on 29 November when a motion against bigger and heavier lorries accepted by the Government and supported on all sides of the House was approved without a division. Meanwhile the Department's traffic examiners and, no doubt, local Inspectors of Weights and Measures will continue to carry out weight checks at the ports under the Road Traffic Foreign Vehicles Act 1972, which came into force on 31 July. It must be expected that there will be a steady increase in the number of commercial vehicles entering this country after we enter the Common Market on 1 January 1973, but this increase will be spread over the years and a sudden vast influx is not anticipated immediately following our entry. Yours faithfully NM-OLeerrdos W H ALEXANDER want northern y-pass route” THE A.2 Group 38 card protest to Mr. under members David Crouch, Ca M.P., at the House of ern | abou' ponents of the £1 million by-pass northerly route sent ‘to the ‘Department of the sen vironment! a petition to be the- way. the proposed told| |north route is ‘being foisted on and he took them to meet Mr. Speed. ; Afterwards Mr. Brian Lewis, the group’s secretary, explained the cards were collected in ten days from all along the A.2from Brenley Corner to Dover. Their original target was 2,000. “i'm quite sure if we had taken more time we would have got 10,000," he said. ‘On one day to the community, ' “Alternative have been made public on the south side and there is a strong feeling that - lines exist: two we need a public that Le _ alone 2,000 were signed,’ Mr. Speed told the that the Bridge by-pass cou} speeded up by af least nine months no matter what objec- tions were raised to it. in turn he id be was asked by to reconsi- der the refusal of local councils to introduce a 40 m.p.h. limit - MUR ADNeeo). i i H 1 I |door,” and are using the en- co) LETTERS TO THE EDITOR r Br ce by-pass route controversy of tax and se topayars of pang aunonity: nook y indi he cap work : es vidual ws ch an hat cortain prigcape two The, effect on the en. a ee . Riches aa In the interests of 20. years, Tnd ita’ tho. sudden Bridge and the many users of i 6d t representatives Kent County can be nner Doped Faun tarp Counell fo-Blean Rural cauntlagt ss BIFRONS PARK ver- District Council must be iven sus BOURNE PARK, Both Partie a tor ag pears ct, ana blchopabourne, . viadu wg da dtl’ o S°amalel'a cern’ exrnt 0 4 a ing magne wh pant te wy by the northern route; the known abouts) his northern southern route would PO Pat- route, It tg rather late in the aa ne but spoil Bishops- day to discover | now, Dourme: ene pnt Mareen ait While se bah Blanifeas evid it that t e Ey ark, south of the A2 and many who SEANDC De MAIaieath honesty that live ports er ~ with Kent it sui *Bourne Park. County “EVERYONE Bourne Park is a national as- by aca on wane “vit necessity of epee The Beet) preserved y-pass. eorgian mansion nm na . However, some who live on lavishly’ park, with the north are. vocating on ornamental lake and a bridge a southern route, and agitating Over the Natlbourne and woods for a oud Ing ry, presumably ar co} of mature beeches with aim tt Jeces: fine ae lon f drawn un plone of local Y lege: once hs, home ot uthori . oO8 Conrad, ne A public inquiry, whatever church and other historic build- conc] can only lead to ings stand on the perimeter. ay and to considerable This’ ete and peaceful troub! & and expena @ on the part scene is ed by more than Sir, At the Bridge parish meeting last week it was agreed that the pass residents of Genrnenem ee rout far as Ba fap in WS taewthenet to the man People like Mr, Hooke are Phi available discretion,” since bleating about environment | it is understood that tho Mini- being affected — planting the | ster has powers to deviate on accdeoe Le hae (peorkee |}any Une by as much as 55 yards. cal 4 firmly oped a southern route, using part ot in a at the. pubile the old Bham Valley” railway inquiry which Mr. R. J. Hooke line, should be considered. My of ; "could so keen to achieve, In his ,Semolished if “Bridge North or south , but I would havo accept it for the benefit of the whole Bridge community. I fee] that what people like Mr. to Hooke are really saying is, “Yes, we must have a by-pass so long as it isn’t near my back vironmental argument as an “Wherever tho b erover tho by-pass goes, | the cou. ie Will bo affected. lece of England | that someone n't regard as sacred. I can only suggest that Me Hooke ‘should get pred ‘om S0ap-box graceful and stop bleating about the ay vironment, By doing so there would be no delay, by an>in- quiry, for the completion of the muc needed by-pass, BRIAN PEARSON. Station House, Bridge, idge by-pass: of the A2?" handout, he points out that such an inquiry need nat cause undue delay in the work. The objectors may be fooléd by their leader, but the See needs to be warned of} Plications Saree most recent example of local dissension was that of the: proposed Boughton by-pass route, Their scheme should Miready be under construction, Instead, two public inquiries have put back the «starting date September or October, 1973, a full year later than planned. The biggest threat to the vil- | lage of Bridge ‘is’ that if Mr. Hooke gets his way and manages to force an inquiry, a similar pattern will almost cer- be followed, despite what Linister may hope for, my opirion, the tain} ee In only grounds for Traventinee an carly | ropresentativ es, starting date to.the Bridge by- pass aro those of selfishness and self-interest, We have fought for 10 years as « community to || prove our point, and now having | Weston: Villas, achieved our aim must strongly ass, t any attempts to iiss o it the Borneone dics as a result should firmly rest on consclonce of the objectors, BRIAN A, LEWIS, (Soanotar yitronauror, A2 1 High Street, Bridge. possible time, iad ihe b: y-pass is delayed and Group). { local visitors and any feel ep Bourne Park eos ited most strongly, o by many individuals who fone for the countryside, but amenity societies concerned with the ela as has pulored planation further delay increnses ree the axeare and dan- would be ger to pro ary and to life, The chances & minority, however vociferous, in persuading xovernment poaneing from the northern rotite must be minimal The consequent delay, if these Individuals force an inquiry is certain. Surely thia is a case for commonsense and objectivity, and for leaving the experts and our elected representatives to get on with the job in a way which has the least adverse effect on the environment and on the majority. G, ELLIOTT. The Paddock. Bishopsbourne, Sir, Dr. Pratt, in his letter to you last week, is, of course, right: the construction of a dual- oes taba trunk road across the of the Nailbourne be- and Patrixbourne tween Bridge ig a desecration of beautiful j countryside. For nearly seven years we have enjoyed, from our win- dows, a view of Bifrons park and the trees round Patrix- bourne church which has been a delight to the eyes. If the possible, by asking ‘that that || Bridge by-pass is built as now planned, we shall lose this view and shall miss it; we shall lose, too, the pleasure of a variety of walks on that side of the village. Nevertheless, when we bought our house, we knew that was the projected line of the . We also think that the construction of such a road in any other place would be equally if not more detrimental to the countryside, though this must, obviously, be a matter on which opinions will vary. But our chief concern is with the restoration of Bridge as a united village which is not bi- ll seated by @ constant stream of vehicles, whether inter-con- tinental lorries, commuter traffic. or holidav-bound motorists; a place where one can go to tho shops, visit one's friends or simply chat in the open, without the fear of im- minent death descending either of the hills that now lead the A2 road into the village street. We, therefore, want the hy- to be started at the earliest and this fn must necessarily mean that we do not j Want a public inquiry We did not have the impres- jsion that the County Council at least, were | Unreceptive to the points made at the meeting in Bridge vil- lage hall earlier this month, or | that RAO e rod not do as much |e was their power to adjust the line of the road to cause © the minimum of nuisance. In short, the rapid restoration or B: as a village outwelghs tho potential damage to th e | countryside. JANE MILLYARD. DAVID MILLYARD. 1 Riverside Close, | Bridge, In 1%A I t End at the end of what now been renamed ne &B @. My solicitor inform. scheduled t oh Bite iu og if ron Park near ie house. I ww, told it was fa Bynm- plan, then 17 years tor: Since those times Bridge hs, changed a great deal. Mo houses Baldy been built; + traille @ antronor cally Fr in size and nu: ber; there have been many « cidents, casualties and som deaths. However, the road has mained unchanged. A brid path to Europe. It is naw most fenrsome danger to » who walk In our village. Ho mmany major disasters involvin, great joss of life we have caped so far we shall nev know. Such a disaster cou hay many day. er the last decade hag been valant and persis: struggle with the authorities try to obtain safer road cond tions and to get the by-pa constructed. The village ov: ao debt of gratitude to the A2 Group leaders for their cor tinued effort, but the populati: of Bridge has publicly « wholeheartedly supported mov to stir the departments authority. And now we've done it. We's got a by-pass almost here. Anc what ha ms? A couple jumping ks pop up and ar trying to spoil it all by delay One bought a house a few years ago near the proposed Ine in the parish of rixnbourn:« He knew where the by-pass we due to go when he bought it If he didn’t, he should sue his solicitor for negligent searches The other came to Patrix bourne only a few weeks ag Did he descend from heaven to we poor mortals? One wouk think so by the way he tells us ‘our business, Preservation of the country side ts dear to the hearts of most of us. So is preservation of our lives and homes. W don’t need a public inquiry. W need a by-pass and the selected route is the obvious choice. Let's cut the cackle and get on with it FOWLER N. River House, Bridge. Sir, G If, as we are led to believ the desecration of the Nail bourne Valley is an “environ mental disaster,” why have not the Nailbourne Protection Soclety rushed to the ald of the small band of objectors bent or altering the northern route? One can Only conclude that this. very. able organisation firmly installed as members supporters of the A2 Group, w! are intent on putting safety an. pron ns lives ahead of s¢ nterest. P. MUIR-LITTLE (Mrs.) Alexandra House, Bridge. ene fis nag ED CUT THE CACKLE ON THE BRIDGE BY-PASS _ Rp ra Don’t be fooled — AT THE Bridge Parish Meeting last week, it was agreed that the residents of Conyngham Lane and Bridge Down be helped as far as possible by requestin Bri by-pass be mov that the proposed ‘North East to the — maximum available discretion,’ since it is understood that the Minister has powers to deviate on any line by as much as 55 yards. It is Grmly hoped that this move will avert the public Mr. R. J. Hooke is ss keen to achieve. In his ‘Bridge by-pass: North or South of the A2?’ handout, he points out that such an inquiry need not ‘The objectors may te fooled by their leader, but the vill needs to be warned of im most recent example of “was that of the: d Boughton b proposed Boughton by-pass Tous Their scheme should already be unde: construction. Instead, two public inquiries have back the roewtong to September or October 1973, a full year later than planned. The biggest threat to the of Bridge is that if Mr. gets his way, and manages to , & similar pat- certainly be for. In my opinion, the only Fare ado te Be pass are those of selfishness and self-interest. We have { it for 10 years as a conn to prove our point and now having achieved our alm must strongly reject attempts to cause pr It the by-pass is moor ft and someone dies as a t, It science of the objectors. BRIANA. LEWIS Secretary-Treasurer A2 Group, ‘Weston Villas,” 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. ——— THERE IS no doubt that Bridge does need a by-pass and the urgency is achowledged at government level. Why delay the commencement by un- necessary bickering with the ob: of a en- which could delay the for up to two years pass the buck over to Bishops- bourne; the Bifrons Park scheme would need no demolish- ing of y, neither would it inconvenience any person or I must agree it has been resurfaced several times but KO 21h IF, as we are led to believe, the desecration of the Nailbourne Valley is an ‘environmental dis- aster’ why have not the Nail. bourne Protection Society rush- ed to the ald of the smal! band of objectors bent on altering the Northern Route! Onecan only conclude that this very able installed as members or sup- porters of the A2 group, who are intent on putting pay and peoples lives ahead of self- interest. P. MUIR-LITTLE (Mrs.), Alexandra House, only by adding a fresh layer of tarmac over the old surface. sprayed water from the gutters. Our house was bullt In the early 18th century and has nine inch solid brick walls. The water thrown up reaches above the first floor windows making the interior of the rooms constantly No parking signs are con- stantly be uprooted and the passing and overtaking of vehicles in the street has to be tke, Our dire needs are for 40 m.p.h. 5 tient sien on oe approaches Village ; through the and fines ‘‘on the spot’’ e sure of the greatest offenders — the ‘'conti- nental drivers"’. J. MILTON, 50 High St., Bridge is firmly |- 1 after crash ial which overtook a car of a Danish TIR lorry, A2 in the centre of ated SO m.p.h. on the ced it off the road, was fined £25 for driving St, Augustine’s magistrates at. Canterbury last tlon narrowly missed the colll- sion. Mr. James Huckstep, Lo Road, Ne a signpost, the ne sross the road and e nother car travelling in the ‘direction narrowly ng Involved in the was of Tib ndon Canterbury. He told the court he saw the etd pull out suddenty without cating. “T saw that it was going out behind a car and in front of this car was one ees i= vor, Kurt Friis, p who did count, was also y costs of £21.28, { an interpreter’s j, the opposite direction. thought: the lorry. We not goin: to make it, so I hung back a bit. It then p sharply into the car it was ‘ “I followed the TLR. lorry out of Bridge and wrote down its number,” Mir. Huckstep Another eye givtg? John said he was for a coach in | when he saw the lorry ‘the car and heard. a bang as it pulled in front. In a statement, P.C. Victor Hermitage said that on the da: after the accident he saw at Dover Harbour Police Station. Friis told him ho had not seen the Lewings’ car. ea) Make the by-pass _ longer The Department of the En- vironment is being pressed to extend the pro “£1 million ‘Bridge by-pass by another 500 yards. The suggestion has been made by Bridge-Blean Rural District Council, which feels. that, pre- sent proposals for tho road will Bree ucd difficulties for lorries urning into Highland Court and Coldharbour Lane, on the Dover side of the village. at | To get over the prope the 19 council has urged that the new road should. bo extended join in the Dover direction to in the A2 at a roundabout at ho junction with the Elham Valley road. concern about the narrow of the new road's central reser vation, especially in view of the longth of vehicles which use the road and might have to cross it. Apart from these points, the council has approy the plans for Bonny Bush Hill and other side roads at Barham, a The council has also expressed width |) e& 2A Wr | Two hurt in four-vehicle — pile-up ew ‘Seepage ering i ie serioualy_ in- Lirk on Wednesiay aight. Polieo had to « diversions while the Injured were attended to and the wrecked cars r The vehicles involved were # Lincoln saloon, driven by Mr. John peed: aged 45, of 48 Craven Road, Harlesden; a Ford Transit van, driven. Mr. Patrick Yorwood, aged of 2 West Stubble Cottages, Whi p Morris saloon tfleld; a * driven Mr. Brian A of Forge louse, Staple, a \Volkswagen,. driven by Mr. Henry Clayson, of 3 Ivy Cot- tages, Fordwich. Mr. Yarwood was detained In ‘Kent and Canterbury Hospital, lwhere he underwent an emer- cy operation for facial in- isrice and multiple abrasions and Ce eg to an oa was. d te improving” te A mger in Mr. She of the Quality Woolahop. Stone- bridge, was ed with head injuries, concussion and severe lacerations. Her condition was sald to be “satisfactory.” Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasure,; hn Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, roth Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to’- "411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 5.1.1973 Departuent of the Environment, Dear Yr. Speed, I should like formally to record the thanks of the A2 Group for your meeting the Deputation led by Mr. David Crouch, Member of varlianent for Canterbury, who with Canterbury City Council Officials and members of the Group saw you on December 12th. 1972 at Narshan Street. Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to business commitnents, but look forward to seeing you when, as I understand, you propose to visit the Canterbury area to see the A2 situation for yourself, At any time now your Department will be issuing its recommended TIR lorry routes and we anticipate the A2 as a designated route, in that event, may I draw your attention anew to the *etition that was handed to you on December 12th.? ‘The recommendations in it are, in our opinion, the mildest measures that can be adopted to safeguard residents and users of the A2 during the period that it will take to by-pass danger spots and improve the road to the requireuents that your Department now recognise as essential for the main lorry route to Europe. Without apology I must stress that speed is essential in the matter. We know that you are making heroic efforts to bring forward the completion dates on the projects in hand (and all praise for this), but with the best will in the world the principal danger spots will not be by- passed or safeguarded until 1976 at the earliest. We have, as you kmow, broken the law in the past to draw attention to the problems of bridge, Harbledowm, Boughton, Lydden - not to say, Canterbury - and are loth to pursue a Department that now recognises the problems. Dut we do ask that the Suggestions in our petition are considered seriously and soon; so that we can assure people who live in very real fear that "something is being done". : + would be most grateful for an early personal comment from you. ve have had mony frustrating years behind us and are most anxious to believe Yours faithfully, Sil Lorries (Slee) LORRIES (SIZE) Mr. Deputy Speaker (Miss Harvie Anderson) : I have to tell the House that there are many more hon. Members seck- ing to speak in the debate than it will be possible to call. At the outset, therefore, I make an appeal for short speeches so that as many as possible may take part. 7.38 p.m. Me Anthony Crosland (Grimsby): I beg to move, That this House, mindful of the environment, is against bigger and heavier lorries. I shall, of course, try to accede to your request, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I hope that the Motion is as clear as the English language can make it. It is not an anti-European Motion. It is a Motion against a particular EEC regu- lation, and it is a’ Motion against bigger and heavier. lorries in general, from whatever source thé pressure for them comes. It is a Motion which, like Barly Day Motion No. 55 on “ Heavy Lorrics ". in the name of the hon: Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Me eet nite rted b le with extremely va poinjond catia Common Market, and it is a Motion the sentiments of which are supported also by many bodics~in no way connected with the Common Market argument—for example by the four local authority associations, and by the Select Committee on’ Nationalised Industries in its» First Report. of last Session, dated 15th June 1972, in which it recommended : “ Whatever limits of weight for road vehicles are under consideration in the EEC, existing restrictions which are at present applied *to British vehicles should be retained and applied fully to all lorries under the terms of. the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972." . Support for the Motion obviously goes very wide indeed. My second preliminary’ point is that I am not moving the Motion as some crazy Doomwatch character wholly indif- ferent to all questions of economic growth and efficiency. The Minister for Trans- port Industries is fond of saying that the heavy commercial vehicle plays a large part in the economy of the country and therefore in the lives of ordinary people. I fully accept that and, indeed, have con- stantly fallen into trouble with the environmental lobby because I am un- 6021 29 NOVEMBER 1972 Lorrles (Size) 512 willing and refuse to sacrifice the goal of economic growth. It is a question of balancing the cconomic against the environmental factors. In this instance the balance, in my view and that of many hon, Members, is in danger of tilting too far against the environment. I start by outlining briefly the facts of the present situation. British limits are 32 tons overall weight, 10 tons axle weight and 15 metres length for articu- lated vehicles, The EEC Commission, after 10 years of study, finally proposed in May a new 1 Nie Rit limits to operate from 1980 of tonnes overall weight—these are metric tonnes, but the difference between the metric and the British imperial ton is not of great signi- ficance—I1 tonnes axle weight and 15-5 metres length. This draft regulation was referred to the Council of Ministers and they, after postponing a decision once, are now due‘to meet on [8th December with the three applicant countries present. Why are so many hon:. Members on both sides of the House bitterly opposed to any increase in the size and weight of British lorries? ©The first reason obviously is the financial cost. The Minister has told us that, on his best estimate, it would cost £200 million over the next 10 or 15 -years to. strengthen roads and bridges to’allow these heavier lorries, to travel in Britain. I suppose that on some comparisons this is not a vast ‘sum. Yet the annual cost-is 10 times @§ much, fof example, as the yield of museum charges—a mean measure that was pushed* throueli the House of Commons with a three-line Whip to Save public expenditure. I should think that hon. Members could find «many better ways of spending £200. million» than strengthening British bridges to cope with even bigger juggernauts . But,-in my view and_ probably. that of many hon. Members, far more serious, than the financial cost is the environ- mental cost. Today we are all in favour of the environment ; we are in favour of the quality of life. The White Paper “Development and Compensation— Putting People First", which’ we debated on Monday with the corresponding Bill, Starts in its first sentence with the words: “The Government are committed to enhaa- cing the quality of everyday life in Britain.” That is a ringing declaration indeed./ ROCHAO Kent Alderman warns of lorry problem AS ONE of the major towns on the road to Europe Canterbury could be besieged by traffic during the next decade. But by the time measures can be taken to build a city by-pass and A.2 nts are com- pecs Canterbury will have swallowed up by Kent. On Monday Ald. Robert : er, chairman of Kent Council Committee, said: ‘One of our tasks is to find the cheapest method of solving neste Son prom because nell's is t comfortable level Ks ade ‘This means that after 1074 Canterbury people could be sub- sidising road improve: in other of the county when there Is already heavy pressure to bring better roads to our. area. Speaking ata Press confer- ence Ald. Cooper said the coun- paeaaatcl! Bape vel recelyed no ¢ from the government on pe to MD the influx of lorries from the Common arket countries Canterbury and nearby vil- lages are still gravely con- y lice Ke op 20mp.h. speed t Bridge pposed — At JOUGH Kent's Chief Constable, Sir Dawnay Lemon, is against a 20 m.p.h. speed eit for Bridge, he is prepared oper, the to step up radar speed traps. chairman of Kent County on Monday. At a County Hell ference, Cllr. ODES committee was backing Brid; demand for a lower speed “We are doing our best— leasen the danger from speed-| ped that Mr, John Peyton, Minister for Transport || Industries, would look at oes problem sympathetl+ Cilr. Cooper admitted that some of the 4,000 miles of roads’ that the County Council had to maintain were bad, whe others were good, and lorr, ry drivers would take those most nulted for them. It was a dificult problem, but in about a month ule co mittee would be starting an ex riment around Hawkhurst, envy Jorries would be unable to use several roads which would have weight restrictions imposed on them. that mw i, a success, It woukl be put operation all over the r : “The pressui on roads in Kent Is Rreuiee- doug, At the same time, we have the pressure on the cn- aon as not only. are we talked about as the *Gateway to Europe,” but. also as the ‘Garden of England, 5 “We have the Common Mar- ket for the future and we have tho environment, and we must balance the two. » Cllr. Robert Council’s Roads Committee, revealed “GOOD THING» ie There are now mény more Hae pengs ‘societies, which ie Se thing: "'Preseryation soc! ut they (J doing a good thing. “They have made us think -more about the environment, which does make us very, very \eareful of what we are doing. We usually consult these groups | before doing anything now, and think we have a good [zelationsh ip with them,” he sald, ‘ After the reorganisation of local gove font the County Council will be the Nog authority for the wholo of Kent, and already it hax set up work- ing parties of surveyors to work out, as an academic exercise, the best way of handling road roblems in Kent, for everyone Kent, in order to get the best for as little money as possible. e “Cllr. Cooper was concerned /that the roads of Kent and ‘those of the country were not spent on them, money. We have to compete n for achemes ng over a quarter of a million Ponane and enone for under hat amount,” ho 2 ~The committee also had to compete - other Os tee nts like the Education mumittee and the | Services, getting thoir fair share of money “There is competition for STILL SAME Out of £1,797 million collected | in motor taxation in 1970, in- cluding purchase tax, petrol tax and licensing, only about £609 million had actually been spent on roads. And the ratio was)! still the same, “It is not a great deal, I} think people ought to become more aware of what should be ent on roads today,” said Cllr, ooper, explaining that it costs £1 million a mile to build a motorway. “T am a little wofrled that} the roads of this county and) country are not getting their) fair share,” he added. Of the dilemma facing Kent, Mr. Smith said: “There are principal roads which are in «a triblo state —- but it will be years and years bofore anything can be done about them.” He gave the A28, which runs through Ashford and Canter bury to Margate, ag an example of a principal road which could Ei compared with a country jane. “We have ao survey proceed- ing for it, but it is nowhere on the rity list,” he said. ‘ gernaut traffic in spite of the promised A.2 by-passes. yaa ere already of specially rec mended roads for lorsies, ana: ut the county council have chosen the Hawkhurst area foe an experiment to restrict heavy lorries from travelling on local It is proposed that working of surveyors will be set col parties _ cerned over the effects of Jug-wrup.to study the best Way of ving road problems in Kent FAIR Ald. Cooper also added that local authorities were not jot ting their fair share of money to spend on major road works. Canterbury and the A.2 could get some relief from new plans to extend the A,20 trunk road to Dover. Mr. Allen Smith, County s : ls y Sur- veyor, said: ‘If this roposal goes through there will be two main routes from the Channe! ports to London — the A.2 and the A.20. "The trouble is the A.20 js already overloaded,” Ald. Cooper added that the face of the county would change tremendously over the next ten years and they would be faced with more problems over road patterns. He forecast that the Medway ports may become the busiest part of Western Europe when Common Market trade flow, rishes. : Access to Medway from Canterbury is along the A.2 and M.2 which already carries a vast ammount of traffic. Ald. Cooper admitted that the counly would have a ‘‘definite problem" when increased num- bers of long ditance Jorries begin to travel through Kent. He added he was satisfied the county council was doing every- thing possible to control the problem of over-weight and long distance vehicles. ‘ er ey * disc and qualliled prohibition notice at each end of the village. | If that evokes squeals from rt firms about how they 0} is Fp nee thelr business, If » ey Insist in conve: oft freight which shou be re taken by railway, it is up to The delights pm, to no what the " f o do over a century ago, | Le, buy up, outright, a Pp of ee lana, ng beauty - spots, - and construct, at thelr own ex- Tho pense, a ca eway from for which all other road users can. rightfully be excluded, : - environment ¥ _ Vicinity of our It cannot be stated too often truthful we all or emphasised sufficiently that routed aye Q the cost of upk and repair and sdun of tho Queen's Highway 4s @ concern for charge upon the diminishes os the iways happen to bo f which includes the tributing to their own. bank- (which are to ruptey), Bd Why should we, the rate- Toute should be payers, “subsidise ‘motortrans- More nearly oqy the end of Cony Port and accept iclous principle tho jof the motor-trade, to crete jungle without « thought? My a jes to NGF. for of tho having in Bridge for 10 ent cere only, but I was unaware driv- that one Yaa to qualify, having been lod to believe that the ri to ih Miers! freely was one of freedoms on which our socloty E. J. HOLDEN. ible 26 Conyngham Lane, Bridge. The recent decision — Department of the Envy: no aan one wonder hat © use of an area boing designated a “National Park,” and whether the Depart- ment of the Environment is not laying itself open to suspicion of paying lip-service to amenity conservation whilst in fact act- ing. in favour of motomtrade rests. ; | have ‘found, recen Pare thero is peta 44 movemen 7 servation socletics, whereby it is no doubt hoped that pe can be eine ane onaretcne (to ang ‘arch. Pe aa titey: f tall any indignant is permccuted m otorist who would no doubt like to dub these comments as the vapourings of a bigoted anti-motoring crank, may I say that I have held a clean driving licence for 55 con- secutive years, and driven some half-million miles. W. H. SPOOR. 2, Stour Vill, Stour Street, Canterbury. dt to a con-- genet Sir, 4 May I comment 6n the Bridge by-pass letters? Three correspondents live in the High Street and pe pre- sumably therefore — nefit from the remoyaliof traffic from their front 5 on the south side of the A2 and have, it seems, a personal interest In seeii a northern line used. The er correspon- dents ask for a by-pass for personal social reasons, - Personal concern in some of the letters then proceeds to personalities, and inaccurate statements are accompanied by (even couched in) immoderate language. For these reasons (among others) a public inquiry Is not only desirable but imperative: an impartial assessment based hp 4n objective appraisal of the acts, My own motives are serious! called in question. A nort route, as at present projected, would run some yards to the north-east of my ouse and those adjacent. It would be in ao deep cutting: traitic would be out of sound The sky-line would not suffer. The route would be an advantage to.all the propert: in this area, my own included. R, J. HOOKE. White Gates, Patrixbourne. ! ; } | { hundreds of g live the ne eee a Me, the remarks being Mr, Lewis and others that to criticise the pro- posal other than in minor detall will force a public enquiry and so delay the project months or even years, that he, or his group, ex, the posal the M. would ve in mind would be to build @ full scale motorway, in fact at a specification better than the M2, across the Nailbourne Val- ley so that where it crosses the end of Con Lane it would be 16 feet above ground and where rete the ume Road and the feet above level ae Muir-Little refers, as ppens, app rately, to the Nailbourne Protedinn ety. [am a life member of that society and in so was asked to fill in a question- naire su; ec an Sppropuiate use for the funds remaining with the society, The winding up of the Nail- bourne Protection Society did of course take place early in 1972 and in completing © ques- tionnaire I posed that they might use ir funds to pro- tect the Nailbourne Valley from being despoiled by uny unaccep- table by-pass proposal. Unfortunately, the Nailbourne ‘ratectio: Py n Society and the A2 Grow aes wear different hats but they fit the same heads. Turning to more general mat- ters, I it fair to say that all residents in Conygham Lane have been ‘amsociated with the A2 Group at least financially and some of us havo supported it with our feot and our bot- toms. It cannot therefore be said that the people most concerned have in any way bilked the issue or are ndw showing a degree of self-interest which is cynical) opposed to the public interest. x number of people badly affected are retired and have sunk « substantial part of their life savings into those properties. They had every intention of living out their days in a quiet semi-rural locality and were not anticipating a decibel intru- sion on thelr peace and quiet or @ motorway for scenery, Incklontally, while mentioning the question of solf-intorest, why are so many of your correspon dents shy abeont their full postal address? All of them have numbers and most live in F High Street. G. F. STONEHAM al ridge 20 Conyngham Lano, ‘Tot Ave opin ion completed up to motorway standards. There is a small piece of double ay at kirk completed and another Ladd at al nee Harbledown truction, There is a douvle is carriageway from Bishopsbourne to Barham created at enormous expense and road improvements at u Hill, These represent the sum total of all the work the County Council, as the of the up a road building pro- gramme that is now totally out of date? David Crouch and the A.2 hte will, no doubt, soldier on. We hope, eventually, that they will get their message through and that we the people of Canterbury will be able to get into and out of our own city, pen auertion seared by Me ar Stoneham. — Neither I nor the A2 Group Prencloants expected the Ministry 10 PF setter ny cial ein, a i scale motorway, at, a speci- rey "st on better than the M2. The Titions. a pH off 4 inomaey Lane deed, I may well ask we what. (renamed Conyngham Lane), . iridge. since no on whotscevat been made » Sources, of the tion in|) to the subject by the the lottor ware t ty Bead " Area ; and the Brid He will note, orev that I Bianning Site ince i — ngper ss Be that. ctoclalocsy Burveyor's office, bo at Can- reg pte n gems, anata Te. cxtieolt Hom. te wltor Line. “Fea "anabliom sar Ad SH asen at ae whloh, I remnin “purerey ronte for 20 plus, as it 1s]. hee pioerarae oat be rs ern residents road, those are, y have not been asso- sent day 8 rds, at least | Gated with with the A2 Grou finan- 1 120ft., wide jee pal be cok ene APpORS : e res ies 31) may be). “route. It so happens that I have lived Beiage, all ye) life, jane feel m™m) jut to rm é new- r that the northern route proposals adopted, and notice the total cteregara to the safety and wel- of the village community from those, now objecting. They would do well to remem- ber that the electorate of Bridge voted by 127 to nil to amendm, indicates the resi- as such roves the undesirabil of a ford-up bye Jocal public inquiry. BRIAN A LEWIS (Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Group). wi Villas, 1 High Street, Bridge. ‘a Society has not been wound up it rept wits > at q in ts» your coven a. Er ston who taller down in arate rege. tha: searches done when one lives in - another area. It is of little con- cern where the. solicitor used for the purpose . practises — his sources of information are un- changed. The | Nailbourne Protection —it is active with many mem- bers and useful financial re- sorves, Excess funds were re- cently returned, The society could not have been wound up in’ early 1972 as it was only formed then, I wonder how Mr, |~ Stoneham can be a life member of a wound-up society? Except for one person, the society and the AZ Group active members are quite ‘allverent people. Tu iz to another letter, I recall the opposition to an un- controlled pedestrian crossing. I opposed that myself because I thought it a grave danger to} those using it. I did not op ppene a pelican crossing, though I think it may prove hazardous, I did oppose the resiting of the bus stop right outside my front door and the destruction of the shrubbery because, as the owner of a listed promerty of architectural in- erest, I have a duty imposed by Parliament in which can claim help from the county “to | preserve ane where possible en-| hance . . peda tie and its immediate adjacent on-! vironment.” Consultation with the Ministry of Environment representa- tives and others soon resolved | the problem and Mr. Holden | may have seen the sign lying | ready for erection in the pre- served shrubbery. I’m sure that no-one minds newcomers having their say, What they should not try to do is teach their grandmothers to} suck eggs. | NORMAN FOWLER River House, Bridge. | an eae cea ia Cine TP oe Fs ile ee a ee he abe “Taye nig o Heit i feds ieee mati Sa a be Reger i 4 t i bie ea i ei- abe i Sabet ge goats & eu3 & hp Se aae ee Base, a2 8 lic: GAM TCD sella slit Ua f consid i ehore have all, the 0 now suggest al tes and schemes been hiding their ideas and opinioor: asringg all this time? Surely it is a mattor Pe) and man Bae erent 306t. joutaide Se a : p, hotise. | bse wads thi the ¢ gaa that have across the parkland where ; happened so fa: aenew con VAS a El 4 _ Ministry of So all the We lived" in anage whlch made. Wow’ be find if any in- varicators ah Fel anit ‘in ml ‘; kept 0 dedee sits with photo- spared them thets daughter's life. and ‘ners mon hat Next/ time it could be one of \tional | t the other shops shops — Liptons 1 for in- ve it Stabe, in in ave your nearest ae volve dearest. Or maybe you don’t : fel gaa seo, shop shat while _Or perhaps you don’t care, | Be. bet ine ete win couaAd®® PURCHESE. a ba Cat . situation. ~ ‘otners must Bekesbourne. Ce 4 ne a . (Entering the Port) 4,006,935 4 5.15% Increase 41.68% Increase Chairman; Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- M411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 13.1.1973 Clir. Robert Cooper, Chairman: KCC Roads Committee, Kent House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, Kent. Dear Mr. Cooper, I feel that you and your Department have had more kicks than ha'pence during the past year, so I am happy to write with congratulations over your Press statements recently when you pointed out the problems of Kent following entry to the EEC, and how the government had given no lead on solutions to your problems. The figures released by Dover Harbour Board make depressing reading for anyone thinking of the access routes; 52.40/ increase in comercial freight vehicles for the month of November, and 46.27% increase for the year up to November. You will know from Brian Lewis that we submitted a Petition to the Department of the Envirnoment, suggesting the minimum requirements in the interim (before the by-passes are completed) should be 20mph. speed limits through the danger spots, checks on weight and road-worthiness at the ports, and a grant to the Kent Police to enable proper supervision on the A2/420 -tithe cost to be bomrne by government as part of the costs of entry to the EEC. There has been a studied silence from Marsham Street on this subject, and doubtless - were you able to comment freely - you would agree at County level. However, we are mounting pressure within Parliament to shift our administrators off their complacent perch; and would be grateful for any relevant information that can be given us to help in this matter. Obviously Kent should be given an immediate grant so that some attempts can be made to bring roads up to minimum requirements, although with 52.40% increases, it is difficult to see how any authority can catch up however belatedly with events. On January 14th. 1962 I wrote to the then Minister "I should be grateful for an early reply, since events have a way of out- stripping preparedness". We are really still waiting. Yours sincerely, John hese: Chairman, A2 Group. The A 2 Group Chairman; Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to;- Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 13.1.1973 D. Crouch Esq., M.P., House of Commons, London SW1 Dear Mr. Crouch, I hope you have had a welcome break during the past weeks, and are all set for the new Session ! The figures just released by the Dover Harbour Board make depressing reading: heavy goods vehicles have increased by 52.40% for the month of November, andfrom Jamary-November the increase is 46.27%. There has been a studied silence from Marsham Street over our request for safety measures in the period up to 1975/6 when the by-passes of the villages should be completed. To break this silence we feel that only pressure through Parliament can possibly be effective (although I have to add that should there be another tragedy such as happened in Bridge, this would create a storm of protest that might produce results - but in circun- stances nuch to be deplored). ; We are extremely grateful to you for the pressure you have exerted A both officially and unofficially, but could we ask you to once again mount an attack on inaction! The problem may indeed need special legislation, but surely that is not insuperable as a problen. I have alerted the Liberal Chief Whip to the situation, drawing his attention to your excellent speech (29.11.1972), the Dover Harbour Board's figures and the general laisser-faire of the Department. If you, Mr. Rees (for Dover), and others could combine the attack we might get somewhere. In the meantime we in the A2 Group will try to publicise matters again. I believe that BBC Radio Medway has been touch with you | to see if you can take part in an open-ended discussion on the road A2 in two to three week's time. They have been down here preparing a half hour programme to go out the night before giving the views of villagers, so that the discussion has a basis for talk. / Yours sincerely, ccs) John hese: Chairman, A2 Group. Chairman; John Purchese, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Brian A. Lewis, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- M411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 13.1.1973 The Chairman, D.R.A.G., 596 Rochester Way, Eltham, London SE9 Dear Peter, We have just received ahead of publication the figures from Dover Harbour Board for heavy goods vehicle movements for November, the increase on the previous year is a st 52.40%, with the period January-November showing an increase of 46.27%. Nearly all this TIR traffic is coming past us on its way to you! In view of this I have contacted both our M.P., Mx. David Crouch and the Liberal Chief Whip, David Steel; asking them to protest loudly in Parliament over the government inaction in protecting the villages. Might I suggest you have an instant smash at your Member, and also Greenwich Council putting these figures to then. It might pay you to mount a Census fairly soon, so that you have base figures to show increases as the year progresses. If you want Brian can send you up a sample form we used. : Please let us know how you are doing. Any response from Radio London to the Radio Medway programme? Yours sincerely, f ? A John’ Purchese: Chairman, A2 Group. aft: ¥.0. BLATT. sj oaches to the village’, Now despite encouraging | signs’* A 2 Group says it" “Due to the Department of Environment's inaction be are vat, : Partlament Por Lewis SILENCE _ bead | 4 ft In the letter he says: “To break ‘this silence we feel that only, Environ ment Department's head Perhaps naively there has been mild surprise expressed here and there that life has not become markedly different for the ordinary citizen. sinc ‘Britain joined the Com et on January 1. There a different state of affairs i Kent. As the natural sally port between the Continent and Britain the county feels that implicitly it has been part of Europe for a long time. And, as cross-Channel trade and passenger traffic has boomed over the past few years, Kent has undergone a number of changes together with a few shocks as its life-style has adapted rather hurriedly to-the new demands No enterprising chain store at a Kent ferry port would, these days, dream of being with. out French-Speaking staff. The day trips taken by French, Belgian, and Dutch groups, sometimes individual shoppers, have become famous. The South Yoast hotels have become popular for “le weekend,” and Europeans are searching out holiday homes and farms in the more luscious corners of the Kent countryside—and some- times’ forcing. up an already expensive mafket. Why-are so many Dutch bulb-growers settling on “the Romney Marshes? It transpires that Dutchmen are setting up their second sons there because Jand is cheaper than in Holland and conditions are suitable for the trade Traffic problem Those are some of the more amiable facets of being a Clap- ham Junction of the enlarged Common Market. Unhappily for Kent, however, the county is also being pounded and polluted by-a-wholly unforeseen flood of the TIR trans-Continental trucks which are now streaming in and out of the Channel ports all the year round with large numbers of holiday cars adding an extra dimension to the problem in the summer, The phenomenal growth in cross-Channel @ traffic using the ship ve-on eo everybody offside. It will be some years yet before new motorway routes ere prepared to funnel the traffic to the east and the south of the Greater.London area. The M2 motorway stops short half-way across Kent and there are no plans to continue it as a proper motorway to Dover: The route will be improved piece-meal by building dual carriageway. To its credit the county council pressed strongly in the past for a full motorway to Dover on that route. Instead, the more southerly M20 (which by-passes Maidstone) is to be developed as motorway from south London to Folkestone with the inten- tion that one day it will pass the entrance to a Channel! tunnel. The trouble with planning the future of Kent as Britain's front door to new Continental part- ners is that uncertainty has clouded most major issues until recently, and still obscures some of them. The Maplin Airport project has now been decided and’ Kent is already talking with the Government about a crossing of the lower Thames. Maplin and its associated com- munity are going to need to draw upon Kent resources, Meanwhile, Kent and Essex have together begun building a second tunnel alongside the Dartford tunnel. It will cost £1.8m. and will be paid for entirely by tolis without cost to rate-payers of either county or to tax-payers. While Kent fulminates against an inadequate motorway system for the volume of European traffic routed through the tounty the prospect of ra Channel tunnel is the random card which appears in all discussions and calculations. Cheriton, near Folkestone, has been accepted by the Govern- ‘AUVVAY APOANLos aq (HM AWunod ay jo aanyny Te) ‘Snput oy ‘adoing jo ysar ayy WM sey juoy jeu) suonedjunu WOO WwOT]99X9 VY} JO Spaepurys o4d OL dn yysnoig aq ued pure OUTY YStsUT oy WIM suones PTUNuiMOD JT “peoye seat uvod OIND OY} JOAO Ajadsoad su SBOIOUL TIM aJep 0} pasadsoid ey IY ADsnpur yysI ‘ssayayy ADAON “YO-AR] sd} UM SIQeitaour 4 asuyede inoqry toy puewop euUIWUNS OY} BUeTeq JouURD tins SUMO} WOSOY “uyEWa sjods 98M “OpLoop sed oy) aaao uon Bulojsues ey uty jo snpur ‘autosin« Jainb & auogzapun 2° “ened am ony Oy) Ter SME ree a A294 B—ueU UOISUIdIO posioura ‘JWor aut ye oysnq asor es ‘ bue uspres jury ay) ur ysnq a ripple in Kent where the esol 8 WIM somoYy Peyrejop vounty of 1,400,000 people will “Wares JO SyoeT} woIy ‘soggy ayy de usefully divided into districts ur ‘Jaye] yonw puy “paiqnop ef between 80,000 and 100,000 uowurdig jo uoneindod population. The major change is that the city of Canterbury will be merged with the county. put pe changes will spanks i ministration to be overhau dAOUvys prepare for future challenges. Control of development is going to be the over-riding considera- / SU: in Kent in the years to come if the county js to fulfil its role as a great through route for trade with Europe and to flourish industrially and com- erciallly while, at the same time, practising sufficiently ctive conservation to keep its title as “The Garden of ; England." —— ose | : uo jeu) Ansnpuy 3431 uzopour Ajasmoid st “SYIOM JULId pur *sasnoy { 1X8) “stuay peed are inadequate = By ROY NASH” i os Ve | Routiat Oe The fastest train from Lon- might fairly claim to be the present lead from nowhere’ to’ from the European exercise, The don to Dover takes 1} hours, just worst * serviced port in the nowhere, and a rail service that fastest line links*with. Charing two minutes shorter than the country, bearing in mind its is overburdened by the com- Cross via Ashford, .crowded by time it takes to get to Birming- immense importance to passen- muter traffic pouring daily in day— industry 4 : munications with thefwould seem a need for a cross- industry. Medway i exist at Lydd, RAF]country motorway link that Given ‘such © improvements, by nade d Ashford Airport at} would take the Dover traffic, the county can look forward to a ations. The ‘ough handling an in-fand that of the other Channe! prosperous European future. e fallen giant i i airs n ss close by, but le crificism must be tha en fed) directly into cro outh-east London.” The Di A “Tubrel gives access to’ both inside and outside the county. This’ might then link with the rest of the motor- way system to the west of Lon-. don, giving clear: access to the Midlands and North. The prospect of any further increase in heavy Continental road transport, let alone the con- siderable increase that can be expected through Dover, raises” both environmental and cost problems. As American exper-, jence has shown, no road system is any good if it Is continually clogged by traffic. Unless the” roads to the Kent coast are im- proved still further, the motor- ways will become even more congested. Still worse, much of the traffic-may escape through the narrow roads of the Kent q ae cannes i here in the ° erness part of their $¢ across the Atlantic. THIS is what happens when a glant lorry crashes on one of the country's most important trade routes — especially when its not much wider than when the Romans built it, A2 traffic at Lydden \} was held up for seven hours on Monday when this truck bound for Dover, overturned on th: ice. No one was hurt, bul traffic had to take to th lanes to avoid the villas: _ for village _ Fourth serious incident within 18 months JRREAKFAST-TIME terror was caused at Lydden on Monday when a 32-ton juggernaut thundered into a pair of roadside cottages before overturning into the A2, blocking the road for more than seven hours, Windows shattered an - FELT VIBRATIONS BI aes? Mi yidien Scat 8 Cae end Gwendonae house whe: | actor unit comin from the opposite direction. The lorry veered across the||| continuous. They won't knocked downi|| satisfied until they kill some narrow A2, the wall of 65 Canterbu one. Mrs. Hilda Godden, aged 65, ‘ot 09 Canterbury Road, the front doo: and telephones in the area The lorry toppled aide, ppyliing its cargo righ’ acroas the road, on to the ite) two lorri pavement on ¢t op} side, Mombers of the Junior|j the before Inf had touched in o similar In cident. Mr Kenneth Deaves, 6 nearby Old ih saw a Pace unit ; m, “He touched the kerb and side oy t A 30-ton German juggernaut lorry blocking the main London-Dover A2 road in the village of Lydden, Kent, yesterday after it had been in colli- sion with a tractor. The lorry, which was carrying a 19-ton load of paint, damaged two cottages and brought down telephone and power lines. It was the fourth juggernaut crash there in 18 months. ER Re CO | Ditakgepes 23 1-73 AMBER AND RED LORRY CURB PLAN By DAVID HARRIS Political Staff PROPOSALS for “red zones" in towns from which heavy lorries would be prohibited, would have to be submitted to thr Government by Jan. 1, 1977, by a new advisory council under a Conservative M P's Bill published yesterday. The proposed Advisory Cour Gl on’ the Regulation of Heavy Commercial Vehicles wo also recommend that certain areas should be designated « “amber zones" in which the lorries would be restricted. The Heavy Commercia) Vehicles (Controls and Regula tions) Bill has been introduced by Mr Hugh Dykes, M P for Har row East, who came second in the ballot this session for private Members’ time. It is duc to be debated on Feb. 2. Other MPs who have prob lems “with juggernauts in their constituencies and some lead local politicians, including chair men of highways committees, have been involved in the pre patation of the Bill. Mr Dykes hopes to get Gov ernment support for some of the proposals, particularly the set- ting up of the advisory council. The counc! would have to consult with the local authority. the police, hauliers, industrialists and preservation societies before bringing forward its proposals for an area. Draft “ map” It could do this before Jan. 1. 1977, but by that date it would have to issye a draft national! map of control zones. It would then be up to the Environment Secretary to accept, reject or modify the individifal proposals. Mr Dykes said yesterday: “ The Bill acknowledges what the public is increasingly feeling about heayy vehicles—that they | are vital for our economic well- being, but that they have to be | subjected to sensible controls if life % to be tolerable in many | arcas “Tt is not enough to leave these Sentiments just to volun- tary cooperation, although yol- untary schemes do have a role | to play in some cases.” =| The Bill, which has all-party support, also prohibits lorry parking on verges and footpaths. The maximum fine on summary conviction would be ———— S| etter of Decembé letter to Mr.Keith Sp es « Thank you also for your letter of December 15th. I was interested to learn of the meeting of Council of Bridge and the proposal which meeting and carried unanimously. I am well re of the voices now being raised in protest against the proposed by—pass,particularly by those persons living on the North Side of the A.2 and in Patrixbourne. I had tO point out to them- that it has always been my intention to do every- thing I can to speed up the development of the A.2,which includes the buiiding of the by-passes of 1 villages. At the same time, it has never been my intention that the “voice of any protester to any such planning should not be heard. That is the law of the land and the procedures do allow for peoples' voices to be heard, even by means of a local Public Enquiry,if the Minister should so decide. A I have therefore written to Mr.Keith Speed,pointing — out that whilst I have heard of these protests sent to me by some of my constituents and I consider that it is only right that they should have their voices heard, I do st née same time hope that this can be accomplished without introducing any further delay in the construction of the by-pass. I have also passed him a copy of the letter, dated December 16th,1972, from the Clerk of the Parish Council of Bridge,which records the resolution and its vote. it Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis,Hsa., Weston Villas', i, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. mt came to rest . . + @ commonplace occurrence in a village where residents cir view to include crashes—or the scars ofearlier mishaps. ora i Oe ve yo lee of Lydden! sa BY-PASS DEMAND RENEWED FOR “CRASH ALLEY’ FINRAFFIC was diverted through village lanes ar Lydden for seven hours after another TIR juggernaut, head- ing for the docks, overturned and completely blocked the A2 in the centre of the village. Pirst calls for assistan were delayed because the lorry brought down telephone lines, The British-owned lorry overturned after it was collision with a Turkish lorry going in the opposite dire tion, No one was hurt but car drivers and villagers walking nearby bad narrow escape The accident brought renewed demands for the speeding up of a by-pass for Lydden, and other village along the A, It occurred at the 1IT-foot wide bottleneck known locally as “crash alley." The overturned Seanin lorry —- a 29 tonner — was owned by a London haulage eompany, One of the directors, Mr, Seymour Grann, said: “ This accident emphasises the in- adequacy of the road system to the major ports of the country. “It again shows the need for a by-pass at Lydden and other villages along the A2." | The driver of the lorry Zi-yearcld Hans Det Shulte. a German hring in Hatkney, said> “I saw the other lorry coming toward ds me. There seemed sufficient room but the othe drive pulled right over to his side — giving me too much clearance and apparently hit a wall “His lorry into the road and my unit dug into his which turned my unit and trailer over.” The other vehicle. the driving unit of a wa driven by Senoi Sell Istanbul. New ferry for T.LR. lorries oa cross - Channel ~™ ferry will soon be carry- ing massive lorries to Dover The Sealink ferry Re Baodouln — owned by Regic des Transports Maritimes being converted shily builders Wilton Feyenoord Schiedam, Holland, The conversion means (he “Wessel will have 90 to 100 metres of additional carry: capacity and be le to tad vehicles up to 4,10 metres height The ferry ts due to resume service on Saturday, li | April, and wil) make | crossings each day beiw Ostend and Dover, - openers — — PMG REGIONAL CONTROLLER (ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION) Department of the Environment (South Eastern) Edgeborough 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Telex 85335 AB Drese Guildford Telephone 0483 (Guildford) 71101 ext 280 J Purchese Esq Your reference Our reference The A 2 Group Mill Cottage DSE 200/09/1/TR 34/01 Bekesbourne 4 Se ee a ee ee ae Dear Mr Purchese LONDON-CANTERBURY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD A 2 14¢ I have been asked by the Under Secretary of State to thank you for your letter of 3 January 1973 about the above trunk road. 2. I am investigating the points which were raised in the petition which was handed to the Under Secretary by members of your Group on 12 December and will let you have a full reply as soon as possible. The third suggestion made in the petition regarding the supervision of the road by the Kent police has been referred to the Home Office, as the Department responsible for such matters, and you should therefore expect to receive a reply from that Department on this point. Yours sincerely “for Regional Controller j This peper is suitable for Dyeline photocopying Secretary Brenda Lippert $97 Rochester Way Eltham S E 9 01-850 8612 i “23rd January, 1973. ft Me Many thanks for ‘your letter and the information regarding vehicle movements. This was raised at an extra- ordinary meeting of the local Council Works Committee, Hh was convened to discuss our eight point safety plan the Rochester Way. As a result the Council are to make Bentations to the Dover Harbour Board, with a view to minimising the number of overweight vehicles using our roads. < The Borough Engineer has kindly given us the capeaey of the Rochester roy at a bl Where it is 24 ft q are fk eavy ‘VEiclees giving a flow of 5 336 D. Cou, per. Fann: Be almost 3 times the rated capacity. When We carried out eS some Checks, we counted 2,500 vehicles an hour, which seems to confirm the Councils findings. This peak figure is also in fact, near enough the saturation level for this road, so jam inerease would have to be measured in length of traffic am. . We have had a word with our M.P. Bill Hamling, and we are presenting our petition, which urges for the completion of the Dover Radial Route, to Parliament or, this Thursday, and we are hoping to see the Minister on th occasion. Perhaps the questions raised at the time, cafe ed with your M.P's protests in the House, may have. some effect, lets hope so. Rest assured we will keep you fully informed on the outcome. Your P. Welstead,| Chairman, By JAMES IRVINE NEW MOVES to slow down juggernaut lorries passing through the narrow main street of Bridge on the A2 trunk road on journeys _be- tween London and tne Con- tinent, were announced to- day. Transport Minister Mr John Peyton told Kent County Council: “I buve again examined the aripeess ton that 40 m-p.h. speed IlmJts be imposed on the trunk road approac to Bridge. “Whilst I still do not con- sider that these can be fully ed by the conditions of the A2 at this point, I am prepared, in view of the exceptional cir- cumstances of this case,. to agree to the necessary draft Order being published for public comment.” Last May a juggernaut crashed into ah0p6 al Bridge, narrowly missi ousewives, and killing Villagers have the ver. campaigned for a by-pass to be built immediately. Part of Each between Canterbury and Dover, the main street is under 18ft. wide, and there have been numerous near-misses” side of ao ~—--- = ae “7 ens =e : James Jecisoe A JUGGERNAUT on its way through Bridge, 13-2 New moves village, Ke Ib 273 The man who did everything The “Father” of Bridge- Blean Rural District Coun- cil and a member of the Kent Cea Council, Cllr. Alfred J. ‘oss, collapsed and died from a heart at- tack on Wednesday. At the time he was attending a County Council Roads Com- mittee site meeting at Chal- ck. Cllr. Ross, who was 70, was taken to Ashford Hos- pital but was found to be dead on arrival. ‘A well-known farmer at Out Elmstead, Barham, Cllr, Ross devoted all of his spare time to public service and this was re- warded in 1965 when he was awarded the M.B.E. in | the New Year Honours List. He seprementey Barham on the old Bridge Rural! District Council and then Bridge- Blean Council for 49 years and was preparing to cele brate his half-century of membership In 1974. He had been Bridge- Blean’s representative on the Kent County Counci) the A2 covers steep hills—with 70 mph limits, for 13 years and was plan: Protesting villagers, who ning to stand as ene nes formed the A2 Group, claim that the heavy lorries gather on the hills, and ignore the 30 pendent candidate organised County Council. Farm pupil Mr Peyton has to have the 40 mph draft Order “prepared and as Born at Lee, South Lon- quickly as possible. don, he spent three years as a farm pupil in Devon before moving to Out Elm- stead Farm with = his parents in 1917. He started with 40 acres which, during the war, swelled to 1,000 acres, in- ~eluding rented farms at Bishopsbourne. For the past few years he has been farming 260 acres. Originally, he was A dairy farmer and retailed milk in the area, but latterly he had concen- trated on raising pigs and cattle, as well as arable as Me In 1934, Cllr. Ross was appointed to the old Bridge District Council and for 10 years he was vice-chairman of that Guthority and then Bridge-Blean, taxing over as chairman for 12 years in 1945. During the war he was the district's chief evacun- tion officer, an area repre- sentative of the War Agri- cultural Executive Commit- tee, a member of the ARP. and was involved in the highly secret organization of a “resistance movement” which would have pperaten had the Nazis invaded Britain. He was also very active in the organisation of sales in aid of the Red Cross at Canterbury’ Market during the war. As o councillor he was renowned for his obdurate and dogged perseverance on 1? ia te polles oticers ‘his friends and family, al- April elections for the re | Council, since when he had Pp wi | been joint president. His “mombe' County Councell work ‘with the Administra. tive and Finance, Lands, Local Government, Ronds and = Smallholdings and Agricultural (of which he was chairman) committees. When he ve \P tho chairmanship of ridge- Blean he sald; "They say local government work is like a disease that gets into one's blood, I have always felt I have had the disease very badly for a very long time!" But pay though he was with lo government he still found the time and energy to devote to many other organisations, In the Twentles and Thirties he was chairman of a dramatic group that ut on shows to raise unds for the building of a village hall at Barham. He was chairman of the parish council from the Thirties up to his death and a churchwarden at Barham since 1956. A good singer, he had been a member of various church choirs for 50 years. He was an expert in the histo: of the area and hel, with the organisa- tion of vil fetes and the Gardeners’ ‘ He was a founder of Can- terbury Young Farmers’ Club and had been a mem- ber of the National Farm- ers’ Union for over 40 years. He was twice chairman and was an active campaigner in the great tithe agitation 37 years ago. He had been the Canterbu: branch treasurer for years, os well as representing the branch 6n several county committees. He was also a member of Canterbury Farmers’ Club. aS Ross Samay ebeol rage you: eople. e helped oceania his own vil- lage’s youth club, but he was particularly attached to the Scout movement. He was for 25 years, until his retirement last May, chairman of the Canter- bury and District Scout’ He made land available for Scout camps and often acted asa e assessor. He was one of the prime movers in the building of « £4,000 District Scout head- quarters in Sturry Road and in 1957, on the centen- ary anniversary of Lord Baden-Powell’s birth, he Inid the building’a founda- tion stone, His work for the move- ment was recognised in 1965 when he was awarded the Scout Medal of Merit. He was a founder-mem- ber In 1931 of the Enst Kent branch of the Camping Club of Great Britain which has since held summer rallies each year on his land. In addition, he was at one time a member of Can- terbury Rotary Club and for some years a General Commissioner of Income Tax. He was for many years a St. Augustine's Division magistrate, a governor of et Secondary _ School, the Kent Farm Institute and Canterbury College of Technology, as well a8 & manager of Barham Pri- mary School. He had a great love for shooting, a sport that he took up later in life. He helped form the Broome Shoot 24 years ago, of which he was recently clec- ted chairman for life. In recent years he also took up trout fishing, about which he was enthusiastic, although it did not rival his keenness for shooting: Clir. Ross’ seemingly tire- less energy, even thou h he had in recent years suffered from heart trouble, amazed though close friends had been trying to get him to give up much of his public work. Married in 1932, he leaves na widow, two daughters and Base ome ertahkitAran i “it | make mph signs Present, — c.c. BA Lewis Esq, Secretary of the A-2 Group COUNCIL OFFICES OLD DOVER ROAD (Entrance trom Cossington Road) CANTERBURY, KENT _ BRIDGE BLEAN RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL TELEPHONE: CANTERBURY 66411 (4 LINES) 16 February 1973 Dear Councillor The funeral service for the lete Councillor A J Ross will be held on Wednesday the 21 February 1973 at 3.00 pom. at St John the Baptist Church, Barham followed by private cremation. Family flowers only. Donations to the Barham Church Fund Yours sincerely | Filo oe Clerk of the Council To: All Members of the Council Sage county council have lered some drivers not to proceed until their loads have been reduced. Five unannounced checks have been carried the Common Market. TIR LORRIES Campaigners for better conditions on me A Sar grossly overladen are a danger espec in narrow roads like Bridge, near Canterbury. They want more stri- ngent controls on the TIR lorries, whose numbers on the trunk road have increased enormously in the past three years. 62 vehicles weighed in the five checks, 34 were English. Of these 19 were overloaded and six were Jed until the loads were lightened. Foreign vehicles have the 38 stopped by police ped by ce and directed to the Canterbury Corporation welghbridge at King- smead Road, 21 were overloaded, Five were forbidden to continue pe pe hed. nee aod = St. Peter’s roundabout was blocked for several hours after the 32-ton lorry overturned. KH. 3o4-29 Careless lorry driver blames | road camber | A CLAIM that St Peter’s roundabout, Canterbury, was motorious throughout Kent for its adverse road See ene Rs made ring ame on Friday. It_came from Mr. John atransport ML Roberts, Fad a of 23 High View | Close. Boughton, who told) the city magistrates: “It is) ge an one ea everyone ent who regularly drives round it knows what it is Ilke.” A distance lorry Acie Uaeoare G. South- gate, of 45 Crowlands Avenue, Romford, had denied driving carelessly on St. Peter's roundabout on September 24, Mr. David Roebuck, pro- secuting, sald that just after noon Southgate was driving his loaded 32-ton lorry along the A2 towards Dover. At the roundabout the lorry overturned. Mr. Roberts said he had driven behind the lorry all the way from Boughton, On Rhelms Way they overtook some f un vehicles and stay in the offside lane. SLOWED DOWN |. They had been travelling at between 37 and 40 m.p.h. and slowed down as they reached the roundabout. “The lorry came to a standstill to By the road gleary 2 pee Mr. SNe iy. “He sto and I had to pip tafe) Deh! nd him, He then to go round the Se tgahont at a normal speed. Then the tandem wheels started aed up one at a time and the lo turned over.” orders iwo- pass wy The Secretary of ate for dered. pubiie inquiries to be public in held into two Sontroverslal schomes in the Can- terbury The poarink for Hi edown + to be held in Yate. i ana for the £1 milion struction Unit at | confirmed to My ‘ ish Gazette" that ries would be held but that certain dates were not yet as Yhap ts for the “ose nearing not been Neidoe of sine ainguiy, for for the Bri to Da eereor of the A2 Group who have campaigned for 10 years for the by-pass and who thought they were on a terns of success. ub! sonetlng was held a te yey in Decomber goed exosctt from the Department of tho Environmen County Council to explain details of the plan in a bid to meet objections and so do away with the necessity for a public pen pod But the inquiry has been oraaceas Sheet: Bildsten strong feeling in Br' _ ges) onyngham ne and Bridge the two areas leven to the by-pass —and in nolghbour-_ ing Patrixhourne, The bulk The Departmont is bo- lieved to have received nearly 100 objections to the scheme, although some of them are on technical do- tails. However, the bulk of them are demanding that the by-pass elther do- layed to link up with Can- terbury’s or to switch tho by-pass south of the village, running down the old Elham Valley railway line and then cutting through | plotureaque Bourne Park to | rejoin the A2. owever, the Department iteelf, Kent County Council, Bridge-Blean Rural District Council and parish councils of Bridge and Bishopsbourne are gener- ally in favour of the north- ern route on both engin- eering and environmental grounds, Patrixbourne Parish bosaeee says it cannot sup- | Po the northern route be- es of its effect upon Pad Park and because pets not satisfied that all alternative routes have | Been considered. = Trunk road Paty one “hv gn tie os eeelnl ec justi have ten ears pee huaueenai lorries. However, a report in your newspaper Wan. 23) mentions an equally serious problem which Is getting much less publicity. It refers to the nan London-Dover road being less than 17ft wide at Lydden, Kont. In view of all the planning involved in Britain joining the European Com- munities may one inquire when this disgraceful state of affairs on this main trunk route will be improved? D. H. PANTLIN Brussels, mt IDGE'BLEAN RURAL | UNCIL OFFICES, DOVER ROAD, ir sone FPNt CODBNOTON MORE) | 00 DB rABTE, AA CCA, HEEM A SURVEYOR Fu THACHMA’ MMU ne AME, OF PUDLIC HEALTH OM AMECTON: DNEWSTEN, FAR He 7 : Eno My Bean (4 UNER! 5 February 1973 Dear Mr Pusehése I understand that the lettering on the boarding to 90/92 High Street, Bridge is now beginning to look very "sad", Do you know when the owner intends to commence the renovation work? Yours s Engineer and Surveyor J Purchese Esq Mill Cot Bekes bourne Canterbury Kent | Lorries overweight 142-73 A. snap check on duxsernaut The offenders were 75 Re using the A2 Dover cent Continental register | London road, by Kent Weights lorries and 25 per cent Britis (and) Measures’ inspectors at The report came within hours || Canterbury showed that almost of — the Department of the levdereigne ¢ that eA prohibition Engronmgat ‘announcing erners fy tet them from °Fder to restrict traflic using the contin’ their journeys had to A2 on the approaches (o We bw serv yg Village of Bridge to 40 mph ABOU TURN ONTH A2! IN A complete rever- sal of past policy Transport Minister Mr. John Peyton has said that Bridge can have its 40 m.p.h. slow- down lanes on the A2 approaches to the vil- lage, and it may be unique in this. ‘This surprise about turn follows heavy pressure from A 2 Group campaigners and a promise from county roads chair- man Ald. Robert Cooper. And chairman of the A2 Group, Mr, John Purchese, who more than welcomes the news, said he believed Bridge could be made @ unique example and that Special legislation may have to wi to introduce the speed CAMPAIGN “This limit is one of the things we have been asking for during our ten years campaign,"' he said. ‘It ls a complete reversal of the Government depart- ment's policy. We were always told it was not possible to intro- duce low speed limits in open countryside where there was no apparent hazard.”’ In December al a public meet. ing called by Kent County Coun- cil to discuss Bridge by-pass Ald. Cooper promised villagers he would urge the Department of the Environment to Introduce speed Limits on the approaches to Bridge, and through the wil- lage itself. After strong representations Ald. Cooper has received a letter from Mr, Pey- Ko is. 24973 fon, the Minister for Transport Industries. The letter states: ‘I have again examined the that 40 mop.h. speed limits be imposed on the trunk road approaches to Bridge. “While I still do not consider that these can be fully justified by the conditions of the A 2 at | this point, I am , in| view of the exce; circum. | stances of this case, to agree to the necessary draft order being | published for public comment. ENQUIRY “lam arranging for this to be prepared and published as quickly as possible."’ Demands for slow down lanes Group's 2,000 Christmas Card rtition to the minister. Mr. "urchese added that it seemed at long last the ministry were recognizing the great perils experienced in Bridge. are sited about half way each hill. Speed limits may serve to help safety in the village until bare 47 pass is built. Mr. Purchese the Observer the public enquiry date over the by-pass fixed for 8, 9 and 10 May Bridge Place Country “I am confident that quiry will not hold up ing dale for the by-pass,"’ he sald. Mr. Purchese also claims that objections to the scheme are being raised solely by a break- away group at nearby Patrix- bourne “who are worried that their pi riies may devalue because of the road.” Residents of Conyngham Lane and Bridge Down have raised objections over the proximity of the Line of the road. E i é z : E 8 5 S « If they wanted proper cover. | | ; | 5 QUIET East Kent villages hidden away from the main routes to London are now facing the menace of giant TIR lorries, it was _ claimed this week. Villagers say the A20 ts becoming too crowded and too slow — and whe iggerna search- Fae malloc ak santas routes from the Channel ports. The claims are made by the A2 Group, the villagers’ organisation which Is fighting for better safety on the traffic route linking the end of the M2 bape Bal f at Brenley Corner wi! the coast. They say that TIR'S have recently been seen using a lesser road through Denton. The vehicles come ashore at Folkestone but instead of taking the A20 they cut through Hawkinge and Denton for the motorway. LOST Others trying to find a route through Deal and Sandwich have become lost and strayed into Patrixbourne. The A2 Group says the Statistics, issued by Dover Harbour Board, underline their fears. iene was a 46 per cent crease in heavys goods vehicles through Dover between September and November 1972, and a SCHEDULE | “Tam sure this by-pass will ahead on schedule,” he ig | “Bridge has become an embar. | rassment. I was told by Depart- | ment of Environment officials at | Gulldford that the whole situ. | take to the by-roads *0_ ation had become a political hot potato and the authorities want | fo gel rid of it as quickly as | possible, Commencing on the A 2} Group's fight with monster lor. | ries Mr. Purchese said he had been informed that some conti- | nental insurance ies had warned trucking firms to keep clear of the south part of the A 2 | “To get round this point some of the lorry drivers are making detours round Sandwich and through Littlebourne,’’ he added. “We are in close touch with people in these districts and we | have been asking for sightings on the number of lorries seen going through that area."’ Kent County Council's Roads Committee is currently working on plans for recommende routes for heavy transport Seas a sta per cent increane the month of November 1972 over November 1071. ines. would have & villagers ve a chance to speak to a Government minister about their worries and demands have been dashed. They say that Mr. Keith Speed, Under- Sec of State. re’ had promis d Canterbury by- pass when a deputation saw him in London before stated that little use could come of a visit while a But the A2 peg tthe acquired some new allies. It is linking with a similar protest group which is agitating for an M2 extension at the other end ~ 650 miles away in Eltham, in south east London. The next move by the A2 Group ts to hold a three-hour traffic census on roads out of Canterbu- ry. A public pay into the controversial Bridge by-pass scheme will take place at Bridge Place country club on May 8, 9 and 10. There will also be an inquiry into the Harbledown by-pass scheme about the same time. ate April one Se » 9th and 10th a of the Department of the _that White isn 0a o' and therefore 11 ensure © he © »» It goes without saying that we are iry has been found fo be necessary since ate is probable. a wii ti m 1so to have a public enquiry for their = 1 date is late April and it will be STs agi the biggest thorn in the side, Your se Christmas M.P. David Crouch arranged for x¥ 4 cretary of State to present the ie Ppa the meeting, Mr. Speed promised to visi — uation for himself, an announcement which wa nce then, what has happened? The City Council ter from the Department of the Environment which y consultants' report is still being considered, little & deputation visiting London or a Ministerial t is worth putting on record that the report 8 hands as long as 4 months ago. a oe tters, the Chairman and Secretary of the A2 Group : tee of the Dover Radial Action Group who are =} ension North of M2, at Rochester Way, Eltham. The ent are in for quite a shock when they learn that les apart, the two groups are in close contact over a lem on he same road. ; . st Dover Harbour Board figures underline our fears for all Pl ape in heavy goods vehicles through the port of en September and November 1972, and a staggering 52% increase h of November 1972 over November 1971. These are the kind of hich we have been predicting so they come 2S no-surprise. ¥ > recently heard that TIR's have been seen in Denton and rne. On making enquiries, it appears that they are now cutting rom Folkestone via Hawkinge and Denton to reach the AD at This is quicker than using the A20 to London. $ atrixbourne? We have had a report that one or more a1 insurance companies will no longer insure their vehicles to between Dover and Canterbury. A few are now journeying to Canterbury via Deal nd Sandwich, with the oda one getting lost in between and finishing up in Patrixbourne. We woula be pleased to hear from ‘ anyone who can confirm this report with sightings of TIR recently. Shortly the A2 Group are proposing to conduct a Traffic Census on the radial roads round Canterbury, in order to calculate traffic flows and destinations into and out of the City. We will of course need volunteers, and would be pleased to hear fro ’ anyone prepared to spend 3 hours in & good cause, kindly contact, Brian Lewis, Secretary, A2Q Group, 1, High Street, Bridge. STOP se A draft order has just been announced for PRESS 40 mph slow down lanes each side of Bridge, if a x ‘ f 4 if iia deer. 3 i fi * - at ‘Weston Villas', BRIDGE, Canterbury, Kent PRIVATE » Kent. 18th February 1973, r.S. Soilleux Esq., DMA., MILGA., Clerk of the Council, Bridge-Blean Rural District Council, Council Offices, Old Dover Road, CANTERBURY, Kent. Dear Mr. Soilleux, Thank you for your correspondence dated 13th February 1973, forwarded by recorded delivery to my father, I understand from the sketch plan at&ached that the form submitted is in connection with the "advertisement signs" displayed at 1 High Street, Bridge, with the slogans 'By-Pass Bridge you know it makes sense' and "Only 10 miles to M2', The rates at these premises are now in my mother's ame and since I am anxious to avoid involving her in my actiotis’””™” over the A2 issue, the signs have been removed. I feel that their presence has achieved the required publicity for the village of Bridge. The interim safety measures for which the A2 Group has been pressing are now a reality. As you know, last December we presented a petition of over 4,000 Christmas Cards to Mr. Keith Speed at Marsham Street, During . that meeting I asked him to again reconsider the request : (previously rejected) that Bridge be provided with 40 m.p.h. slow , down lanes on the approaches to the village. As you are aware, this has now been granted following further backing from Mr. Cooper. Illuminated 30 m.p.h. and 'Reduce Speed Now’ notices have already been erected, If my signs have contributed slightly to their adoption, my village owes a debt of gratitude to you and your Council for allowing them to remain for as long as they have. Between us we may have saved a life, Our main concern now is the pending public inquiry. Since the eyes of the national press will be on Bridge in May, I will write to you again just prior to that date, I return the forms unsigned and trust that it will now be unnecessary to submit the details previously requested, Thank you for your letter dated 16th February 1973, concerning the funeral arrangements of Clir., A.J. Ross, The A2 Group will of course be represented, Yours sincg#ely, ——“Ezlaa Ag aii a 2 & 4 i bP ‘i gD eicoeay RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL COUNCIL OFFICES, es. - OLD DOVER ROAD, mo THE COUNCA: 17 BORLEUN, OMS MLL aa, 4 [ENTRANCE FROM COMBMATON MORO) TREASUREM: 80.5 HASTE, AA CCA. AM VALACIS, IENOWIEEM A BURVEYOR: BO THACHAAY, C.EmOe MMM. Eu AMAHE. CANTERBURY, KENT BENION PUDLIC HEALTH WEPECTOR: A BrewsTEn, FAP : * rsh TELEPHONE: CANTEROURY O64) (4 UNES! Rer, se mer 15 /55/2/1 = 20 February 1973 Dear Mr Lewis TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1971 - SECTION 284 Thank you for your letter of the 18 February May I apologise right away for wrongly addressing the correspondence and I trust that you were not ’ unduly distressed On the broader issues, may I say my personal feelings are that the A.2 Group have done a first-class job and I trust they will continue to do so My apologies once again Clerk of—the Council BA Lewis Esq "Weston Villas" 1 High Street 5 Bridge, Canterbury : ats sy es eav : i i Z ons) bill. s you will- Reine: the above Private Members bil second “reading ant the "House recently, and is now in >. Nr Sie a been appointed to the Standing Co di, end asked me to write to you enclosing 5 given its Committee ittee examining | be most grateful if you could spare the ™ Metewaal - sais aan tbe pant Ss a 2 F Yours sincerely, (Miss I. Horton) ; Secretary to -o -_ 3 Heayy Commercial Vehicles (Controls and Regulations) Bill — EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 1. This Bill provides for the establishment of an Advisory Coussilagn A Regulation of Heavy Commercial Vehicles charged with the duty of submitting proposals to the perelay of State so that he may give directions for the making of traffic regulation orders to control the movement of heavy commercial vehicles. The Bill also enables traffic regulation authorities to prescribe routes to be followed by heavy commercial vehicles and enables them to take account of amenity considerations in further restricting access by such vehicles to roads in their area. In addition the Bill makes provision for the prohibition of heavy commercial vehicles from parking on verges and footways and enables drivers of overloaded heavy commercial vehicles to be required to remove the vehicles to a suitable place where they can be unloaded. 2. Clause 1 makes provision for the establishment of the Advisory Council and the Schedule to the Bill sets out its con- stitution and deals with administrative, financial and accounting matters affecting the Advisory Council. 3. Clause 2 sets out the functions of the Advisory Council which include the zoning of such parts of Great Britain as they consider, after consultation, should be areas within which heavy commercial vehicles should be prohibited or restricted and submitting proposals to the Secretary of State. 4. Clause 3 sets out the functions of the Secretary of State in relation to the proposals submitted to him by the Advisory Council which he may accept, modify or reject. Proposals accepted with or without modification are to be enforced by the Secretary of State directing traffic regulation authorities to make orders implementing such proposals. 5. Clause 4 amends section 1(3) of the Road Traffic Regula- tion Act 1967 so as to enable traffic regulation orders to pre- scribe routes to be followed by heavy commercial vehicles and Clause 5 amends section 1(6) and section 5(3) of that Act so as to enable traffic regulation authorites to regulate access to roads in the area by such vehicles on grounds of amenity. [Bill 17] A 45/3 CLLR. ALKEKE bD ROSS, ‘‘Father’’ of Bridge-Blean District Council and a Kent County Councillor, died suddenly from a heart attack last Wed- nesday. He was70. batinot rar il at a site meeting o! county council's Roads Committee at Challock. He was rushed to hospital at Ashford, but was dead on Poel days ly a few Previously he declared his intention t+ stand / a8 an Independent candidate for the reor county council after Canterbury Conservatives dropped him as a candidate because of his age, A farmer at Out Elmstecd, Barham, Clir, Ross guve up all his spare me for almost half a century to public service, and this was rewarded in 1965 when he was made an M.B.E. me represents parnanivn we old Bridge rural council, and continued when it combined with Blean. He was a county councillor for 13 years. Born in South London, Cllr Ross spent three years as a farm pupil In Devon before moving to Out Elmstead Furm in 1917, Starting with a fairly srl acreage he expanded to farm 1,000 acres, In 1934 Cllr, Ross was ap-» pointed to the old Bridge Dis- trict Council, acting as its vice- chairman for ten years. From 1045 for 12 years he was chair. man of Bridge-Blean rural au. thority, During the t war he acted a8 the districts chief evacuation officer, He was involved in a great deal of additional effort working for a "secret’’ organ: izalon and assisting the Red Cross with sales at Canterbury market, ‘Throughout this local govern- ment career Cllr, Ross put his Whole heart into campaigns and sIL DIES sys ah une saew years had joined in tant activities at Bridge over conditions on the A 2. In spite of his devotion to duties as a councillor he found plenty of time to give to other organizations, particularly the Scout movement. Around his own home he was chairman of the parish council and a churchwarden at Barham A fine singer, he was a mem- ber of various church choirs for half a century, and was a local expert on the history of his area. He helped to founa Canter bury Young Farmers’ Club, and was involved with the local branch of the N.F.U, for forty years Cllr. Ross had been a magis trate, sehool governor, and great sportaman at some time or other in his life Two of his favourite sports were fishing and shooting, and he promoted the art of camping. In 1931 he founded East Kent branch of the Camping Club of Weal dt, 1973 Great Britain, and rallies were held each year on his land Cllr, Ross’ wide circle of friends were amazed at his energy. In the last few years he had suffered from heart trouble, but appeared to carry on his work without Ill effect He leaves a widow, two daughters and five grand- children, Among tributes made to Clir. Alfred Ross was one from Mr. Brian Lewis, secretary of the A.2 Group. He told tie Kentish Observer Cllr. Ross was associated-with the A2 Group since its founda Uon in 1082, In 1969 he organized 4 sit-down in Bridge, followed by one a week later at Boughton. ‘He had been fighting for the Bridge by-pass for 14 years, and we are saddened that he will never see the results of his hard work. “To the A2 Group his death is the loss of an old friend and fighting fellow campaigner.’’ The A 2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasurer; John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to- Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 25.2.1973 G. Tope Baq. M.P., House of Commons, London SW1 OAA Dear Mr. Tope, Thank you for your letter of the 22nd. enclosing a copy of the Bill "Heavy Commercial Vehicles (Control and Regulation)", together with the amendments of Standing Committee C who met on February 21st. Having briefly examined the documents and discussed them with the Hon. Secretary of the A2 Group, Brian A. Lewis of 1 High Street, bridge, I am attaching to this letter some thoughts on the subject, which we hope will be of use in Committee. There is very real fear of the heavy goods traffic threat along the old A2 from Brenley Corner (M2) to Dover, and we thank you for your interest. Please do not hesitate to get in touch again for amplification on any point in our recommendations. Yours sincerely, tial John hese WEDNESDAY 21ST FEBRUARY 1973 65 S.c.C STANDING COMMITTEE C New Amendments. handed inare marked thus *« HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES (CONTROLS AND REGULATIONS) BILL a Mr Hugh Dykes: Mr Sydney pman Mr Ernle Money That the Bill be considered in the foll mercial Vehicles); Clauses 1 to 9; Schedules. owing order, namely : New Clause | (Heavy Com- remaining New Clauses ; Schedule: and New ———$—_—————————— NEW CLAUSE Control of heavy commercial vehicles Mr Hugh’ Dykes: Mr St pman Mr Ernle loney ads To move the following Clause : — *(1) In section 1 (traffic regulation orders outside Greater London) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967 (in this section referred to as “ the 1967 Act. ”) after subsection (3A) there shall be inserted the following subsections : — “ (AA) A local authority (as defined im subsection (2)(a) above) may include in 5 a traffic regulation order any such provision— (a) specifying through routes for heavy commercial vehicles ; or (b) prohibiting or restricting the use of heavy commercial vehicles (except in such cases (if any) as may be specified in the order) in such zones or on such roads as may be so specified, 10 as they consider expedient for preserving or improving the amenities of their area or of some part or parts of their arca. (3AB) Nothing in subsection (3AA) above shall be construed as limiting the scope of any power or duty to control vehicles conferred or imposed on a local authority or the Secretary of State otherwise than by virtue of that subsection ”. 15 (2) In subsection’ (6) of the said section 1, after the words “traffic on the road” there shall be inserted the words “or for preserving or improving the amenities of an area by prohibiting: or restricting the use on a road or roads in that area of heavy commercial vehicles,”. f Duty of — (3) After that section there:shall be inserted the following section :— Wc 1A.—(1) It shall be the duty of every local authority (as defined in section 1(2)(a) rhs above), as soon as possible after the relevant date, to carry out a survey of their measures for area and to formulate written proposals, on the basis of the survey and of consulta- central of tions under subsection (2) below, for the regulation by means of an order or orders Oa asetal made under scction 1(3AA) above of the use of roads in their area by heavy vehicles. commercial vehicles so as to preserve or improve the amenities of their area. L The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 As with the route to Harwich A136/604 Kent is particularly vulnerable to Heavy Goods Vehicles, with EEC membership and the expanding road vehicle ferry services. With these old roads, not suited to the type of traffic, there is danger. The A2 is known to be the principal route to the port of Dover. The figures from Dover Harbour Board for November last show an increase of 52.40% over the same month the year before, and for the 11 months January to November the increase is over 46%. Consequently at least one member of the Advisory Council to be set up, should be appointed from Kent, with knowledge of the particular problems here. Since the Council cannot be set up and operative for some time it is important for interim safety measures to be introduced to cover A2 and Similar roads until the rolling programme of improvements (for A2) now being started, is completed with by-passes for Boughton, Harbledown, Canterbury, Bridge, Lydden and the road built into Eastern Docks round Dover. To control 32 ton+ TIR and domestic heavy goods vehicles we suggest the following minimum requirements:- a) restrict the speed of traffic to 20 mph. where the road is less than 20' wide, to reduce vibration damage to adjoining property and to safeguard pedestrians. Investigate the possibilities of using automatic radar checks which photograph offenders. b) introduce a compulsory mechanical check on foreign TIR with inspection bays at the ports; requiring a three-monthly inspection, the certificate of roadworthiness to be displayed on the windscreen. c) impose a weighbridge check on all TIR at ports of entry, with multi—pad electronic measurement of axle and gross loading taken while customs papers are checked, for speed of turn-round. d) introduce a police patrol, two vehicles to each 20 miles of old road, in continuous operation, using motorway type shooting brakes with emergency gear and signs, and with language cards for questioning drivers. (We know that through Dover vehicles come from Norway down to Persia in places of origin, and the language barrier delays police action). e) all side roads to be posted "NO ENTRY - except for access" with a mandatory speed limit of 20 mph. for vehicles over 10 tons. To cover all these expensive suggestions we recommend a direct grent from Government be made available to the port authorities, the police and county officials, being directly debited to the cost of entering Europe. rel, Herne Bay |_| radials. Their lasting > “f qualities will make Ceti wi ‘72K M.0. Midvet Sports enos | YOU Won't have to pay. ‘ha Sommer fae| VAT. on yes TorBong, ‘69 HM Cortina 1600 Super £609 long time. +69 G Sunbeam Rapier £705 sccm” =/ Save money | of ‘69 G Hillman Minx £540 "68 F Vauxhall Victor 1600 £487 Motor ng °O7 © Hitman Hunter 1728 £440 Buy rh | now MOTOR CARAVANS ole ‘70H Medford Comtesse, 4-Bertn £590 "69 G Bedford Roma, benketovag? SETYRES Schoo BARGAINS TO CLEAR STURRY ROAD My ™ Saloon £145 Phone ‘8a Nereis 1100 £145 Canterbury 65021/64867 Pert Exchange. 4.P. 22/28 BAST STREET i . Phone Ashford 22450/24001 YOU DESERVE THE pest Phone Herne Bay 4772 If the Job le Worth Doing, BRADSTONE ROAD 1 ts Werth Doing Went Props: ©. F. Howe Lia, Phone Folkestone 58394 MOTORING VAUXHALL, ues 1960, matic pat. 15 DOVER STREET, CANTERBURY “PMONE CANTERBURY 62847 —. AND SELF-DRIVE MIRE 1962 MINI arent Branches also at | wheels, over Folkestone and Ashford ; Motor M Finnie _ THANET SCHOOL OF a 4 =| FoR ase sas bat ieee Te ig ce Ft a -P.. low mile. Sars a 4 n.0 eo. aes Hove ender, Cant (atier p.m) De ee Seine Bah 44 29. 000 miles, late. tinea, aA df : low mileage, Guaranteed Speciali aed eras = Chassis Welding and sige | aes tint} Crash Repairs 5. Van Barham 395 (alier 6 p.m. ee AUSTIN 1100. aes gers Pye taxed June, nit? tyr nA. Dury. ay "Cinerbors ‘aise, ee ae = eai78: EX-G.P.0., SEEBOARD, 2 RAC. & SEGAS VANS, _ Nine months after lorry disaster cy Mr. Colin Lewis (far right) watches two A2 Group members clean the boarding that hides the remains of his home and business. Urgent talks over by-pass CANTERBURY City Council is seeking urgent talks with neighbours Bridge-Blean Rural District Council over action to be taken at the public inquiry into Harbledown by-pass. Mr. Keith Hunt, Canter- 's Deputy Town Clerk, ad the council's Highways Committee on W nesday that the ey inqui being held in April to aves: tigate objections to the clos- ing of side roads and land compulsory purchase orders. He pointed out bet the committee had Tiss viously objected to the f ine of the new f fens uk had was fixed in Lae supported . whe were op’ to it, by plan nr en an early Can- clr M pe uller said he t that the City Coun- elt aoe actively co-oper- Bridge-Blean in ME sy to F hacpcons on the in- fe io alternative stra- ie prove cht a ah bys ae tor Can i Wnuing into ery Way. The all-party deputation, which the Minister respon- sible for roads at the De- ent of the Environ- ment has refused to see, is to consider what action should be taken and the Town Clerk is to attend the inquiry and to take instruc- tions from that group of counoillors, NINE months ago, Bridge shopkeeper Mr, Colin Lewis lost his home, his business and very nearly his life, when a 32-ton T.I.R. lorry tore through a row of houses in the village’s narrow High Street. The lorry driver was killed, Mr. Lewis’ shop demolished, his daughter thrown across her bedroom and slightly hurt, he and his wife shocked and shaken Today, Mr. Lewis is still pasting: for justice. So far, he has not received a Peay yg Py | oh he ‘ by Ca a damages from wees lorry a. pith into one hou Without his livelihood or his home, Mr. Lewis waits patiently, while solicitor argues with insurance ¢om- pany and insurance (¢om- cow quibbles with in- urance company “If their lorry Knogked It down, then they, shauld put it back Up an Mg, Lewis said on According to te Lewis, the main dispute isover the betterment ot thepullay ee Theo Torry owner ey gontend that if rebuilt all the the ohgp ie will be new and they want this taken into account Mr. Lewis sald be been told this could make as much as £1,000 difference to the final settlement. But, while the legal] experts haggle, Mr. Lewis at!!! pavs rent for the shattered bulld- ing. “We are still waiting and hoping that it will @l) be sett soon. All I want e do is rebuild my sha tee was and get on business,” he told Be “T know that insurance companies often take 8 long time, but it is nine KH Even if it was set morrow, it would sti be 1 27-2593, ‘SHOPKEEPER STILL JUSTICE months before we wou aoe in nent” oe 'o reinforce Mr. Lew ponts leading campaigners the A2 Group were on hand on Saturday to he} him clean the “temporary Fr poeroing ut up outside the shortly after the crash rene Aa G roup chairm Mr. John Purchese, x: plained: “We think it’s dis- lL. Mr. Lewis lost his ivellhood, his home and nearly his life and yet he's still walting for a settlement from the lorry owners.” Mr. Purchese revealed that the A2 Group has been asked to give its views on the trunk road to the Government committee ex- nok the Heavy Com- mercial Vehicles Bill. The request was made by a Liberal M.P., Mr. Graham Tope, a» member of the committee, who will today (Tuesday) BS solve the ‘a gu tions for end- tng the o Ad traffic chaos, ile Mr,’ Purchese and his helpers cleaned the boarding, which carries @ s} urging the baaning of juggernauts, TLR. lorry drivers jeered and shouted as they drove pest. Pinned to the enum ter promised he a’ will retumn bi and better.” The question Mr, Lewis wants answered ia... "When?" n baker's round in he meantime said, The family is fet boasod Mi ina pRivpnlh: Brewery Lane, a few yards round bas Johan. hie beh gige idee while It es nv f dela st Leta eeesinehasboen z better off if my insurance claim jiding his livelihood and | had passed direct to the lorry t operation at | ‘com; , then there would not ne. rand wes ine revult of 2 | have been ail this waiting,” Mar. from Bricee- Rien Rural i, who told members of Lewis said. The couple have given up , looked aecres impatient over the re- : bull ng.they are just waiting irman of the A2 Group Mr. Purchese, and now for things to get moving. | secretary | Since the accident in May action | Lewis, spent Saturday fernoon with pails and brushes | been slow. It was six months pee the crash napeb agus down the hoarding. _ for the work were in. y think itis disgusting that @ PAGE29 Keun OF 3 ERTL. Mr. Brian Lewis speaking for 3-13 ' BRIDGE shopkeeper Colin- Lewis went cleaning at week-end — to wash the dirt 0 a hoarding that hides what is left Of his shop after it was demoll ed by a 32 ton T..R. lorry nine months ago, And he was aided by the top brass of the A2 Group. — Last May Mr. Lewis’ general — shop and home in Bridge High Street was blasted into by the crash, which killed lorry driver. y } And now Mr. Lewis is waiting for the money to sf the A2 Group promises that if nothing happens from the insur- ance angle the group will paint out the current slogan on the hoarding and replace it with words ‘' blacking “ the lorry company, which owned the vehicle in the crash. | Colin Lewis has told Bridge — ’ villagers they might get their paeral shop re-opened for a . He promised the same thing last Christmas and hopes he will not be making the same Promise at the end of this year. & speed-up in ment’s Aa teaptoverent pro- gramm: eed ci coun er co I routes by lorries and at the commit | tee’s first | Crouch favour of it. He reminded the Govern- ment that if the Bill became law it would empower coun- Ste, Meaty ihe ie te ic fro peg fe on amenity un in would then be the councils’ duty to ask the Government to provide ade- quate roads for the hea: _A2 juggernaut traffic, if they did not ’ ° | ready exist. ¥ Mr Crouch said that the _@ whole committee knew he was ut the “notorious” and he has warned the Government that {t must ex to build the necessary roads Ea in the morning of May te last year, Bridge shopkeeper Mr. Colin Lewis lost his home and business when a_ massive Rouses: in teehee coe see jage's nar- row High Street. After recovering from the initial shock of the crash, in which his daughter was injured and his shop demo- lished, Mr. Lewis’ first thought was to get back into business, Nine months later, he {s still waiting. So far, he has not received a penny dam- ages from the owners of | the lorry which tore into his house. Without his livelihood or his home, Mr, Lewis waits patiently, while solicitor argues with Insurance com- pany and insurance com- pany quibbles with in- nsurance company. “If their lorry knocked it down, then they should put it back up again,” Mr, Lewis said on turday. Aci ae to Mr. Lewis, the we dispute is over the betterment of the building. contend t if the shop is rebullt all the decorations will be new and they want this taken into account. Mr, Lewis said he had told this could make as much as £1,000 difference to the final settlement. But, wae Ae teEe 1 Tere aggle, Mr. Lewis still pays reat for the shattered bulld- Five are stilt waitin, ge and hoping that it will all be settled soon. All I want to do is rebulld m; shop like it was and t on with my business,” he added. “I know that insurance companies often take a long time, but it is nine months. n if it was settled to morrow, It would still be 12 months before we would be hack in business.” To reinforce Mr. Lewis’ point, lead campaigners rom the A2 Group were on hand on Saturday to hel him clean the “temporary? boarding put ‘Aion the shop shartly after the crash on May 26. The A2 Group chairman, Mr. John Purch ex- plained: “We think it's dis- raceful. Mr. Lewis lost his ivellhood, his home and nearly his life and yet he's still walting for a settlement from the lorry owners.” Mr. Purchese revealod that the A2 Group has been asked to give its views on the trunk road to the Government committee ex- ahi the Hea Com- mercia pehisien Bu net © uest was made by a Liberal” M.P., Mr. Graham Tope, a member of the recely © group's sugges- tions for ending the A2 traffic chaos. and motorways if the Bill was to have any meaning. Urgent talks Urgent talks are to be held between Canterbury City Council and Bridge- Blean Rural District Coun- cil over action to be taken at the public Inquiry into Harbledown by-pass. ‘unt, Canter- bury’ Dena Town Clerk ury’s uu ‘own rk, told the council's Highways Committee last We: nesday that the public inquiry was being held in April to inves- tigate objections to the cloe- ing of side roads and land compulsory purchase orders. He pointed out that the committee had not —— viously objected to the line of the new iene » which was fixed in 1958, but had supported Bridge - Blean, who were opposed to It, b: pressing, tor an early Can- erbury by-pass. Cir. Mike Fuller said he thought that the City Coun- ci! should active}: with Bridge-Blean In quiry the alternative stra- |tery of providing a@ by-pass for Canterbury with an as- sociated road inking into Rheims Way. The all-party deputation, which the Minister respon: sible a mtn ein ‘partment o Viron- ‘ment pete eee, $0 “ey ts consider w) action should be taken and the Clerk ja to attend the inquiry and ets ostruc. from rou o councillors. ha i KM RST It’s still no © business A VILLAGE grocer whose family had a | marrow escape when ‘A. wrangle has devel- over the ment of oped pay: rhe money for Colin Lewis's general store in Bridge, near wrecking the entire two floors. e driver was found dead in the debris. Mr. Lewis, his wife Berta and daughter a, 15, Son escaped injury, although Angela was flung from her bed by the impact. The family now lives in sary Brewery Lane. .Mr. Lewis has been working as & Toupee for the village "This is effectively keeping me out of business,’’ he said. pe eg iS keep sanioe going to open again. QUESTION “The insurance people want to deduct nearly at ie iy alert at the momen sheers for tho deme: compense for lished 800-year-old bulld- ing, whi Mr. Lewis Jeases, have been going on since November. “We have been Eats seven-and-a-half and this is my ing said Mr. Lewis. “There is at crash shop nowhere else in the village where I could take my business, we carry such a variety of stock." The case is being taken up by the A2 Group, the residents’ organisation which has been cam- pal g for a safer A2. Its secretary, Mr. Brian Lewis, said: ‘We intend that the village should get its shop back and this man should get back into business quick- ly. “It's a disgrace. It is not just a question of it popbeae here in Brid, It's a national question. What happens when you lose your eeyspad See apset “After all, he didn't move his rig into the road “ri get it hit by a (. John Purchese, chairman of the A2 Group, this week led a wash-and-brush session on the blue-painted barricades which protect Mr. Lewis's ruined shop premises. vitaperanine Bors ‘Teen TIR vcoviee Now" slo- ganson the 1 JOHN Purchese and Brian Lewis give baat" tetas spring clean. Mr. Colin Lewis Is holding steps. | ; | | | | } t. Mildrey's & St.Margaret’s Area Conservation Society President - Hon. Secretary ~ Miss. A. Coleman. Hon. Treasurer - Michael Ward. oN w Stour Street, Canterbury, Kent, 25th February, 1973,. Brian Lewis Wsq., Secretary, A2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Kent. Jear Brian Lewis, In your February newsletter you are asking for volunteers to carry ouk @ census on the Canterbury ring road, I would like to participate and I know of two others members of our Society who would help. Hopefully I can arrange for a few more mefbers to help out if needed, Perhaps more details could be given of a possible date or lates for this census, and then I can cive you a definate answer. I look forward to hearing from you, } Yours sincerely, Michal Wag Michael Ward, W. H. Spoor, MA.Cantab,MRCS.,LACP Canterbury Constituency Conservative Association Parliamentary Representative: DAVID CROUCH, MP. Canterbury, District. ¥.C........... BRANCH Constituency Headquarters: Please 5 9 HAWKS LANE nat vende CANTERBURY Heahe Road Lyminge Folkestone Kent 26 February 1973 B. A. Lewis Esq Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group "Weston Villas' 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent m Dear Mr Lewis I am writing to confirm with and talk to us on Tuesday 6th Maret, ache Miia te The Meeting will take place at 9 Hamia Tana—O--+-——*— —" ” a ae Yr Canterbury Constituency Conservative Association Parliamontary Representative: DAVID CROUCH, MP. Canterbury & District. Y.C,... BRANCH Constituency Headquarters: Please reply to: 9 HAWKS LANE CANTERBURY 132 Old Dover Road, s Canterbury, Kent, , 13th November, 1972. i B, A, Lewis, Esq., ‘Weston Villas', 1 High Street, Bridge, | Nr, Canterbury, Kent, Dear Mr. Lewis, for your letter dated the 2nd November, and for answering 80 promptly. We are all very pleased that you will be able to come and speak to us on 'The A.2' and look forward to your visit. Our meetings do take place on Tuesday evenings at 9 Hawks Lane, Canterbury starting at 8,00 p.m, If possible we would like you to come on Tesday, March 6th and I should think there will be approximately 15 - 20 members present if this would suit you. Thank you very mich your letter and unless we hear from you to Tuesday, March 6th will be a meeting. Again thank you for 1 assume that for you to attend our Yours sincerely, re ; NY wee Semen June Simnett (Miss) Secretary the contrary we wil | convenient evening Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent G ou i Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Chairman; " y (A2) ¥ P John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villes', 1, High Street, bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY 3rd March 1973 David Crouch Esqe,lePey House of Commons, London S.Wele Dear Mr. Crouch, You will no doubt have read the articles in the Kent newspapers this week concerning the plight of Colin Lewis, the shopkeeper who lost his home and premises in Bridge on 26th May last year. We consider that sufficient time has lapsed to enable vi rebuilding of the premises to have commenced, and would be pleased to receive you support in ensuring that the state of affairs is rectified. Colin Lewis informs us that the T.I.H. insurance company (Union Cartage Company of Chelmsford being the lorry owners) ,are insisting on reducing the estimated reinstatement costs by nearly £1000.00 on the grounds that the property would be improved by rebuilding. His own insurance company have quite rightly rejected this and consequently both parties have reached deadlock. It would be appreciated if you could take the matter up on Colin Lewis’ behalf in an effort to achieve a speedy settlement. I look forward to hearing from you in due course. Yours sincerely, nf P.S. I am sending a copy of this letter to Colin Lewis for information. His present address for correspondence is 1, Brewery Lane, brigge. Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Group. ng " ek - Daily Mail, Wednesday, . nm May last, a moat : ‘went out of control | smashed into a a Bratt ot the was A FAMILY whose home and livelihood nenee iy Sine iota hood were destroyed buligers estimate of when a juggernaut lorry careered into their village shop . ae yada re-building the are still waiting for compensation nine months after the tc gee Rag oor Now a campaign has been launched to make an insurance com- pany cut through red tape and pay up so th t the store which housed ™ 4 , company said that and supported 46-year-old Mr Colin Lewis and his family-can be Pe AUSe e was being re-built, it was being improved. So, in- g the full anted to rebuilt. t The accident happened at 3 a.m. on May 26 last year. A meat owned by the Union Cartage Company, of Chelmsford, Essex, went out of control in the village of Bridge on the ain A2 London to Doyer road near Canterbury. It, smashed into. ‘the shop, destroying the gene. floor and lea' Mr and Mrs Lewis alanced precariously in their bed 20 feet above while Mr. Lewis has been deprived of his livelihood. Isn't that meanness? Isn't the roadway. TRE - it pettifogging quibbling ? Since then, the shop has been board¢d up Or is it just plain com- and painted with ns calling for a ban on. the inter-continental lorries which rumble ercial stupidity ? m ai through Bridge. i say Ge aes Ft ag Reicks: — t ‘orn| y, . ac or tae ionest tnliders oath ie lowe: rs - MR COLIN LEWIS mate of £8,260 for rebulld- = ing the shop, But she . company refused to pay near £1,000 cf the cost because it says the prop- erty will haye been im- proved by being rebuilt. Mr Lewis, who is living in a one-bedroomed cot- his former helped to run the store from the time the family moved jn nearly eight . ' years ago, works as a hos- . pital seamstress. Their income has or ped by more than half,* to £20 a week. > 4 Mr Lewis said : ‘I never dreamed it would take this long to get matters > settled. We have bad three temporary homes In the last nine months and 4 en - | BRIOGE shopkeeper Colin | Lewis went cleaning at the week-end — to wash the dirt off the end letter from Bridge-Blean Rural @hoarding that hides what is left are really beginning to of his shop after it was demolish- Council, who told members of feel the pinch. ed by @ 72 ton T.1.R. lorry nine the A2 Group the boards looked months ago. And he was aided = a little sad.” i Principle by the top brass of the A2 Group. Chairman of the A2 Group Mr. A f John Purchese, and secretary Brian Lewis, spent Saturday afternoon with pails and brushes ‘I don’t see why the in- surance people can't pay for the whole rebuilding, by the crash, which killed the washing down the hoarding. lorry driver. They think it is disgusting that I certainly cannot afford And now Mr. Lewis is eee PE lined Fi to make up the difference ! aa ee Mr. Colin Lewis has had fo wait all this time for any action from the insurance companies. between what they are prepared to pay and what” Pret ieys is saidto be pari. the work will cost.’ between insurance companies involved in zuriehs cee Ge a Mr. Lewis‘ claim. pany said; ‘It is a prin- Mr. Lewis says he will have ciple of insurance that a lost almost a year’s income by claimant neither gains the time he gets back into the nor loses by whatever ac- shop, eldent -has befallen him, “My wite is working at the hospital and | am doing a er’s round in the meantime,’ said. The family is currently living in a cottage in Brewery Lane, a few yards round the corner from the shop. They are still paying rent on the shop while it lies ina state of delapidation. “1 would almost have been It would therefore not be unusual to ask a claimant to pay some of the cost of any rebuilding work, for example, ‘Mr Lewis put the claim in the hands of a firm of professional assessors soon after the accident, We are. dealing with them,’ better off if insurance claim : had passed fo the lorry A pressure group cam- company, then there would not dient OF 7 Beiicr to ttemtes wattiont las the Bridue has taken up The couple have given up Mr } Tews a ea being impatient over the re- buliding,hey are just waiting now for things to get moving, Since the cog in May action a of Architect ¥ ' Mr. Le members of Intervie officers 0 October pro and ing charged to incl the commun the ‘that highwa. we by C. st ot Bridge with conspir- members of ty to sub obstru: sequently his boarded-up shop WEG 4.3 93, TIR lorries eo a Laws in crash © Bye volved “is collision were involv collis oa the A2 early Tuesday morning. The incident happened near the Halfway House at Barham, and one of the TLR. ts, from France, rn 0! aks oan ghed rou, a ge He came to Fest in a fleld. Neither driver was seriously hurt. workmen were called in to repair ged Post Office and ae cables. No one was WO 25-113 SUPPORT for Mr. Colin Lewis, whose livelihood was destroyed when a ‘Juggernaut lorr sper ed into his shop ‘e has come from a local pressure le They have inched a campaign to make an in- surance company pay up the compensation Mr. Lewis has been trying to get since the accident ppened nine months ago. The La ida are pressing by a bypass to divert heavy lorries from B. e, have also asked MP Mr. David Crouch to take up his case. Mr. Lewis, 46, lost his grocery busulness in the early hours last May when a meat lorry owned by Union Cartage of Chelmsford, Essex, went out of control and samhed into the shop leaving the family balanced in their bed 20 feet above the road. REFUSED The Lewis's compalin that their insurers want to lop almost £1,000 off the payment for rebuilding the 300 year-old premises becuse they will be better off than before it was demolished. A spokesman for Natin- nal Employers Mutual in- surance company in Ca- terbury said they had In- sured the building against impact but the whole matter was in the hands of assessors. He -did not know whether the company Insuring the lor- ry you be paying in the The Zuich Insurance acting for age, accepted a@ builders’ estimate of £8260 for rebuilding the shop but refused to pay just under £1,000 of the cost because it will have been improved by being rebuilt. The negotiations now involve four assessors, three insurance com panies, solicitors and ar- chitects. From Zurich's offices in Hampshire it was stated: “It is not us who are creating the delay in set- Uement. It is dangerous to make remarks about “haggling’’. We know where the blockage is and it is absolutely beyond our control '* |. Meanwhile Mr. Lewis | has a part time job in the \village as a baker's roundsman and his wife is working as a hospital seamstress, The family are now living in a one- b cottage near their former home, fF From: David Crouch, MePy HOUSE OF COMMONS © | LONDON SWIA OAA 4 | March 14, 1973 bi Dear Mr.Lewis, 4 Thank you for your letter of Merch 3rd. I will be pleased to do all I can to help Mr.Colin Lewis and I have written to him for more details of his negotiations with the Union Cartage Company of Chelmsford. £ : ; however that it might well be considered that the matter is still a question of legal investigation by the solicitors on @ach side and it | might not be appropriate for me to intexyene I am sure you will appreciate at this stage. Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis,lsq., ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. = Department of the Environment 5 Regional Controller Roads and Transportation ; South Eastern 4 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Tolex 86336. Tolephone 0489 (Guildford) 71101 ext 280 4 ¢ ine a ¥: mat OPA a UN a a ac ce ce ( . Your reference _ J Purchese Esq aie i ~~ gb eee: * _288/200/09/1/tR 34/01 \ oat Dear Sir LONDON-CANTERBURY=DOVER TRUNK ROAD A.2 1. I refer to my letter of 22 January 1973 and as promised can now reply to your letter of 3 January about traffic conditions on the above Trunk Road at Bridge. 2. I must firstly say that the Department has long been aware of traffic conditions on the A.2 and that work on the preparation of various schemes for the improvement of this route has been in hand for some time. For instance, the recent publication of the draft Orders for the Bridge By-pass is the culmination of considerable preparatory work involving the investigation of a number of alternative routes. As you may recall, the Secretary of State formally announced his intentions to improve this route overall and to construct a Mid-Kent Motorway to act as a main access road to the Channel Ports in his statement of 23 June 1971 on the expansion of the Road Programme, 3. With regard to the points raised in the petition, I have the following comments:- a. If speed limits are to remain the valuable road safety measure they are at present, it is essential that they be realistic and enforceable especially on main traffic routes. It has been found} W ere speed limits are regarded as being unrealistic by the majority of motorists, they are not observed and this tends to devalue the overall concept. This would be the case if a 20 mph limit was imposed on the A.2 through Bridge. So far as the approaches to the village are concerned, the Minister for Transport Industries recently decided that the necessary draft Order required to authorise the imposition of 40 mph restrictions on these lengths of road should be published for public comment. It is intended to publish this Order shortly. be. Weight checks on TIR vehicles entering British ports in Kent have been carried out regularly by the Department's Examiners since the introduction of the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972 in August last year. Mechanical checks are also carried out periodically at Dover and at lay-bys on the A.2. o. As I explained in my earlier letter of 22 January, this point is a matter for the Home Office to deal with. This paper Is suitable for Dyeline Photocopying Both matters an up by the Pa Prof. Butler CANTERBURY and DISTRICT YOUNG CONSERVATIVES Constituency Headquarters 9 Hawks Lane Canterbury Kent 15 March 1973 B A Lewis Esq Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group ‘Weston Villas! 1 High Street Bridge Canterbury Kent Dear Mr Lewis I am writing on behalf of Canterbury Young Conservatives to say how much we all enjoyed you coming to talk to us on the A2 Group on the 6th March. I am sure we all realise the seriousness of the situation now and the effect it has on the community at Bridge. Thank you again for coming and I wish you luck in your plans for the future of the A2. Yours sincerely Geen MMe? Gillian Leblanc (Miss) Secretary, Chairman: Hon, Secratary/ Treasurer: John Purchese Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY 20th March 1973 David Crouch Esqe,MePe, House of Commons, London S.W.1. Dear lir, Crouch, Thank you for your letter dated 14th March concerning the premises of Colin Lewis. I understand from him that moves towards a settlement are now taking place, so we now intend to wait for a while before making any further protests on his behalf. Apart from the reports in the local and county newspapers, the story was picked up by The Times, The Daily Mail and The Sunday Express, so I feel that we have justified our actions in bring the matter to the public's attention, and obviously achieved results. On 6th March last, I was pleased to have the opportunity to talk to the Canterbury Young Conservatives on the subject of ‘The A2', I must say however, that I was somewhat annoyed to learn from members that your Agent 'Ted' Brewn has indoctrinated the belief that A2 Group is ‘a bunch of Liberals', During my talk, I emphasized the non-political structure of our Committee, and would be more than grateful if you could inform Mr. Brown of the true situation. The political divisions of the Committee are: Conservatives 3 members Liberals 3 members labour 1 member As you well know, up to last year, the Group was headed by John Purchese (Liberal) and myself (Conservative), and that was the structure for 10 years. Yours sincerely, G nei a 2. Brian A. Lewis: ———————— Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. The A2 Group Chairman; Hon, Secretary/Tree John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Brid Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to;- ‘Weston Villas 1, High Stree Bridge, Canterbury, K CL4 5JY 2oth March 197. The Secretary, Canterbury and District Young Conservatives, Constituency Headquarters, 9, Hawks Lane, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Miss. Leblanc, Thank you for your letter dated 15th March 1973. I would like to convey my thanks to you again for gi me the opportunity to explain the A2 situation to your members on 6th March last. i I trust Bhat something was learnt of our problems, that I made it clear that we are a non political organisation. It worth repeating I feel, that our Committee structure is Conservatives 3 members Liberals 3 members , Labour 1 member Thanking you again, yours sincerely, Cone Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, \GE FIELDING & PEMBROOK SOLICITORS 39 ST. MARGARETS STREET. COMMSRIONENS FOR OATHS A eee moteny TELEPHONE: 68151 4+ 1 GOULOEN S.7.0.COOCE O2277 a4 & seat TELEX: wco7s NM. CHARLESWORTH 19th March, 1973 Dear Mr. Lewis, A.2 Group Bridge By-Pass I am sorry to have been so long in letting you know my decision but I have had to contact Mr. Whigham in Portugal. I am glad to say that neither he nor Mr. Mount have any objection to my representing the Group at the Inquiry. Before I positively accept (and at the same time give you an indication of what my fees would be likely to be) I should very much appreciate the opportunity of a discussion with you to find out exactly what it is that you want me to do and the scope of the work involved. Obviously I should prefer to see you during office hours at this office but if you would like to call at my house one evening that could certainly be arranged. I will leave it to you to get into touch with me to make a mutually agreeable appointment. Yours sincerely, J: JH. lden B. Lewis, Esq., l High Street, Bridge. Brian A. Lewis. 1, High Street, Your Ref: 26/28/CJ. BRIDGE, CT4 5JY, Our Ref: BAL/PAL. pence t. 22nd March 1973. Furley Page Fielding & Pembrook, 39, St. Margaret's Street, CANTERBURY , Kent. For t attention of Mr, J.H. Goul Dear Mr. Goulden, B By-Pass/Lo Publ Thank you for your letter dated 19th Marsh 1973. I am pleased to learn that there are no objections from your other clients and wish to thank you for considering representation for the A2 Group at the pending inquiry. Since I am in business at Maidstone, you will appreciate that a meeting would prove difficult during office hours, and would therefore be grateful if we could liaise at your home. Our Chairman, John Purchese , is also anxious to meet you and an evening appointment would also be more suitable for him. I leave it to you to suggest a suitable date and time and look forward to hearing from you in due course. Yours sincerely, lia Brian A. Lewis. Sec./Treasurer,. A2_ GROUP, A 2 Group Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Hit hese, Brian A. Lewis, } ait Cotsen Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, He Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- M411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 26.53.1973 P.H. Sweet, Esq., 151 Rough Common Road, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Mr. Sweet, The A2 Group Committee have asked me tothank you very much for your interest in the A2, and for the possible use of some of your Senior boys in keeping a Census count on the radial roads at Canterbury. The date fixed at last night's Committee meeting was Tuesday, April 17th. 1973; times 8.00a.m. to 11.00a.nm. The sites chosen were:- 1. (A2) The Gate Inn, just beyond the junction of New and Old Dover Roads. 2. (A2) Vernon Holme School, Harbledown. 3; ro The Water Works, Wincheap. 4. (426) Sturry Road, just beyond Kingsmead from the City. 5. isd The Barracks, Sandwich Road. 6. (A290) Kent College. 7. (428 feeder) Broad Oak Road, Canterbury side of Farley Road. 8. Winoheap Roudabout - all four main exits. We feel that crewing of the check spots could be two - where either there is an A2 Group rep. as one, or where — using your judgement - the older boys can do it, We have, of course, a number of adults lined up for this exercise, but we welcome very warmly any help that might be available. Please don't hesitate to telephone me at the office (Canterbury 61508) with comment. I enclose sample Census forms —- and if we have been successful in getting a Xerox copy of the file copies of last year's Census, a copy of that as well! Yours sincerely, “an! g shoultborser ins writing to the Regional Controller ‘Roads and irta- on), South De- pare of the ne Se men “Edgeborough, Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey, not later than Dated the 18 March, 1973. G. H. OVERSBY-POWELL, Regional Controller (Roads and Transportation) Parish 7 ba Kent, which extend (a) from a polnt 35 metres north-west of its junction with Bridge- down to a point 23 metres north-west of its junction with Beech Hill, a distance of approximately 467 metres and (b) from a point 46 metres north-west of its junction with Bekes- bourne Road to a point 91 metres north-west of its junction with Dering Road, ee of approximately m | By-pass _ support % the Bridge Place Club, Bridge, Near Cantereaty, “ connec- tion os uel oraere nee tioned low. Representa- tions from persons who have obdjected to the orders and from any other persons who “MIVAA 1eA01r ‘osnoH s,uyor 4g “PVT Sasyoig ofuna0yy oouuuyy xossy Burpy Surpes; Wess eiqey) Ae bebetiacny enon 000'000'S3 0) dn eouenj4 [SOK Ot 01 OT wary “318 “S180 Au . “Ut. ‘sedesess* Jo. oveyauna ‘own ae, eoupUly [PP4euw0e> ae ipao> Te or $384 1V037 ON S334 AZAUNS ON “S1004 OT O1 G WO1s shUdWALG “000° on uoem: eoueape Feipoutay ue o ‘ne on ue PINO? WHUM ‘omnoy 4nok 5: enieA Ap iueseid on uEY) AyLUEN 40109 RUM ‘AouOW ‘peow hon wean sdopjoussnoy 4Oj suDOT JPuosusg rou *LL69T @UONd *(xosoIPPIW) Poom -YHON eens WON O \petruary Hae teuotied NIO6 an ord Paceauion, Was ad OF “ONO IN ded Mavees, Bo 312 Bridge-Blean Rural Dis- trict Counell has prom ised to support Canterbury City Council in any action taken to got ‘apie aa of a by-pass for the clty. on of juggernauts __, Villagers at Boughton are | demanding the diversion of Continental — “juggernauta” }on to the A20 while their by-pass is being bullt, In a letter to the Depart- ment of the Environment calling for the re-routing off the A2 of heavy traffic, the Parish Counelt says: “We feel that with the extra summer Continental car and caravan traffic ai Proaching, combined wil the ever-increasing — con- tainer numbers, the village now ts near Lond ng saturation “We feel that the whole way of life is now 50 severely Interfered with by the extra weight of traffic, nolse and pollution of the atmosphere, the vibrations of property, etc., it Is mak- ing us wonder whether there will be anything left of the village for the by- pase to relieve in the Sutumn of 1975. Village Me: by-pass ‘ victory Bishopsbourne has won its battle of the “ hett! junction.” The un- cil had objected to the De- partment of the Environ- ment over the proposed road network at the Dover aon of the £1 million Bridge y-pass. he members’ main com- plaint was that the new road network would mean widening Frog Lane and felling part of the splendid avenue of es leading down to the village. They were also anxious to save Golf Cottage, which, they told the Department, was a fine example of early Victorian estate architec- ture. Under the original plans the cottage was to be de- molished as, otherwise, it would have been on a sterile “island” of land in the centre of the new road | network. At its meeting on Tues- day, the Parish Council heard that the Department had completely redesigned the junction to meet Bishopsbourne’s objections, As a result, Frog Lane would not be needed as part of the junction network and both the historic beeches and Golf Cottage would be saved, Councillors welcomed the news and agreed to with- draw their formal objec- tion. However, it was de- elded that the council should be represented at the Bridge by-pass public inquiry In May to oppose any suggestion that the new road should pass south of the village instead of the northern route proposed ~ the + rvingement Depart- men Seetas nth it being almaracnn 1 rt al and marine ed toproperingulry. On the other side ve which mn bound to have very serio fects on that enn there is the pr Channel Tunnel, nt elsewhere in fae What of the middle? nus Hes an tmportant eat, 4 KENT'S groatest nha 8 the jugger i lorry. eer ‘the viow of Dr. A. Daniel, who spoke at Ashford Biprary last ny on the on- ntal offocts @ Channel] Tun- ‘said the obvious so- mus 'y. lorries on rail of be to put’. agriculture,'s tru gro a Be 8 _ the UK, These’ ! {6 al industries'’ pede fo manoeuvre. Any buat. ness expects to be free to move about its factory floor, That is what the countryside of Kent is to its farmers and growers and those who work with pathetic Bilorts on A2 would d broken down Ruritas lan Admin- istration, — Words fail one to de- scribe one’s feeling to- Wards successive govern: ments on this issue. M20 will not be completed fora long time and many feel stupidity is ever per- mitted. M2 is eet ing overcrowded and as far as Thanet Way built in the depeanaion of the Thirties, one can only say tlooka ae at vear thin m that Otetl is a narrow peninsula which just can- J uggernauts are the great d: ct thonavand Pt bly ' tend to They BE pee the min allaspects, : The second trouble here _ is the road structure. The the need fora third motor-— Way toserve the ports and the Tunnel, if latter occ Ate y ‘ ment. the on others of a tradl- ‘There is therfore ae a need to ihe Kent at this of tw prosions ie beng ) ems ie bein, watched and appeseey sed where needed, nd to pales on own areas. The atti- foae ofthe County Council seems ambivalent, and it may indeed be unfair to ask such a body to op epee what one can only cal of Kent. h one would hope thatit would give the lead to see that some co-ordi- nation takes place to en- sure the survival of the County we all love in a shape we can be proud of. If some of the Junacy now in the pipeline is not stopped dead in its tracks our successors will record hpi BA sd ts pecimens of Men of tand Kent- ish Men. A.D. M. Hilton Perry Leigh, Selling, Nr. Faversham, Kaa BIB nger | through the and ‘mouth’ installations on to d y London only for the benefit of andelsewhere, Dover itself “No matter what. the Existing means of cost'’, he said, t will be between Dover a saving inthe and Calais traffic should Dr, Daniel, Woriee lec: turer at London Univer- sity and a member of the Channel Tunnel Associ- ation, said the feared up- hwaval in Kent need not happen if the Tunne’ be left as it ls #0 as to avoid mass unemploy- gy anh tenia mere fic will become a burden and a handicap", added, Brigadier R,. Parry asked Ifa Channel Tunnel = would not be a ‘'hhjack+ er's dell an easy tar sive activities Dr. Daniel explained that it would be impos- sible for an intruder het ok in except on a train, butin any case all the windows would be sealed, vars to come the r to Calais traf- he ht’. It would be t for subver- March, 1973 Dear Mr. Rippon, vd London - Canterbury - Dover Harbledown by-Pass At the end of April there is to be an concerning the Harbledown by-pass. It is, limited to side-roads and compulsory the principle of the by-pass. detail ond not The A2 Group would strongly recommend that in view of public opinion and the great discrepancy in traffic flow projected vehicle rates calculated by the Department of the Environment and Buchanan following constzuction of the by-pass, that this enquiry should have ite terms of reference enlarged to cover the principle of the by-pass when considered in conjunction with the feasalility study that has been made concerning the Canterbury ty-pass. Yours feithfully, : John Furchese } Chairman 42 Group | The Minister, The Dept. of the Environment, Mersham Street, London, S.W.1. Tralfic stops at Bridge's new pedestrian crossing —but some heavy lorries are jumping the red light, says the az Group, KH 3-473 Pelican crossing a new danger says A2 Group A NEW pelican pedestrian. crossing in Bridge High Street is dangerous for old people and children to use, the A2 Group claims after conducting experiments. The Badd secretary, Mr. Brian wis, says the main danger comes from Contin- ental “juggernauts” which often jump the red light be- cause they are going too fast to stop. "They just do not have time to stop if a pedestrian prosses the button when the lorries are about 50 yards | away from the crossing,” he told the “Kent Herald.” “As a result they jump the Ights at red when a pedestrian has priority. We are concerned that an old yey or a child might be illed if they rely on the lights giving them immun- y: The group's experiments were carried out during the evening, when less tratiic on <9 i yg AE] 1 nial at lorries" i@ are higher than during the day, The group says it will campaign for tho eroction of "Pedestrian crossing” warning notices elthor side of the new crossing and a longer time than © pre- sent five to seven seconds between a pedestrian pross- ing the button to stop traffic and the red light coming on, "These foreign drivers don't understand pelican crossings and that ia another danger of them,” said Mr. Lewis. But not everyone in the village agrees with the claim. “We have got to give drivers time to realise there are traffic lights in the High Street,” the chairman of the Parish Councell, Clir, Laurence Shirley, sald. “Some of the lorries have overshot the lights, most of them are coming from the Dover direction, Traffic mostly slows down at the 30 = m.p.h. Bb ti but when wo get the 40 mph. signs, which we ho will be In- stalled in the next two months, it will Improve mat- ters. "It Is too early to say whether the crossing is working properly,” = Cllr, Shirley added. The council's clerk, Mr. E. G. Down, agreed: “It's all a case of these people observing the law.” But he felt the crossing was per- fectly safe, “The lights don't show up enough in the sun,” Mra, Vera Cruttwell, of Western Avenue, said. She has to collect her five grandchil- dren from the school and feels that not enough time ja allowed for children to cross. "I find drivers are pullin, away too quickly and 4 think it is dangerous.” But another woman with two children felt the area was much safer with the crossing. “Children have been given leaflets at the schools and old people have been told to wait for the green man to light up before crossing.” | FEATURE | Page 19 INTERNATIONAL FREIGHTING WEEKLY/Ports and Terminals, March 28, 1973 & Py ae a4 s IFW found a mood of optimism in the entry into Europe was the overriding ports, and airports of Kent, and at the factor but, as we report, there were not long opened Inland Clearance Depot other, less obvious points. But there nham, near Maidstone. Britain’s may also be the Channel Tunnel... at Le - - bars Tide” a 7 : a4 meee’ TEP a SE A ie pus Peeeeteonli-\ Yet Mr Hall is q) nsurvive: | anne! | the por Sw Even if the 5 | i pe mein the 1980's business pe gktMeen tritain a qYyInog Wily SUM — POONs ut ‘aul vw berth (making ni ctesaete HIBUM wnosS) — Aun OU, rae tt he mau jo poourlartl aa ay 4 "= avy~4>-y py] sysiosy | 6 gmat 201-00) oe on wwii suodut s0y ioauipzaue be conte | sem 2 7 ‘ vy jus pue -wit mos UOT! i odas MA, gsow sI4) JO ugedosng Zuypuvy Pp rodeo saruvdtoo 201{10 ajane urgit aq ayy uadaap 07 UOIs}IIAP 9 : ager aa an oe ure ‘OLE, Ul ‘UA4L = aypuwy OF Ayyoey 94) pepue) |& aia = m ai ‘saueyy, -xo uayy ‘syodut ayy ope ch en ae + be Hiai4 ayy wos jzeyM ays 07 4y9N0IG oO} JAVYM MO $j pouodo dno zeak yeuj Ajse9 pus ut 1 sum onjyesd 04? TIP Ayenig] oun ‘ganpoid youed Zuniod jycks showing in the foreground, the freight compound, and beyond, the! Hoverport. ayo], pour ~ Jedeee “gg61 ul Sodus! yonposd -uut Wwody “40d "garuvd ios jo |— 1 Alig Tae gt yaq oy ausd s,u9pa durAssvo dnoad uapy 94) Je Aoyjod ayy} Sar fee preteen Meds yog10q #uypuey gum puke gui090q sey on ag) } uads , i bade at violet aioe gum arp 24 OS ‘gouds Avnb uodo puw ofe10) Melba an Fa Op BE eee i BFP ERB EUS TS On oO NS eee _ Senivses U0 - D > - oD John Purchese 5th April, 1973 Dear Mr. Goulden, I have been in touch with Kent County Council on an unofficial basis and have discovered that at the Public Enquiry at Bridge, evidence can be entered by anyone ~ and that following that evidence there is opportunity for cross-examination by any othere body represented at the Enquiry. Consequently we can examine Mr. Hook, or his representative - and they can question our statement. I am told that the Department of the Environment present the case, Mr. Ritchie is the Engineer representing K.C.C., and we understand that the representation for Mr. Hook will be a Solicitor, not Counsel. Yours sincerely, John Purchese Chairman A2 Group John Goulden, Eoaq., Messrs. Furley Page Fielding & Pembrook, 39, St. Margaret's Street, Canterbury, Canterbury Constituency Conservative Association Parliamentary Representative: DAVID CROUCH, M.P. President L. E, Mart, Esq., J.P. Agent and Secretary €, C. F. Brown Chairman Potor Proudtoot, Esq. Hon, Treasurer J.T. R, Prestige, Esq. Hawks Lane, Canterbury. Telephone: Canterbury 65332/3 26th March, 1973. B. A. Lewis, Esq., "Weston Villas", 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Mr. Lewis, Mr. David Crouch has sent me a copy of your letter to him of the 20th March in which you say that I have "indoctrinated the belief that A2 Group is 'a bunch of Liberals'". You really should not repeat heresay information. I was well aware of the make-up of your Committee but what I think does offend people is that the local Liberal Party are claiming the A2 Group as their own. This particularly applies to one of your Committee Members, Mr. Seabourne and to Mrs. Goulden, both of whom are County Council candidates in Canterbury and if you look at the literature they have issued I think you will arriye at the same conclusion. If some of the more politically oonscious Young Conservatives, some of whom take great interest in the environment, form this pene} one cannot really be surprised at it. Thy 21 oh Me Whe foo Fm hist~ hited Ie gun be whe flo Yours sinc ly, Ne a E. C. F. BROWN, AGENT & SECRETARY. | Group een Wo, Serta, Trane We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Beene reply to wotea® ? Fi 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY 27th March 1973 a © all A2 Group Committee Members I enclose a copy of a letter dated 26th March and received today from Mr. E.C.F. Brown, the Conservative Agent and _ Secretary, and await your individual comments to the contents. Yours sincerely, a (J. p.. Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Group. p-to-date Lin Lewis. gave a talk to the A.2. I have infors breakdown of the Yo Brian A. Lewis,isq., ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, 4 Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. C4 5aY. eh Department of the Environment Regional Controller Roads and Transportation South Eastern 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey gu. 2BL Tolox 85335 Tolophono 0483 (Guildford) 71101 ext 210 et a ee J Purchese Esq Your reference Mill Cottage Tutieessie ivan DSE 200/09/TR 34/8 09 ANTERB Date Kent 12. April 1973 Dear Mr Purchese HARBLEDOWN BY-PASS 1. I have been asked to reply to the letter you wrote to the Minister on 30 March — suggesting that the terms of reference of the inquiry to be held on 25 April should be extended to cover the principle of the proposed Harbledown By—passe 2. Although the route was established when the line Order was made in 1958 there will nevertheless be scope at the inquiries for discussing the principle of the by-pass in relation to any alternative solutions which objectors may think preferable. In discussing the side roads and compulsory purchase Orders which are the Subject of the inquiries, there will be nothing to prevent objectors, if they so wish, putting forward - arguments against implementation of any of the three Harbledow By-pass Orders. The Inspector will take into account and report any relevant evidence of this nature. This will apply to any relevant evidence or views about traffic figures which objectors may wish to express. In these circumstances there is no need to take any special steps to enlarge the terms of reference of the inquiries ~ the principle of a by-pass willl be open to discussion in any case, 3. You mention in partioular the discrepancy between the traffio forecasts in the Department 's opening statement and those in the Buchanan report "Canterbury Traffic Study". The latter took account of local traffio only whereas the Department considers that longer distance traffic with destinations in the western and northern parts of Canterbury itself (or originating there) will find the existing A 2 route quicker, and therefore preferable, to a detour via a Canterbury By-pass and Wincheap radial; the Department has therefore allowed for this extra longer distance traffic in its forecast and is prepared, if necessary, to support this view in greater detail at the inquiries, 4. In proposing to build the Harbledown By-pass in the near future, the Department has very much in mind the earlier relief it would bring not only to traffic on the A 2 but also to people living alongside the present narrow section through Harbledown. As has been stated, a full Canterbury by-pass could not be planned and completed in less than another seven years or so and you will no doubt be aware that the Buchanan final report to which you referred also stated, at paragraph 47, that "If the A 2 by-pass of Canterbury cannot be programmed to be built until the late 1970 's, the Harbledown by-pass would be justified as a single carriageway road as an interim measure to relieve the immediate locality", Yours sincerely dy. Mews. N ROBERTS for Regional Controller This paper Is suitable for Dyoeline Photocopying A VRP Department of the Environment 2 Marsham Street London SWIP 3EB March 1973 fae fps In his letter of 13th February, Keith Speed told you of the intention to hold concurrent public inquiries into the Bridge By-pass drart Orders in a May. I am enclosing an advance copy of the public notice which will appear in local papers on 4 Friday 23rd March giving the name of the independent Inspector who has been appointed to hold the inquiry. - The inquiry is due to begin on 8th May; I also te enclose a copy of a letter and my Department's opening statement at the inquiry which has been sent to all objectors. Following the inquiry, I will consider the Inspector's report; if his recommendations are in favour of the proposals I would hope to follow through the remaining processes of making the Orders, acquiring the necessary land and completing the engineering design work, contract documents and contract letting procedures in’ time to start work in mid-197l. Arrangements for additional speed limits are also in hand. A draft Order for h0mph limits for 200 yards at each end of the existing length of 30mph limit is to be published on 23rd March. Unless there are many objections, it should be possible for the procedures to be completed and the Order brought into operation by about the end of May. I should be grateful if you would treat this information as confidential until the announcement on 23rd March. Wy, la Ww David Crouch Esq MP From: David Crouch, M.P. i®e 4 * HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA April 12,1973 Dear Brian, I enclose a copy of a letter I have received from Mr.John Peyton, Minister for Transport Industries, concerning the public enquiries into the Bridge By-pass draft Orders. You will no doubt already have seen the announcement in the press. You will also see from Mr.Peyton's letter that the enquiry is due to begin on May 8th. Also in the letter are the details regarding the draft Orders for the 40mph limits at each end of Bridge, which should be brought into Operation by the end of May. Yours sincerely, Brian Lewis,isq., "Weston Villas', 1,High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, : The A2 Group 4 Chairman: Hon, Secretary/ Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A, Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 14th April 1973. David Crouch EsQepMePey House of Commons, London S Wels Dear Mr. Crouch, Thank you for your letter dated 12th April, together with enclosure. I am very encouraged, as you must be, by the context of Mr. Peyton's letter. The Minister now clearly appreciates the urgent need for the bridge by-pass, and I am confident that with continued pressure from your goodself after the Public Enquiry, the original proposed starting date need not be drastically affected. You will be interested to learn that A2 Group will be represented by a Solicitor at the Enq ° I am pleased to learn the latest situation regarding the 40 mepehe limits, and doubt if there will be any objections raised. Following their erection, we will have to contact Canterbury polico to learn how they intend to implement their enforcement. It must be put on record that the "Reduce Speed Now" signs have had no effect whatsoever to the overall speed of T.1.R. and vehicles in general passing through the village, particularly during the evenings and at night. You will have read my observations on the "Pelican Crossing" reported in the Kent newspapers last week. I am extremely concerned about the timing mechanism on the lights, and would appreciate any assistance you can offer to get this altered. Thanking you again for your correspondence, Yours sincerely, Cone Brian A. Lewis: can ee Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group evidence” B Blean Rural Dis- trict cil is asking the Department of the Environ. ment to urge that the in- spector conducting the | public inquiry into Harble- 1E NEW ‘‘Pelican’’ 0 ng in Bridge ‘THigh Street was attacked this week as bringing added dan- gers for villagers ne down by-pass hears evidence on the broad issues and not just on stopping up aide roads. The letter follows a plea from Cllr. Tony Payne. of Harbledown, at last Wed- nesday’s meeting, who sald there was a general fear that evidence would be taken only on the Imited subject land acquisition and the side road orders. But there was in the vil- A2 Group in action over ‘Pelican’ crossing in Bridge High Street. says: “ only if the cross can crossing is an interim mea- the timing sequence on the lights ing is clear.” Plain amber — sure to help Bridge residents was changed. They are already pore ied ‘ae toons ~ prety unless unsafe to until their by-pass s built. making representations over || bing a road Laigeincce 1 fed means: ‘stop do so." The A2 Group says the Pell the situation to the authorities Mr, Lewis adds that the eross- concerned. : ing could be made much safer if CA he ee “The inquiry should hear evidence on the wider issues concerning the Harbledown by-pass and its relationship aEaateT UOrY by-pass,” he aa : imal 0 Some Sir Dawna ; | calls for Ginger group ana to fight for ‘* safer A20 Brian Lewis, secretary of » sald. ‘We have } tested the equipment on this CHIEF bie of Kent, F ‘Pelican crossing for two Sir ee ey ae hag ‘evenings and we are of the wnay Lemon, me that heavy lorries can called for a national Pe icy stagement rom the partment of the Environ- ment on heavy goods lor stop under the present time of the lights. Pe Nceaaren or elderly ce are relying on this crossin, ries. i Pattimolh venieles failed Ponition ae ines coanty or RESIDENTS of Sellindge, outraged by the deaths of three people on the A20 in two weeks, have formed their own accident prevention committee. two elderly women and , an eight-year-old boy; who all lived in the vil- | lage, were killed as they | tried to cross the busy A20 which cuts through Sell- indge. At the annual parish 0 relation to our European neighbours, results in ever increasing numbers of these lorries using our roads for Continental trade, creating many problems of an environ- mental nature. “The application of width restriction orders to narrow country lanes, in obey the signal" | Mr. Lewis said that drivers | did not have an adequate view of it Pelican crossing lights, rm house, from either direc- Jur probably pull up in ume, d ly up . thal was travelling in talorry eh Msi bi i z kes been\ installed long an endeavour to prevent conflict on both amenity and traffic grounds, creates certain enforce- ment problems. “It is felt that a firm statement of policy from the Department of Enyi- ronment, is necessary to alleviate the situation, '' Movement of abnormal loads through the county has increased, particular- meeting on Thursday, Mr. John Fittall, of Stone } Hill, Sellindge, and Mrs. Jackie Hall, of Down's Way, Sellindge, volun- teered to serve on the committee. Three other members will be elected from the | parish council at its next meeting in May. The committee is ex- fo make a firm com- ly in the Rocheater area, pected to have its first i ment, Fatal accidents totalle: meeting almost imme- i Loe 189, a drop of 20 on 1971's" | diately afterwards. HAZARDS figures, but injurles were up by 208, Apart from the obvious haz ards presented by the High CROSSING Street they had heard no bad toda te. “I think our best bet rbury police explained would be to fight for a the Pelican crossing . | rates, The Iny-out is basically z ry ka | | controlled crossing,"’ said urine \SALety CrOSSING a ‘Y.| te mtces f . . 7a age would back me up'I facing the Jestrinns ~ Rs would refuse to pay my of a walkin, are in the sha |} rates as a protest about [ a says; ‘cross with care," it this figure Mashes it means lights . If the light is red, | 1 “do not cross.’’ A green are about lo change. "The motorist sees three lights. “Red means give way to pedest- rians, Green means with ca : “proceed re;'' flashing amber PEDESTRIAN - con- trolled traffic lights have been installed in the High Street of Bridge, the '‘jug- ernaut’’ village near ‘anterbury. But the A2 Group, who have been BEBing: vaser safety measures for thils stretch of the A2 are now fey abi tah about the y say far from im: proving safety for people wanting to croas, the lights would be an extra hazard. The ‘‘pelican'’ crossing danger, says village is the first on the busy road between Brenley Corner, Faversham, and Dover, Mr, Brian Lewis, secre- tary of the Group, said its efficiency has been test- ed. He claims TIR lorries were unable to stop in time if within 50 yards of the lights when a pedes- trian wanted to cross. He said: ‘They jump the lights on red when the edestrians have prior- ty. We are very con- ty cerned that a child or old Vest igate the allegations. aa port on the road i son Will be killed while crassin, AD nk that the answer could be for them to erect warning no- tices for drivers. sight lines are bad any- way, ‘If they could introduce into the lights change mechanism @ long stay on amber before it went to red, then it could avoid the first death of 1973 In the village. "* A county council spokesman sald the coun- the road. asibly But surveyor will In- | the conditions, "* The parish council! chairman, Mr. Stewart | Torrington, said: will have to rule out a subway or bridge as it wouldn't be bullt for a road 22 feet wide “We “T hope the committee will try to persuade people to take more care." MP Mr. Ablert Costa! | attended a meeting of vil | lagers two weeks ago ¢ ] discuss the and the along the road ort Minister Mr "eyton, and ts r A20 hazards poor lighting He has seen the Tra: Jot vy wa ing for the Minister's CONTINUED silence from Transport Mini- ster, Mr. John Peyton over his private report on Canterbury’‘s by- pass is causing grave concern to members of the city council. a confidential report from consulting engineers, Brian Col- quhoun and Partners over the feasibility of a by-pass for the city and the possible alignment of the road. Mr. Peyton ordered _ Since the report was present. Hopes that a new sense cs las “Kentish Gazette” this ; “was ‘in, week: “I cannot accept this | paign. site: vibe: A bran as the last word rite the Cllr. Mike _ in providing Canterbury | Minister in view of the fact maar of, the : write a by-pass were dashed | that the flow of traffic from | Town Plann last Thursday. The Secre- of State for Transport Industries, Mr. John y~ Canterbury to Dover is ris- ing at such an alarming rate. the Lower rically told Par- “I was glad to hear from | P88 public liarent thee could be |. the Minister that he realises ate: earAP no acceleration of the A2/ how serious the problem is r. programme. and I feel he must consider Peyton's statement r speeding up the road pro- followed a question from gramme to meet the new | He showed . David Crouch, M.P. for | traffic demand. San ae He asked if, in| “I intend to see Mr, Pey- Sean sae view of fact that the | ton personally to discuss the | number of lorries using the Dover ferries in 1972 rose by 43 per cent to 156,581, the Secretary of State for the En problem as a matter of ur- ency.” : But what is angering by- report ass campaigners is the} on it ever vironment would ex- race feate the feasibility) which time pedite the A2 development | study, commissioned from programme and, in parti- cular, pe construction of a Mr. “Peyton's answer was brief: “While I know how “pressing the problem is I | further “asealeration The r er nm. foasibility study need t Eanterbuby ‘obsmuae Rowe pe gg aes is far from satisfied with Mr. n's answer and he told the Brian Colquhoun and Part- ners, was delivered to the Department of the Environ- ment many months ago. So far neither Kent County Council nor Canter- bury City Council has been consulted over its contents and neither has been shown a copy. “« In Mie light of Mr. Pey- ton’s statement in the Com- mons, a joint committee of Canterbury and Bridge- Biean councillors met on Monday night to consider w8 statement ¢ Inspector Harbledown te, "If it wa ery Har’ by-pass hopes dashed the next step in their cam- revealed that a strong pro- test Is likely to be made at in which we shall make the point that Canterbury by- pass needs to be bullt alon with the Wincheap yy at the earliest possible enough ledown by-pass would not be needed.” (3-4.93 Fuller, chair- City Council's ing Committee, rbledown by- inquiry whic! ri} ts.” Fuller: “There | | | | just seems to be no mate we can speak to the Minister. no interest in _ coming down to see us and ending a depu- him. E “He has had that by-pass since August and has been sitting the end of since, during nobody from this council or Bridge-Blean has been allowed to see the plans. or comment on them. “We are preparing a writ- t to band In to conc acting the by-pass Inquiry radia’ s to be_ bullt’ the Lower ed to the minister last year no member or officer of the counci) has been informed of any detail of the report. Anxiety has increased over the last few days as Canterbury City Council met with Bridge. Blean Rural Council to discuss points to be put to a public enquiry over the Lower Harble- down by on 25 Apvil. is expected to tell the inspector that the council feels that if the city Pye was bullt at an early date, with radial roads connecting main parts re “ renee | y-pass for Lower | Fiarbledown would be unneces- sary. QUESTION ‘The fight for information was taken up again by Canterbury's M.P. Mr. David Crouch in a written question to the minister last week. He asked as the number of lorries using the Dover ferry service last year increased by | hl per cent over anes eh port-export car traffic us’ Dover rose to 127,116 vehicles, and that Dover was used b>} over 5 million ngers and over 1 million accompanied private cars, the minister would speed }» up theA2 development pro. | gramme, and in particular the | construction of the Canterbury | by-pass. | In & written answer on Friday, | Mr, Peyton sald: ‘While I know | how pressing the problem Is, I | regret that there is no scope for | further acceleration, The feas}- bility study into the need for, and alignment of a Canterbury by-pass is now being considered by the Department.’ The Department's ‘‘con- sideration'’ of the confidentis report has been going on fo: over six months, Canterbury's City Engineer, Mr. John Rhodes said: ‘This report is confidential to the minister, but obviously we ought to know what it contains. The information is related to other highways schemes. | “The by-pass {s one of the vital things for Canterbury and we need firm decisions made soon."’ | [- Cilr. Mike Fuller, Chairman | | of Canterbury City Council's *% Committee and a member of the A2 Group sald: “No one from the city has the slightest idea of the matters in this report. We are pagan in the dark, ae ercounel would be in a ger position, partic. | ularly in the statement it wishes to make at the Harbledown ie pier iry if the contents ie quhoun report were known. if “Cllr. Tony Payne of Harble- down had a letter last August | Ke _M.P. goes to war °*” ‘over A2 Canterbury's M.-P. is seek- ing a personal interview with the Minister for Trans- rt Industries, Mr. John nm, over the A2 and Canterbury by-pass prob- lems. Mr. Crouch is highly dis- satisfied with an answer given in the Commons by r. Peyton, when he said no speed-up could be made in the A2 programme. Mr. Crouch asked if, In view of the fact that the number of lorries using the Dover ferries in 1972 rose by 43 per cent to 156,581, the Secrotary of State for the Environment would ex- pedite the A2 development programme’ and, in parti- cular, the construction of a Canterbury by-pass. Mr. Peyton's answer was brief: ‘While I know how eon fit tho problem is I rogret there is no scope for further acceleration. The feasibility study into the need for and alignment of a Canterbury by-pass is now being considered by my de- | partment." | Mr. Crouch later told the “Kent Herald”: “I can- not accept this as the last word from the Minister in view of the fact that the flow of traffic from Canter- ay to Dover is rising at such an alarming rate “I was glad to hear from the Minister that he realises how serious the problom ts and I feel he must constder speeding up the road pro- gramme (o meet the now traffic demand, ‘IT intend to ace Mr. Pey-~ ton personally to discuss the problem as a matter of ur- gency.” i = New danger at Upper Harbledown a> te coud) gz SS558335 sae azeee eo~ E&nS = G05 gg oC Es3 2 3 gES= ae se e6— Os 558 g23+55%2 pXs SP 65535. ca ; ;oe bel g¢ayztis -—- . give fal BZ H2e £oss 3 823 $5 gfe <25. 2307 ALO> OGUsssss “Saegeeste x aeebssé «328 Ve oubeezs > se ze Es toa ae Osvc® H2esese 2285s a “gi 2ee ede 24h aSGvous £38332 sziz 3 wDe = § °s3sc 2 sauce a, 38.2 83953 5 = gfe 3 3 Cease = oe ae o 335ess Egg gee $49n5= smemo. riageway to decided Council to © Imposition speed Imit r Harbledown if council The ask the Co. look again of a 40 “ z PI 3 3 2 = = ° 2 < 3 a s rj - 3 a a3 a= Ser - eo le 23352288 ° = Bos : seissise. e2~ $86 b> peeeeitt ~Sose E2cisi>ee eect oe es Se. so saak RS2353 Es eS22sens SSsc5° LSS ee-oSees a2305s o-] mw reste @eocesaae aA. yee 42 gk OR. would carry A2 ba shorter time, until the Canterb' ury by-pass was built. this event the Harble- Pr y-pass would then cater purely for residual traffic travelling between the trunk road and the western areas of Canter- bury. BY HALF He sald that when the nterbury by-pass was Sentomenieh would be un- OO} before 1 je anes of traffic on the Harbledown by would be redu db which would be adequately dealt with by a single two-lane a) ted out that after a anterbu been built mean that the carriageway wou longer nm fic entering Canterbury western continue to use the down by-pass. This scheme would Ate give continuing { to the village pe continued da teen po to national ning, to arbledown y-pass not - necessary but Mr, Hammond -pass had it Kaen) not new single no ual traf: would be the coe saving ie a iso the Harble- that because rtance of the Channel Ports it improve the road and _ sequence PRU bie ; iremonts of “The (nerease In rollon/ roll-off freight to and from the Continent combined with the larger number of holiday makers every year, | Sabha HE | to and m™m ver and Canterbury, has . oo ad Ke congestions, accidents, dam- age to property. and. diMeculties for pedestrians. Owing to the layout of the villa: all the local traffic has to join the trunk a at one point or another; the community life of the vil- lage suffers as a result. ‘As an alternative to A LD the widening of the existing road would destroy Sutidinge, The regradine ulldings, eo Te-RTA of the road which would be involved would also. neces- sitate the construction of earth embankments and create access pro! * et of scheme needed to deal with through traffic in this case Is clearly a new road” > About 9% acres would have to be acquired for the road. No houses would need to be demolished, Cherry Cottage had already been de- OLE following vanda- sm. The estimated total cost of this scheme would be £372,000 at 1973 prices. WHITE PAPER | Referring to the Govern- ment White Paper “Develop- ment and Compensation— Putting People rst,” Mr, Hammond said that where properties were acquired or ) diy affected by a new road, provisions such as compensation, sound Insu- lation and home Bead pads ments would be granted. “While it is not denied that there would be disadvan- tages to individual land and propert: owners, every | effort has been made to | minimise these and it Is sub- } pitted oe fe overall ad- : | vantages of the scheme are for the Se aprurire. very substantial. The village carry now an) 4 quoted n | {3 at present severed by the Mr, Hammon ken on | Jarge volume of traffic LOO ee er Dunkirk in| Using the existing narrow Au and inadequate trunk road. upuet 1970: Jed that the “If the by-pass was bullt is reveale {traffic on channelling all through traf- average volume 0 13.419 | Mc along a predominantly a 16-hour day Miles 11142 | access-free road, the exist- vehicles. Of ese cent, | (9& road through the village vehicles, or So Pe icten | would become a local road. Mee eee nat yee mun The. environmental ,beneft >} wou! very great. ber of vehicles had aie “With the reduced amount creased by five Lata re. of traffic on the existing between 1 pts A road, pedestrians would be vious census bap este trunk Able to cross more freely enh BS Peaulred to While delivery vehicles carry 18200 vehicles during pnigns apie to stops in j the age without causing “i verage day in. August. "yuck a sow of Me Mr. C. Gay congestion.” theory and may not right. Surely the sensible thing to do is to proceed with the ultimate now and then do the ond class road, if necd be,” he sald. Nearly 20 years ago agreed to proposals from the Ministry of ‘Transport to bulld a by-pass in the in- terests of safety and to avoid property demolition. . “At that time, of course, commercia) continental tra- Mec had not started,” added Mr. Waye. He claimed that now the Department seemed to want to “bulldoze their way” through public opinion. “Harbledown is not pre- pared to lie down and allow desecration of the parish, particularly when it is obvious that the real solution is to by-pass the city and not fiddle with a scheme which will be outdated be- fore it is started.” | For the Canterbury So- clety, Mr. R, F. Seaborne, A committee member of the A2 Group, said that the | society had expressed its |ylews to the Harbledown by-pass proposals due to e influence the Lower Harbledown Road would Continued on page 9 resulted in ever-inoreasing | he | Harbledown Parish Council | that the Lower Harbledown ‘road, where It affects the parimeten of the city, would environmentally Ing, nor can we overioo! the damage it would inflict on events yee of aie quality just outside the city bounda “The Lower Harbledown roposals suffor from the following faults: “They were conceived in 1953 and confirmed in 1958, and are not an answer to the needs of the 1070's. They do nothing to answer the principal need, which is to withdraw heavy long-dis- tance traffic rom_ the rhein Way sector of the “And If implemonted they may further delay action on the only valid solution; the rovision of a by-pass linked the city by a Wincheap Radial Road as outlined In the Buchanan Report.” J. for nterbury could not be built before 1980, by when, Mr, Ham- mond said, the flow of trafllc along the A2 would be be- yond the capacity of the Den if the city by-pass ; eity by- was built, the Harbledown road would still be required to eater for the remaining internal traffic travelling to and from the city. On Wednesday, the first day of the inquiry, Mr. Christopher Gay, the Town Clerk, urged that the Can- terbury by-pass should be- come the major objective, with a higher priority than the Harbledown_road. He said the City Council had an alternative plan which would recognise the fundamental need for a Can- terbury by-pass, the urgency of treatine it os 2 major pricgity, and finally the need to relieve Harbledown by using the Canterbury by- Tony Payne (right) makes a point to the Government Inspector, Mr. Morris Robinson, road slammed as ‘‘dangerous’ faa with the Wincheap dial, to link with the pre- gent ring road On Thursday, two leading scpeny sock warned the bg t the plan to run a ial carriageway directly into a single carriageway could be a dangerous hazard for motorists. Mr, Roy Seaborne, a mem- ber of the Canterbury Society, mid It was in favour of the by-pass, buat not the trafflc management aspects of it. r. Seaborne, who is also n committee member of the A2 Group—set up to speed improvements on the trunk road—pointed out that the proposed dual carriageway would run down a hill Into the single carringewny “Tt is a downward gradi- ent all the way from the present dual carriageway and the traffic is belting down this way. They do not always pay attention to the 70 m.p.h. speed Umit “From the safety point of view, taking the dual car- riagewny into the single car- ringewny is a very ous plece of engineer I suggest that on should be terminat——— fore starting the ot example, by a round For the A2 Grou Anthony Payne exp alarm at the Depart decision not to const Canterbury by-pass. who conducted the Inquiry Into the Harbledown by-pass last week. With them on a tour of the area on Friday were: Mr. Rex Hammond, of the Department of the Environment (left), and Cllr, R. Waye, of Harbledown Parish Council. eM. 2 aba porating the proposals for Harbiedown "It is evident that the De- partment still falle to ap precinte the necessity treating the whole situation as & matter of national ur- gency " he sald wwittian Referring to the of the proposed dual and aimgle carriageways, he said: “It is understood that this situation would remain- until the Canterbury by-pass is built. “It is the view of the Group that this point Is m acceptable; to prevent dents each such fun should be in the form of, well-lit roundabout 1 slow-down lanes in : direction. “If this is not done, a § lar series of accident b spots will be created # as has been constructed the authorities at Ba Cross-roads, and the recent opened functi southern end carriageway Gate Inn. ‘ . and Ly om Ite 7 Plough ledown, ne De yme at 1 Lane, close- route. Jouble- te line ld be clear had vative De- * dis rt the ricul- needa by-pass Sir, May I please have an Ma to unite the “Teument over Harbie- into simple down ‘ne in your cond heron Ted the ima tion that tion of portant. There of Canterbury, Uming years, . I would acce this, know- ‘Ng all the problems existing on the present road because believe it is in the best muniipaie the hae arc mun neluding e city. The Minister has had the consultant's report on the “anterbury by-pass since August last rT. All stories and. for tenn and for stor’s only. should be dis 4 because it was rev. the Harbledown in that the ent o Environmen’ repre at the Goupey itt a © Coun ‘otel! What is needed is the A2, a matter of top priority. Mr. Baker White, a recent article in “ Life,” was critical of complacency of Counce) ‘over is, seemingly our newly-cle sree councillor for of the opinion t# Projected Canterb by-pasa {s wrong and ep a constructed. that could mean the Coufbs jy yuan th o9o8 84} Alrensn ‘[1wy ‘uy O}4UI01 Ue} 40 OAE-vUUT ap- Pointed by the t of the Environment Mr. M i Ro wes about the p: route, years ago. The road is it into two eections <= oon & 1i-mlle pass Until the city by-pass is built, the Government has suggested another section of road, carrying a single carriageway, should link ne dual re © western en Way. It would cross the A2 and run north of Harble- down. : Many of the Ppe: there would be no need to carve a ro 744% BETANRS J@UI-UO)eWApPAXO JO U0]Y}02}}Ue> WM (rey ted saqyyu sive Awids Asvsseo0u a20uay “Apa Wk MOUNY ospyur yyy thd puy jods ouv oid avinger v wonIPee ur le! bd HLL) MOONS Hunod vyQ uo avo id M UOl4QIOITUeZ UWA Avide ‘oy Gn UT "Mer Suv WA {PUNnoIzNs ey PUT s}OoYys Zunor “IQRVT BHVeM OM) Avids a us aelny of 10 or 15 years, gi Yi in220 sides YyAold Yyorys cannot agree. I know t Harbledown and Canterbu need an urgent solution their Uae problema. CLLR. TONY PAYNE. Woodside; Bigberry Hil, Harbledown, {Qo9ns SeNewA UO “@ApiG oUWS AuUasasvy QNONAU SUAMOUD Ling nyjnz4aBy yo Asysiuiw “pea yuED) sie Bae 12) oy? wos {ot vera wd reuopusoyut Uv ®ATODO2 OF ‘SEXOL a0y 939] OU sug 07 Buy -uinws 320758 Lashes Vv 292U9 OF BuO WowWneg BuiAvels cies aeies x; 10;8;q Aen dao snolouMU pus squoy Zug om ‘AYO Uep “PIVOT OW? “BUTS JO ITAL 7VIIHH EM FWSTA 0} ‘found AAWUOPPNIOAYW OU} JO [VTOI uu puY 29,01d207UT vs a KWAY.” DepTRamOCOOS 4.2 3 PUNO UTVA Josey “NUTUD ePpIFINO PLOM ey Syusuidopasp Youvacos Barat hattenea ae oh sunita’ sso! Ty. "ean concern rs at the ( ‘between rriagewa Staines pe ena ti Bs Wanstall At that | Cir, ° 2 é SSS TT It also pointed out that a dangerous: situation now exists at the end of the new lece of road, Home Cir. 8. L, put down Patrixbo: side the Bourne Park, Scouncitior >| said. "T was Bourne Park but before 1 hit int h had right-hand 1 to overtake, Mr, Gilbert road was the answer Bridge. “Whatever are Please.” he «ai. when the road recom- to please BRIDGE is not to have double white lines, Blean Rural Distric cil decided on Wednesday, It accepted the mendation of its Road and Committee Bridge- t Coun- If it were not Possible to have white lines through the centre of the village, Grainger wanted to know if the: could be entrance in the sections of road at the junction of urne Road and out- to “You Hey, nearly lost a ~this-week," ‘ho coming out of pulled out knew what had happened I was almost e front.” ew the cause. drive vehicles we very Jd do, peeple in Bridge don’t’ want t— they hard to pull out to the side and did not see what was on the left. He suggested it might bo possible to have a sign warning of junctions if white lines were not. al- lowed. The Divisional Surveyor, i Bragg, sald he Was certain that white lines | would not be allowed, Tho not wide enough. He would ask, but felt sure | would be “No.” | On the question of signs | he waa “between two stools” because many people did | not want any more signs in } the to leaborne told me | was elected to ae ata Lert represent the I cannot resign even fi no Q rir abpointed to rep- © pesent anterbury Hoclety | . Sead: Wis ber of the A2 Group and mamed o Liberal rty members who had gone to to see the Secre, Mary of State for the En- vironment over speeding up the A2 improvements. “The committee had a & sald ‘This ral tinued both watt olitieal “totivess He t the matter was | o¢ =z move Bridge int 100 vardé PROPOSALS to shift the sug- gested Bridge by-pass route 100 fram tha sillaan SQOW-INIW TVNOILVSN3S 3HL IO % * BONVUVAddY GHOSAVD EL6L suis snid dot $.d¥O 9 NNO TIHD 909 SLINGV G3YBAO? NOILVAOWWOD9V TV AINVUNViISaY SYVG Sa4dvo AHdOUL OGVNUOL SHL NOs ONIOVY AAONVE % SLNASGYd YaHUVd HIN ‘md g Je AVW ULL AVGOIas wniavis qdosAVvaoD “Aunque yo "UNS STE D ZY OLN Mat 4VD “dot wespIM “wr ‘d oo'zUsEL AVW AVONNS Sa0vVu LV «+ a ae rare woppaT ampy . When large jorries rumble through narrow roads unpleasant things are likely to happen, a arto residents. They took a car ieeraie ihe ee er temrcyentce |S Sabu > sadvuavou .- | qasajds dO IWAILSAA S,LINDAIDS NSAGGAT *‘yepajyew uosaweg *ANO} TRATAGT SANXTS — guy 40g AjUO Jt ‘dT 1e|NUESSO vw jo yrud av anoy upoyewy ue ing ‘usu ‘Beq paxiw v ue 403 Joe 910 “990T PoIWO *ssousi Ayuanbaays) | mou ‘s19pusqpuln peuys}s0 BujAesd vowros OL “S4S}O/OS OU) bib puu outer oUMUvOW 40 WOOs DIMI OL PUe je1>40UN *Arunos sy) Uy eures 0) OP “WO AJOA O40MSjUOWOBUe, PpMoo 7 puw ‘spe UUTTESNy “se as0y, ing (oUesWOD UYOr au Uy AnoJ, saquinu peyouos Guypnjru}) @4jSey270 oy Uy SUeT> \Apeosye suy ,,s04)070L,, “snus eu Aue 229M 9s0UL /AepaL XIN ON. "Us @unjdep ayy UO sem 4) UaUM is yjuLrap 8, LeULIOH 9yy PUT SPIIG pueg Big aydsayig Azzig aul OUL ‘samMoH oy Aq. ,,dovs sn, 10} “sues s,AUU0S aiqisuodses ose sum OH ‘Hu0s — 94 ysasajuy jeas6 Jo 0q II1M OS OU) 270.1M UreUTpNOD) urwyelh SOj0S SO/[4k9 S/Y 4 OSOu, PUL BATT JO BUILD UL, 4snoy UO SARA SUIjjOH AUUOS 45} puv , earl jo Pury Aa00us,, WIM =—-oydoxes "4582 /821/SNU bujpod IOPUOQPUTW OW) INIM SesFAIONS | | spy 4Oy POAOUIGUIES 1890 BF OH “Soe, LOUPIDY HAD] poywo oyduys wv Wire xoua $04 MON “SIWOA MOF SUT OUT 49A0 way JO punos puw }1]s 380] Om 7nq ‘senXIs ay Uy eure 4)q “s2upsed H2eW Aq Oj0Ud ¥ 9q.0} pasn wunjUOy OUATAA ueyequew jo jseoy Out UI S494 BUIPHING 821110 150d 440A MON 4unu plo esey) UO spUvY JTOLN PIO GY JO Sdays ay, UO pasny 30 07 Aypumoddo uv uespi oq 0} “21d “OUNLIEW ed LSIMVLING PUTT Og [TM SrAMOTIOS FOUTS “pu0oas JO Ople-e1 Ot UO BT ..IMAL NOA UM 10D BkeMly 1.URD MOA, *powvolos J0A0u SUM VI 'O06T OU OF WUAIOTTP fem stiis Ge sere Stemi wont ERE 8 ee eee ————————— es emotion’ @From Page 29 cD Jards at the primary school and duces noise by about 20dBA, so these levels are equivalent to 70 and 55dBA outside a home. Lyos » are generally now quoted for outside the home — we did our measurements outside too. More recently, in June 1971, the Secretary of ‘State for the Environment at the time said, in the House of Commons: The Noise Advisory Council has recommended to me the adoption of the Ly. index for measuring disturbance by traftic noise. It has also recommended that existing residential development should in no citcumstances be subjected, as an act of conscious public policy, to more than 70dBA on the Lo index unless some form of remedial‘ or compensatory action is taken by the responsible authority. The Council has stressed that this level represents, in its view, the limit of the acceptable rather than a standard of what is desirable and has recommended that wherever possible planners should design to lower levels. All of the sites we have looked at this time have exceeded these levels by far — the lowest L\, index was 75dBA and the highest was 81dBA, Apart from the upsetting annoyance, these levels are uncomfortably close to the noise levels known to damage health. We chose our sites because we knew they would be pretty noisy, But they‘re not that exceptional. The Transport and Road Research Laboratory have estimated that about 19 per cent of the urban population is currently exposed to an Ly index of 43 LONDON-CANTERBURY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD A 2 BRIDGE BY-PASS , Proof of Evidence for Public Inquiry by L D KRAMER AILA © A Landscape Architeot to the Department of the Environment . as ris . y ’ . . - * a et: re b ~ < . " x DOE 2 Marsham Street LONDON SW1P 3EB 8 May 1973 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 I am Leo Dick Kramer, 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 an Associate of the Institute of Landscape Architects, the Department of the Environment Landscape matters in the selection of cluding motorways. and I have been a Landscape Architect to since 1969, I advise the Department on routes and the detailed design of trunk road schemes, in You have been given the engineering details of the route, and I should like to take you along the route once again giving you the broad landscape proposals for this scheme as prepared by mee The drawings showing these proposals together with a number of typical cross pections are on display and will be shown on the soreens while giving my evidence. The landscape proposals are show in diagramatic form. They do not attempt to show the exact location of small groups of individual trees. The detail@g proposals are more readily and accurately assessed when the line of the route has been established on the ground. Experience has shown that it is essential to walk the route when the formation has been established. At this stage there js little difficulty in deciding which view should be sereened and which be opened up. It is hoped that by the time the line of the route can be walked, the Local Authority and individuals will have given the Department their comments on these draft proposals, so that they may be considered. The proposals as presented are mainly viewed from the surrounding areas looking towards the line of the route and are therefore one sided. The proposed planting falls into two catagories:- a. Planting, which the Department is prepared to carry out within the land which must be acquired for the construction of the road. This is shown as a continuous green line for dense planting and a dashed green line for intermittent planting. b. Planting which would be undertaken on additional parcels of land adjacent to the road, which the Department is willing to acquire by agreement. This is shown outlined in red. Other notations I will describe as we come to them. I should make it clear at this stage that these landscape proposals do not take into account the Government's intentions for protection against noise outlined in the White Paper "Putting People First". Provisions included in the legislation consequent upon the White Paper will be implemented in this project. The Government has made it clear in the White Paper that such provisions will include the construction of sound barriers, where this is necessary and is the best solution. Such barriers could be either walls, fences or earth banks. Each of these will require complimentary landscape treatment. To show the sort of treatment that might be given is indicated on cross section 2, which will be explained shortly. a — 2.1 2.2 2.3 XS 2 2.4 DESCRIPTION Commencing at the western end on the A 2, the by-pass would leave the A 2 to the south-east of Milestone Farm in easterly direction passing in cutting through orchards as far as BEKESBOURNE ROAD. It is proposed to plant a hedge with hedgerow trees at the top of the cutting slopes. This proposal is Subject to the landowner's agreement. At the newly created junction on the A 2 e triangular area of land will be left, which is to be planted densely, Similarly, the area between the By-pass and the slip road onto BEKESBOURNE OAD. The latter planting will provide a frame work for the bridge at this junction. The By-pass passes under BEKESBOURNE ROAD and enters BIFRONS PARK where it emerges onto embankment to cross over the NAILBOURNE and PATRIXBOURNE ROAD. At UPPER LODGE a small plot of land has been created between the existing drive into the park and the By-pass, This parcel of land the Department is Willing to acquire by agreement and plant. The cutting slopes to the east of BEKESBOURNE ROAD to be planted intermittently. (See Cross Section 1). Where the By-pass leaves the cutting and gradually rises onto embanknent, it is proposed to plant the section between the end of the cutting and the proposed underpass densely, to reduce in time-to-come the visual impact at this point. An alternative treatment along this section could be to extend the cutting slope as far as the underpass by introducing an earth bank, This earth bank could be planted over its entire length or along the top only. The proposal as indicated on Cross Section 2 would require additional land, which as the law stands at present can only be obtained by agreement with the landower. The embankment slopes between the underpass and PATRIXBOURNE ROAD to be planted intermittently to reflect the existing parkland character in BIFRONS PARK. In order to reduce the visual impact of this embankment from the properties in CONYNGHAM LANE, RIVERSIDE CLOSE and those in PATRIXBOURNE ROAD, this can be achieved by regrading the side slopes from the proposed slope of 1:2 to 1:6 or 1:8. (See Cross Section 3). The flatter side slope is visually less intrusive. Great care is to be taken that existing trees are not affected,and it may be necessary in places to go back to the standard side slope. To produce these flatter side slopes the Department would require the agreement of the landowner to carry out this work under licence, secondly the extent of the proposed regrading is dependent on the amount of surplus and/or unsuitable construction material being available. After the By-pass passes over PATRIXBOURNE ROAD it runs for a short distance on embankment before entering into out. Here it is proposed with the land- owners consent, that the embankment slopes be regraded to mould into the existing levels and to produce a more gradual transition between "cut and fill". Upon entering into cut at this point the By-pass then passes through a prominent belt of trees, which form part of woodland betwean BRIDGE DOWN AND PATRIXBOURNE, there it is proposed to plant the cutting slopes densely, 680 as to narrow the gaps made by the By-pass, ee SPS a eres SE a 3. Along the east side of the By-pass the realigned North Downs Way runs, between this footpath and the top of the cutting and it ios proposed to plant a hedge XS 4 with hedgerow trees. (See Cross Section 4). The cutting slope along the BRIDGE DOWN side to be planted intermittently and densely to link with tho existing vegetation. 2.6 At the bridge taking the private road to HIGHLANDS COURT ANNEXE the cutting Slopes to be planted to link to the existing vegetation end to provide a frame work for its sotting. Shortly after passing this bridge the By-pass emerges onto embankment to rejoin the A 2 just to the east of FROG LANE. 2.7 Where the By-pass rejoins the A 2, an awkward parcel of land has been created just to the west of GOLF COTTAGE, this is outlined in red. The Department is willing to acquire this area by agreement and plant, in so doing extending the existing tree belt on the east side of the A 2. The embanknent Slopes between the By-pass and the Slip roads to be planted densely, LAND USE 3.1 The By-pass runs through land designated as of Great Landscape Value and of Outstanding Natural Beauty the extent of these areas are indicated by drawing LA2. From this can also be seen that no existing vegetation in the BIFRONS PARK or BRIDGE DOWN area is covered by Tree Preservation Orders, while in BOURNE PARK AND CHARLTON PARK large areas of vegotation are covered by Tree Preservation Orders, It is most desirable to ensure that as far as possible the existing vegetation be preserved so that the corridor through which the By-pass runs maintains its landscape character. This may be achieved with the aid of Tree Preservation Orders, The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kont We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 10th May 1973. David Crouch Esqe,MePe, House of Commons, London SeWel. Dear Mr. Crouch, I am pleased to inform you that the Bridge by-pass Public Enquiry concluded today. From our observations, it is evident that the weight of evidence in favour of the proposed northern route has conclusively outweighed that presented by the objectors. We are therefore confident of the outcome. During the hearing, Mir. Rex Hammond from the Department of the Environment, stated that if further consideration was given to the southern route, it would take at least 2 years to reach another public enquiry. » I understand from Mr. Hammond that there is not a statutory period allowed for the Minister to announce his decision following an enquiry, and would be pleased to learn from you how quickly we can expect an announcement on the Bridge one. I am sure that you will be applying renewed pressure from now on in order that the delay to the starting date is minimised. Yours sincerely, ee Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. RURAL. DISTF COUNCIL COUNCIL OFFICES, LP Ronstue, © sage. OLD DOVER ROAD, ike NE ARC EAL ARYA, 2 ee (ROM COMSHATON Adan | re Ru TW nennay, J ve.e. SEPOET Werccron; mn eRe CANTERBURY, KENT iheag Me rare 4 oe ThLemiOne can et SUH (4 es) Fe eto May 1973 4 ADVERT IsEaaE yr 10M AP 1 HIGH STREET, BRIDGE _ With reference to your letter of 7 May 1973 if you wish to continue to display the signs it will _ of course, be necessary for a formal application _ to be made and for the due process of consideration ll be observed 4 Sion. on. Secretary/Treasurer: ; v ed an A. Lewis, ; _ However, it may be that the signs will not be | al naa aa & required for any length of time and may I safely _ &8sume that they will be removed shortly? the M2 : yours Sincerely : oa © WY a te CT4 5JY. Clerk of ‘the Council SS BA Lewis Esq "Weston Villas" 1 High Street Bridge Canterbury Kent CTL 53¥ ret, Bridse. F/HT aGeman. oo CUS Sece: x oncerning the above, I would be pleased to receive your approval to allow me * ‘to display the signs bearing the slogans, ‘By-Pass Bridge, You Know It Makes Sense’ and 'Only 10 Miles To M2!' during the period of the Public Enquiry which starts tomorrow. You will appreciate that the eyes of the press will again be on Bridge during the next few days, and A2 Group are i anxious to gain as much publicity as possible for obvious reasons, I would again like to express my thanks to you for your tolerance in this matter, and trust that this will be the last time that it will be necessary for me to make such a request now that our battle with the Authorities is almost won, Yours sincerely, 9 se be RugiCTEL Ragin an Foon Brian A. Lewis: ae Ue Cunqulg ovel : Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. ne |A2| Group Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Viilas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY,. I. Soilleux Esqe, Clerk of the Council, Bridge-Blean R.D.C. ’ Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Wir. Soilleux, 3 ve Signs at 1 h Street, Bridge. Further to our recent correspondence concerning the above, I would be pleased to receive your approval to allow me to display the signs bearing the slogans, ‘By-Pass Bridge, You Know It Makes Sense’ and 'Only 10 Miles To M23' during the period of the Public Enquiry which starts tomorrow. You will appreciate that the eyes of the press will again be on Bridge during the next few days, and A2 Group are anxious to gain as much publicity as possible for obvious reasons. I would again like to express my thanks to you for your tolerance in this matter, and trust that this will be the last time that it will be necessary for me to make such a request now that our battle with the Authorities is almost won. Yours sincerely, al (lau (). 40 LTH (5 the Rieter ces Suen Brian A. Lewis: a4 Ue Cuqurig oe: Sec/Treasurex, A2 Group. Bridge By-Pass: North or South of the A2? proposed Bridge By-Pass runs to the NORTY of the A very close to Upper Lodge, Conynghamn Lane, Bridge Down 1% : land Court Cottages. It will affect the homes, lives and amenities of many local residents. It will desecrate one of the loveliest parts of East Kent. Orchards, Sifrons Park, the =f Nailbourne Valley. The delightful unspoilt village of Patrixbourne will be ruined: its peace and beauty will go for ever. There is a suitable alternative: to the SOUTH of the A2 using part of the Old railway line. ‘The greater part of this alternative will spoil no landscape: it will probably improve it by tidying up a dis-used railway track. A SOUTH line will affect fewer people's homes, lives and amenities than a NORTH line. Skilfully routed, this SOUTH line will affect neither Bourne Park _ mor the Nouse hor the village béhind, Lodge your objections WITHOUT D OW. Write to: The Kegional Controlle: Department of the Env ; Roads and Transport South Rastern, Epsom Road, retras Guildford, Surrey. suote Reference: DSE200/09/TR 34/T 020 If you can, send a copy of your letter to; The County Surveyor, Kent House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, Kent. Give reasons for your objections and/or suggestions and recommendations. Use these points: 1. How the proposed road affects me, my home, my family, my way of life; 2. How it threatens my surroundings: my garden, my outlook, the countryside I have chosen for my family to live ins 3. Press for an alternative route: on the SOUTH side of the A.2: 4%, Press for A PUBLIC ENQUIRY i.e. for an independent and impartial assessment of the whole problen. * * * The urgency for a By-Pass is beyond tion and the recommendations of PUBLIC EN could be implemented in 1974 without any und the work, * ak * WRITE TO THE DEPARTM2u2 OF fHi ENVIRONMEN? and THE COUNTY SU).VEYOR NOW. ‘THE LAST DATE IS 22nd December, 1972 k.J. Hooke, 14th December, 1972 White Gates, Patrixbourne. NOTE At the Patrixbourne Parish Meeting on Thursday 14th December ; 72 the following resolution was passed:- ’ h Meeting views with concern the environméntal 667 act upon residents of Patrixbourne P-rish which fr construction of the B idge By-P-ss on the proposed route = across the Wadd bourne Velley. The Meeting cannot support the proposed Northern route, without further information on plternative routes being given and it is not convinced that all possible alternative routes have been property examined." . “THORS UGE ® PHLITICN _: BRIDGE BYPASS I, the undersigned, welcome @ Bridge bypass 4° 4t will provide much needed relief for Bridge High Street. I object to details of the i 4 However, if @ Northern Route is chosen, ~~ planned Route on the grounds of:- by to many existing houses causing: 2. Disruption to the North Downs Way; I propose that: s centre line be sited at least 100 yards furt.er A. The bypas Patrixbourne Road and Bridge northeast at Conyngham Lane, Down; J No layby be provided withing 7 mile of any houses; d to preserve the existing By B. Cc. A pedestrian way be provide line of the North Downs Way. BAPKEUL ceccccsccssiessccccevesessemeoscrcocs see Ns eeeeee AdGreGS ccccscccccccccccccsensccesessecers Bridge, CANTERBURY, Kent:. ame memememem Geb me bm bes Sema RES seme momen emememememememomenene mem emem emer memes . . . If you support th ition please have each adult sign one form, and these will be collec in the next few days. Na nomees PEtrrieN The A2 Group Chairman: vp IAL pane | John Purchese, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 12th May 1973.6 I.F. Soilleux Eade, Clerk of the Council, Bridge-Blean R.D.C., Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. CT1l 3DA. Dear Kr. Soilleux, e: Adve nt_S 8 at H Stree dad 90-92, H S Bri . Thank you for your letter dated 10th May 1973. In answer to the question contained in the second paragn of your letter, I would draw your attention to the 'P.s.' containa in my letter dated 7th May, and confirm that the signs have now ba removed as promised. During the Public Enquiry, Mir. Foreman approached Mr. Jq Purchese concerning the slogans on 90-92 High Street, and Mir. Purg gave his assurance that these would also be removed. I confirm tha this has also been carried out. No doubt you will have read the reports in the press covering the Enquiry. From our observations, it was evident that + weight of evidence in favour of the northern route conclusively outweighed that presented by the objectors. We are therefore confi of the outcome. . We have written to lir. David Crouch asking him to apply renewed pressure at parliamentary level in order that an early announcement will be forthcoming from the lMiinister. It would be of great assistance if your Council could also write to Mr. Crouch ir support of us. I am sure that with our combined efforts we can achieve an early decision. Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis: " iy ‘ Sec/Treasurer, (Ve QQ. tLnm A2 Group. - North or south: where should the by-pass go? ‘NORTH or south — where ‘should the by-pass go? | That is the problem now ‘facing the Secretary of | State for the Environment following last week's two- jay public inquiry into the proposed £1 million road ‘to by-pass juggernaut-be- | seiged Bridge. The Department of the Environment, Kent County District Council and the parish councils of Bridge and Bishopsbourne favour the northern route that has been shown on plans for 20 years. But Wass villagers in Bridge and Patrixborne are now advocating a southern route old Elham Valley railwa line and cut _— thro picturesque Bourne Park. | The objectors were warned by Mr. Rex Ham- mond, the Environment De- partment’s south-east re- gional controller that to scrap the northern route now could mean a two-year delay in getting a southern route to the same On the first day of the | inquiry, Mr. Hammond said it was envisaged that the Bridge by-pass would even- tually nk the pro Canterbury by-pass with the improved section of the A2, south of the Bishops- bourne road. It was expected that by | 1980 the road would be re- quired to carry about 22,000 vehicles during an average day in August. TRAFFIC FLOW This would mean a traffic flow of about one vehicle every 2) seconds—making the crossing of the road by pedestrians very dificult and hazardous. The by-pass would’ pass houses at Bridge Down, the minimum distance between the road's centre and a building would be 230 feet. At thie point the road would be in a deep cutting. Mr. Hammond did not / deny there would be disad- vantages to Individual land and proneriy owners, but every effort had been made to minimise these and he | submitted that the overall iL ‘ATdd¥ /8q pue WSPISNYLUS | Buiuiesy ‘Asessezeu jz veempeq pebe Aey NOA 41 NOA WOdy dij eouel|ddy pans ;sou) s,Avjunod lpieys MOU @ OCW /aAdAlia Council, Bridge-Blean Rural — that would use the — “arate weal ror The village dated from the 12th Century and was listed as being of outstand- ing Dee Eye “Once the motorway is built it will be too late to say it is in the wrong place,” he said. “The people of Bridge and Patrixbourne want 4 pyepens but let us put it in the right place. We owe it to our children to preserve the sheer beauty which we enjoy." Another objector, Mr. P. D. Collingwood, of 28 Bridge Down said no con- sideration seemed to have been given to private houses In the northern route area. “Fumes are best left to disperse in open country side and not in our kitchens and living rooms,”’ he said. Prof, Roy Pahl, of Patrix- bourne Lodge, Patrixbourne, 4 jut PS tvo cy no AUNGYALNYSD "GVO" uu porting him. the northern route because less agricultural land and farming Interests would be affected by it; Bourne Park, a Grade 1 listed building, and the land would be un- touched; it would be cheaper to bulld and would mean a large part of the new road being In cut where it passed houses at Bridge wn, minimising traffic noise. Kent County Council's as- sistant engineer, Mr. John | Vince, said he had studied plans for a southerly route, drawn by Dr. Pratt and Mr Hooke. He thought there would be several difficulties in carrying out the routes, including additional length and a greater effect on the general landscape. Mr. W. D. Stewart, of 36 Bridge Down, agreed with the southern route and ob- jected to a dual-carriage torway being so close to ils home. He handed In a_ petition digned by 80 residents of he Bridge Hill estate and Patrixbourno Road ae r. E. Weatherall, of 27 PET (4U2Q) “SER Tc tne the *£aey04995 ays 10) Burnium ur diddy *sauayos uoisuad 3Ua}|a2x%2 Aq pasdAOD aie suo!Isod aAoge 43 |]y auryreud 04317 OZ 0} Wes 03 PUe salNp siWoO jesaUad 4oy (1-9) uew Buno, *(a1eW) WIID YOINNS (¢) pur ssauxris 424393595 a3e49d0 | One of the Bridge by-pass ob- jectors, Mr. Ronald Hooke, explains a point to the De partment of the Environment Inspector, Mr. Frank Adams, during his tour of the inquiry area on Thursday. The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese Brian A, Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesboume, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Cantorbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. 8th May 1973. Expo. Councillor, HeP.Me Lawrence Esqe,y 72, Bridge Down, | Bridge, | Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. Dear Mr. Lawrence, 3 ' Ww e! . Thank you for your letter dated 7th May. I confirm that A2 Group will be represented at the inaugural Meeting of Exhibitors at the Village Hall, Bridge on Tuesday 22nd May at 8.00 p.m. Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Group starters, ‘I would submit of the many ag 3 eis of |) rr meetings and ape ne other | Wailing statutory threat it is ople and anentirel jon. j “4 FALSE d like lo emphasise,the | we had not taken the | ‘Mm possible but as we e closely at them are 1 have seen in my cH d a Fe ge iH ae From Mr A. GL, Payne Sir, Is \here any evidence that the present methods of channel crossing are inadequate for the demand, or that they cannot be expanded: to satisfy future demand ? Is there any evidence that we need, or want, another system capable of handling over 40 million road yehicles a year (160,000, day * 5 days/week: 50 weeks /year) ? lf “NO”, may we please have » little aoney spent on the A2 to bring’ ic to dual carriageway standard, by- passing Canterbury ? Yours faithfully, ‘Ti A. G. L. PAYNE, MAES Woodside, | > | Bigberry Hill, Harbledown, | Canterbury. LAURENCE YOUNG | Below, right! A giant Pictures: | lorry drove itself under- JOHN ‘ground in Canterbury during GAMBLE Thursday night. It took the unexpected wip after being stopped by officials from the Kent County Council Weightt and Measures De- partment. The lorry, which was carrying fruit, was found to be eight tons overweight and the driver decided to leave the container in the Kingsmead Road car park || until it could be unloaded next morning. However, when he returned to the vehicle it was in this rather precarious position as the container’s supports had | sunk about two feet into the ground leaving the back wheels to spin merrily in the wind, kA 1-97 A COURAGEOUS driver had a miracle escape on Thursday after driving his ar- ticulated lorry off the road at the foot of Boughton Hill to avoid smashing into a stream of cars. According to eye witness accounts the lorry some- rsaulted in mid air three or four times before coming to rest halfway down a steep slope in a clump of saplings. Driver John Whyte, 27, of Rugeley, Statfordshire, clam bered out of the partly wrecked cab unaided and with justa cut on his forehead Mr,_Whyte was forced to dr breakdown crews from Cat tyn’s manceuvred the jugger naut back on fo the road. it took two heavy vehicles over an hour and a half to safely haul the artic up the slope on to the road. A crane and heavy lifting gear were also used in the operation. All traffic was re-routed from the A,2 along the Thanet Way through Whitstable as the recovery Was in progress. A spokesman for Calfyn’s said one of the holdups in the recovery was because the load on the lorry, carrying bolts of cloth, was Customs-sealed. Recovery units had to wait until it was unioaded under direction trom Customs officers before they could start their operations, The load was trom Italy Another problem the crews | H lights were , it was re- but the ‘The owner of the public th from Church _ to Wellbrook had to get the hedges “88 soon as labour was The consent for the loan the mew recreation had been approved ; Associa for planning would go before blic inqul Le tairaead 40 the 80 sig- natories of the petition I Petition. proposals. referred rete Beier the Northern Route as. the Ministry of ae. maviees ent. Our 1, That the route be moved 1rdge T further a the Down Es- 2. That a Footbridge be for the forth Way to preserve its 3 That any lay-bys be de- The petition made no _ reference to @ possible Sou- _ thern Route for the by-pass. _ W. D. STEWART. 36 Bri Down, Braye of would be used and he would AN OVERSIGHT Kent County Counctil's Estates Department has apologised for not telling the council it was to fell three trees Tho Street. The department sald it was an oversight “some- where along the line” and it would not happen again. The root of a tree out- rnabas’ Church been planted on the banks, replacing those felled. Three elm trees in Nine Ash Lane have Dutch elm disease and will be felled shortly. Various lumps of tarmac, earth and litter had been cleared up. see that sweepers were on berg to keep pavements a BRIDGE BYPASS Public Inauir Evidence given by David Hugh Ritchie, B.Sc., M.I.C.E., M.I.Mun.&., Senior Engineer, Kent County Council Roads Department. 8th May, 1973 1. 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5. an. 2 BRIDGE BYPASS Noise Evaluation iit GENERAL Noise is usually defined as "unwanted sound", This is a subjective definition. In the following report the terms "noise" and "sound" are regarded as synonymous for quantitative evaluation, Sound is a form of energy which travels outwards from a source in a series of waves. The waves have two characteristics; pressure and frequency. These are perceived by the ear as loudness and pitch respectively. Pressure or loudness is expressed in terms of a decibel (dB) scale. The range of audible sound is about O to 120 dB. Above 120 dB the pressure is experienced as pain, . ‘ Frequency is important because two sounds that have the same pressure level, but different pitch, do not always sound equally loud. The decibel rating needs to be weighted by a frequency factor in order to correspond more closely with what is heard. for traffic noise a frequency weighting scale denoted by the letter A is generally used and units of noise are denoted GB(A). This is a logarithmic unit sucn that an increase of 10 dB(A) represents a doubling of loudness. A 3 dB(A) change is the smallest that can normally be perceived, Traffic noise fluctuates continually in level and it is customary to quote a statistical time/level distribution in terms of the level exceeded for more than a stated percentage of the time. L10 is the sound level exceeded for 10% of a given period of time and L90 is the sound level exceeded for 90% of a given period of time. ‘The range from L10 to LSO is referred to as the "noise Climate". In the following evaluation L10 is the average of all hourly L10 values for any normal weekday during the period 06.00 to 24.00. This gives a reasonable indication of the annoyance caused by the overall noise level, L90, where quoted, is the average of all hourly L90 values for the same period as L110, The terms "L10 index" and "L90 index" will always refer to the narmal 18-hour day average, In 1963 the Wilson Report recommended that the maximum L10 value inside homes should not exceed 50 Tete This corresponds to an external L10 of (OeOnUANs In 1968, a report by the Building Research Station suggested that external L10 values exceeding 70 a@B(A) would cause annoyance. In 1971, the Building Research Station proposed an external L10 of 70 dB(A) as a maximum for designing against noise. In 1971, the Noise Advisory Council recommended that no existing development should ve 5 ; subjected to more than 70 dB(A) on the L10 index, , lies 1.8. Further research is in progress, put the evidence already available suggests that an L10 index of 70 dB(A) should be regarded as the maximum for new housing or superimposition of noise on existing housing. The purpose of the following evaluation is to assess the changes in noise levels, in and around Bridge, due to the construction of the Bridge Bypass. 2. 2.1. 2.3. 2.4. 2.6. -? SURVEY OF EXISTING NOISE IN BRIDGE A survey of existing noise levels in Bridge was carried out on Wednesday, 25th March, 1973. The noise levels were measured by direct reading at three sites over the 18-hour period 6 a.m. to midnight. ‘The corresponding noise indices were subsequently determined by statistical analysis, Site 1 was situated on the footway adjacent to No. 38 Conyngham Lane. Site 2 was situated on the footway in the south-east corner of the junction of High Street with Western Avenue, at a distance of 5 metres from the centre-line of High Street. Site 3 was situated on the footway adjacent to No. 20 Bridge Down. At all three sites the ec ronhone was at a height of 1.2 metres. The measurements were made with a Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Meter Type 2209, which conforms to IEC Standard 179 and to BS.4197. ‘The meter was calibrated regularly using a Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Calibrator Type 4230. A Bruel & Kjaer Type 4145 One Inch Condenser Microphone was used, with the following accessories:- (1) B & K Random Incidence Corrector UA 0055. This improves the omnidirectivity of the system, (41) B & K Windscreen UA 0207. This reduces wind turbulence arouna the microphone. The meter was set to A-weighting and slow response. Readings to the nearest 1 dB(a) were taken normally every 15 seconds for 15 minutes during each hour at each site. Of the 54 samples, 11 were read at 10 seconds for 10 minutes due to time constraints. In either case, a total of 60 readings were obtained for each sample, yielding 1080 readings for each site during the 18-hour period, The readings were recorded manually, together with details of weather conditions and unusual circumstances for each sample. For the High Street site traffic counts were also taken. The subsequent analysis was performed manually by statistical techniques. The 60 noise levels from | each sample were grouped in 1 dB(A) intervals and a distribution obtained. ‘The cumulative distributions were plotted against percentage time, using normal probability scaling for the percentage of time axis. This yields a straight line for normal distribution, Lines of best fit were obtained graphically for each samples, and the values of L10 and L90 were taken from this line. 2. 2.1. 2.2. 2.36 2... 2.6. a SURVEY OF EXISTING NOISE IN BRIDGE / existing noise levels in Bridge was Brey cr ic: on Wéanentey, 28th March, 1973. The noise levels were measured by direct reading at three sites over the 18-hour period 6 a.m. to midnight. The corresponding noise indices were subsequently determined by statistical analysis, Site 1 was situated on the footway adjacent to No. 38 Conyngham Lane. Site 2 was situated on the footway in the South-east oornkd of the junction of High Street with Western Avenue, at a distance of 5 metres from the centre-line of High Street. ‘ Site 3 was situated on the footway adjacent to No. 20 Bridge Down. At all three sites the microphone was at a height of 1.2 metres, ° The measurements were made with a Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Meter Type 2209, which conforms to IEC Standard 179 and to BS.4197. ‘The meter was calibrated regularly using a Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Calibrator Type 4230, A Bruel & Kjaer Type 4145 One Inch Condenser Microphone was used, with the following accessories:- (4) B & K Random Incidence Corrector UA 0055. This improves the omnidirectivity of the system, (414) B& K Windscreen UA 0207. This reduces wind turbulence around the microphone, The meter was set to Readings to the near each site, Of the 54 samples, 11 were read at 10 seconds for 10 minutes due to time constraints. In either case, a total of 60 readings were obtained for each sample, yielding 1080 readings for each site during the 18-hour Period, The readings were recorded manually, together with details of weather conditions and unusual circumstances for each sample, For the High Street site traffic counts were also taken. The subsequent analysis was performed manually by statistical techniques. The 60 noise levels from each sample were Brouped in 1 dB(A) intervals and a distribution Obtained. ‘The cumulative distributions were plotted against percentage time, using normal probability scaling for the percentage of time axis, This yields a Straight line for norma 1 distribution, zines of best fit were obtained Braphically for each Samples, and the values of L10 ana LSO were taken from this line, 2.7. 2.8. 2.9. 2.10, 2.11. 2.12. For each site the L10 index was obtained by taking the average of the hourly L10 values andthe L90 index was obtained by taking the average of the hourly L90 values. ‘The L10 index values are shown on Fig. 1. The variations of noise climate throughout the day for each site were obtained by plotting oath values of L10 and L90 against time (Figs. 2, 3 and }), For the High Street site the variation of noise climate with traffic flow was obtained by plotting values of L10 and L90 against the corresponding traffic flows (Fig. 5). The weather was consistently dry and windless throughout the day. From a meteordogical point of view the day could be considered as unusually quiet. The total traffic count was 11,920 vehicles/18 hour day. This is a typical figure for the time of year, The following isolated noise sources were noted:-— (1) Birds - close Site 6-8 a.m. 6-7 p.m. (ii) Power-saw at distance Site 10.45 - 11 a.m. ah al (441) Aeroplanes at height Site 1 11.00 a.m. (iv) Trains at distance Site 1 Intermittently (v) Domestic drill at Site 3 9.00 a.m. - ) p.m. distance Intermittently 6.40 p.m. - 7 p.m. (vi) Motor mowers - close Site Se oelOmUst. — 7 Demo These are all considered to be normal noise sources, The motor mowers at Site 3 caused L10 and L90 to peak between 5 and 6 p.m. and affected the L10 and L90 indices. If the mowers had not been working the 18 hour noise climate would have been reduced by approximately 1 dB(A), from 41 - 51 aB(A) to approximately 40 - 50 dB(A) 3. Reis ak 3.2. 5. bY 3.4. 3D 3.6. PREDICTION OF NOTSE LEVELS as The methods used to predict future noise levels at a distance from a highway are set out in Section IV of the Department of the Environment's Design Bulletin No. 26 "New Housing and Road Traffic Noise: a design guide for Architects" (HMSO). The traffic flow in vehicles/18 hour day 1990 was used to calculate the mean value of L10 at 30 metres from the nearest carriageway edge. This value was then adjusted for percentage of heavy goods vehicles and mean traffic speed to obtain a basic criterion. Further adjustments were made for gradients, distance attenuation, ground attenuation and screening effect, to obtain the point L10 prediction at a height of 1.2 metres above the ground. By taking a sufficient number of point L10 predictions and interpolating, the predicted 70 dB(A) and 65 dB(A) contours were located. The two factors that cause the greatest noise attenuationare distance and screening. Each time the distance from the noise source is doubled, the noise level is reduced by dB(A). Screening has the most obvious effect when the bypass is in cutting, where most of the noise is absorbed or reflected by the cutting slopes. When the bypass is on embankment, a "noise shadow" is formed. Due to reverse screening, noise levels at 1.2 metres above the ground in the noise shadow are low. However, the embankment propagates noise generally over a wide area. The above method could not be used to predict future noise levels in High Street after construction of the bypass, because in spite of the reduced flow, the residual traffic would not necessarily be free-flowing. In view of this, the noise/flow graph obtained in Sec. 2.9 was used to estimate residual noise levels (Fig. 5). The 70 aB(A) and 65 aB(A) contours and 1.2 metre noise shadow are shown on Drawing No. A2/10F/2627. Point predictions are shown on Fig. 1 for comparison with existing noise levels, he SUMMARY : . 41. The results are summarised for comparison: - Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Year 1973 1976 1990 1973 1976 1990 1973 1976 1990 L10 49 63 65 Lieb 01s 70 51 49 sal L90 39 43" 45* 56 ho 43.5 41 39* kis 1976 is assumed date of completion of bypass. *Estimated Values. 4.2. Site 1 is expected to become appreciably noisier due to noise dispersion from the northern end of the main embankment. The L10 index will rise from the current 49 aB(A) to 63 dB(A) when the bypass is opened, and then rise slowly to 65 dB(A) in 1990 with the anticipated increase in traffic. Site 1 is extremely quiet at present. An L10 of 65 dB(A) is a normal index for a residential through road in a suburban area. 4.3. Site 2 is expected to benefit substantially from the . construction of the bypass. At present the hourly L10 exceeds 70 dB(A) from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and the L10 index is 77-5 @B(A). Assuming 10% residual traffic in Bridge the L10 index should drop to 67.5 dB(A) when the bypass is opened and rise to 70 dB(A) in 1990 with the anticipated increase in residual traffic. lou Site 3 is expected to show virtually no change as a result of the proposals. The existing L10 index is 51 dB(A), and is due largely to existing A.2 noise and noise generated on Bridge Down itself. The bypass, although closer than the existing A.2, is in deep cutting which acts as a substantial barrier. As a result the predicted L10 index is also 5l dB(A). The maximum computational errors expected in the evaluation for this site are of the order +1 dB(A) for existing L1O and +2 dB(A) for 1990 L10. Hence at worst the L10 index could Pise from 50 dB(A) (1973) to 53 dB(A) (1990), a change which is just perceptible. (see Sec. 1.4). 4.5. No properties are expected to fall within the 70 dB(A) ’ contour of the bypass. The 65 dB(A) contour just touches one property in Conyngham Lane, the remaining properties experiencing considerably lower noise levels due to direct shielding. The embankment spreads the 65 aB(A) contour over a wide area, but the properties in Patrixbourne Road should be unaffected by noise from the bypass. Elsewhere the depths and shapes of the cuttings confine the 70 dB(A) and 65 aB(A) contours to the top edges of the cutting slopes. 4.6. Properties on the existing A.2 will obtain substantial noise reductions as a result of the bypass. Site 2 is considered to be typical of the expected reductions. If the bypass were not built, the L10 index value would rise to 86 dB(A) by 1990. 4. Pyetks od. you. 4.5. 4.6. SUMMARY The results are summarised for comparison: - Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Year 1973 1976 1990 1973 1976 1990 1973 1976 1990 L10 49 63 65 ited Oled:. 70 51 49 51 L90 39 43" 45* 56 ho 43.5 ui 39* ie 1976 is assumed date of completion of bypass. *Estimated Values. Site 1 is expected to become appreciably noisier due to noise dispersion from the northern end of the main embankment. The L10 index will rise from the current 49 aB(A) to 63 aB(A) when the bypass is opened, and then rise slowly to 65 dB(A) in 1990 with the anticipated increase in traffic. Site 1 is extremely quiet at present. An L10 of 65 dGB(A) is a normal index for a residential through road in a suburban area. Site 2 is expected to benefit substantially from the construction of the bypass. At present the hourly L10 exceeds 70 dB(A) from 6 a.m, to 11 p.m. and the L10 index is 77.5 dadB(A). Assuming 10% residual traffic in Bridge the L10 index should drop to 67.5 dB(A) when the bypass is opened and rise to 70 dB(A) in 1990 with the anticipated increase in residual traffic. Site 3 is expected to show virtually no change as a result of the proposals. The existing L10 index is 51 dB(A), and is due largely to existing A.2 noise and noise generated on Bridge Down itself. The bypass, although closer than the existing A.2, is in deep cutting which acts as a substantial barrier. As a result the predicted L10 index is also 51 dgB(A). The maximum computational errors expected in the evaluation for this site are of the order +1 dB(A) for existing L10 and +2 GB(A) for 1990 L10. Hence at worst the L10 index could Pise from 50 dB(A) (1973) to 53 dB(A) (1990), a change which is just perceptible. (see Sec. 1.4) No properties are expected to fall within the 70 dB(A) contour of the bypass. The 65 dB(A) contour just touches one property in Conyngham Lane, the remaining properties experiencing considerably lower noise levels due to direct shielding. The embankment spreads the 65 dB(A) contour over a wide area, but the properties in Patrixbourne Road should be unaffected by noise from the bypass. Elsewhere the depths and shapes of the cuttings confine the 70 dB(A) and 65 dB(A) contours to the top edges of the cutting slopes. Properties on the existing A.2 will obtain substantial noise reductions as a result of the bypass. Site 2 is considered to be typical of the expected reductions. If the bypass were not built, the L10 index value would rise to 86 dB(A) by 1990. 4.7. The majority of the remaining properties between the existing A.2 and the eastern edge of Bridge are expected to experience either no change or a slight reduction in noise levels due to screening effects, : | | i 5e 5.1. 5.2. brer 5. nat EFFECT OF LANDSCAPING PROPOSALS ae This evaluation has not taken into account the draft landscape proposals, proposed by the Department of the Environment, as they are subject to amendment and to agreement with landowners and Authorities. If these proposals are carried out, there are two extra factors to consider; planting and contouring. Planting, whether intermittent or dense, has been found to have little effect on noise levels. Contouring has a marked effect on noise levels. The proposed earth-bank along the western edge of the embankment would effectively put the vypass into cutting along this edge. This would reduce the predicted L10 indices for Site 1 to 57 dB(A) (1976) and 59 dB(A) (1990). In addition the 70 dB(A) and 65 dB(A) corridor widths would be reduced by approximately 60% and the noise shadow would vanish. The landscape proposals should huve no effect on the remaining areas. Te See gS ES i cold | = Gp fed) 1 86 07 08 09-10 ie W304 15 16 7 18 19 20 2i e128 ee Cc | D PE ER A py Se | +} ee mas GOCE REN Pd ot! Le Pe —— on --» eget —+ 30 ol { | ili | li id “Sata facia ¢ Saat |. pesca) 2 TB 80+ on 22 23 24 m OW 6 5 a ee ayy ee \--1_ 69 Toh eee : Bie as “| goo TRAFFIC |) FLOW. =: biee) ow t ' 200|-+ | ot ee at oo es — — —. TIME — HOURS eer aol -SITE TWo— HIGH s. Barter ea: i BRR ARe ceca ae | tes se | | fae | o> a Se ] | ! 100 200 300 400 500 6 | ‘ = SS > — ' j iretsee es eteas | | | ’ } 00 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200. + _ TRAFFIC FLOW —V/Hr. NOISE/ FLOW G SITE. TWO-HIGH ST. RAPH } ' | ————_ | | | Teas BPESD PETE PETE ony we Gaberony t —™ Su Ts areas eens Genes TC TRA ei me nr -ba\sta Avis manne as Uoatar re i | : nas Vibeteee BY SESS tas fens 3 VWE4o wry eat SS Ni wn \e eA USS Res Se = Soe : si ge 1 TEEN Oe ect i tex ae Cue aah ty tS SASEy fe ; See Ux NOISE SHADOW 9 3YNDI4 PREDICTED NOISE CONTOURS (Reduced extract from Drawing No. A2/10F/ 2627) The A2 Group Chairman; Hon. Secretary/Treasurer; John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- MAll Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 22.5.1973 Cllr. R. Cooper, Chairman: KCC Roads Committee, Kent House, Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, Kent. Dear Cllr. Cooper, Now that the dust of the Bridge By-Pass Enquiry has begun to settle, it seems an appropriate moment to write to you as Chairman of the Roads Committee to thank you and your Staff for the very fine evidence that was submitted in support of a by-pass for Bridge to the north, as soon as possible. We hope that our Solicitor was able to tackle the objectors in some of the areas that possibly KCC and DoE representatives would have liked tackled! My only reason for writing further to you, apart from our thanks, is to juxtapose two items of news heard today: (1) Dover Harbour Board plan a £700,000 Ro-ro unit at Western Docks (2) The Government have decided to slash £100,000,000 from the 1974 expenditure on roads, We can only hope that the improvements to A2 will not be included in the cuts, on the grounds of sheer national emergency to improve the present access to the Channel Ports by heavy goods. I sincerely hope that your Committee will offer what pressure it can on the DoE in the matter. 4nd, at Harbledown, now. We feel it is becoming a matter of urgency that there should be a 40mph restriction on the A2 south of the Gate Inn just before the dualling becomes single carriageway at the hump, as far as Rheims Way. You must have read of criticism over the sight-lines along this section, and from practical experience we know far too much heavy traffic is entering the old section mentioned at too great a speed for dafety. a setae Yours sincerely, John Purchese Chairman: Group. i sea canta The A 2 Group Chelrman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mair Cottege, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 ly to. Please reply to. ‘Weston Villas', Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. Rex Hammond Esq.e, Department of the Environment, Regional Controller (R & T) S.. Eastern, 'Edgeborough', 74, Epsom Road, Guilford, Surrey. Dear Mr, Hammond, On behalf of A2 Group, I would like to express my congratulations to you for the admirable way in which you and your officials handled the Bridge by-pass Enquiry, and trust that your case was suitably reinforced by our Solicitor who was able to assist you on points which may have proved difficult to answer or indeed make to the objectors. You will recall that I asked two questions of you which my mother passed on in my absence on the second day of the Enquiry. I was pleased to learn that there is no statutory period allocated for the Minister to announce his decision following an Enquiry, and in the light of this would be pleased to learn further just how | Quickly you anticipate an announcement on the Bridge by-pass which | I assume is now receiving top priority. We have written to our M.P. Mr. David Crouch requesting that he urges the Minister to make an early announcement. If we can be of any assistance to you in achieving this aim, please advise me when replying to this letter. Finally, we have learnt this evening that the Government is to cut back on finances for road construction during 1974. Since Bridge is now in the firm& roads programme for this period, is this * likely to have any effect on the proposed starting date for the bridge by=pass? Thanking you again for your efforts on Bridge's behalf, Yours sincerely, ers Brian Ae Lewis. Bimal). Hae Rie ieesucee HE aaah KENT COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS’ Room, County H MAI 31st May 1973, Dear Mrs Purchase, Thank vow very much for your letter and kind remarks which I much appreciate. { I am sure that you need not worry that the cuts in road expenditure announced by the Government will affect the Be A.2 and, like you, I only hope that the results of the Inquiries will be announced soon so that we can ge% on and do he job. With regard to Harbledown, I will ask the County Surveyor — to look into the question of a 40 m.p.h. restriction and if es justify it we will then consult the DoE.- It has bee ticed that the white lines on the A.2 east of the Gate I are not 100% and this matter is being dealt with immediatel _ Kind regards. ee : a. Dips crete, Ya ae _ Yours sincerely, — ve R.H. COOPER Ay ; _ Chairman of Roads Conn Chet fakin AL2 pe Mill Cottage, Be esbourne, — nF Canterbury, z Kent. ici re ees Mise, aa? DOV A tL Summary of Traffic Returns for + eriod Jani - April PASSENGERS (Embarked and Disembarked) 1973 4972 Month of April 592,326 469,324 26.21% Increase Period January - April 1,020,868 1,002,664 1.82% Increase ACCOMPANIED MOTOR VEHICLES (Outward and Inward) 1973 1972 Month of April 81,523 61,867 31.77% Increase Period January - April 162,521 155,012 4.84% Increase COMMERCIAL RCAD HAULAGE VEHIC Outward and Inward) 1973 1972 11,289 47,000 Month of April 23.88% Increase 19.50% Increase Period January - April EXPORT AND IMPORT MOTOR VEHICL Cars, Agricultural Machinery and Other Vehicles 1973 1972 Month of April 9,883 11,962 17.38% Decrease ‘Period January - April 37,038 46,3535 20.06% Decrease TONNAGE OF CARGO (Export and Import) 1973 1972 Month of April 206,796 190,542 8.53% Increase e Period January - April 865 ,503 807,266 7.21% Increase GRT OF SHIPPING (Entering the Port) 1973 i972 Month of April 3,863,502 3,184,161 21.34% Increase Period January - April 12,512,521 11,343,482 10.31% Increase — ae sho. cent a a] ‘ ss i, SEQ fh ey I> ote - +s bnglioh Aso prot Vid. 2 / Teen Ae atout x 3 rae ne ke : Je Ween aes alls, Ae ty he. Me Aoud out tmnt pre-sortte. - | jn Ony Latiol eo. Eee (O° Aovded ovbu. av | | thio ! ; a addikior , mre “AaiAGe J Rodi'o Honor “Ha tfon f° A, Kiss rweefhio & BSS, pxbich atcired «p~' E ch reopence Atak a weet mu mae ‘ne fad te he Ammed cmny fer be . Re RR Ee sf ag te dochad Aq Ans ecbxiad fate. ree a we A fl | Mnart 3 a) i. ‘emis le p hve a aE IE gen 4 Aove ae en ee a.re gous . ) Un, Jnguriry” avvll Ax aspped an the huol, before 2) a si iad thos Statesent on Bohalf of the Secretary of State for the Environment INCPOleCtion ..ccscccsccccccesccracecersessesseseeeesessesseseessssnsesssaees The London-Cantorbury=Dover Trunk ROOd seccsssccceescesseccscsessscesscessees ML@Kont Motorway ..ceccccccccccvcccsscccccccsescsccsssesesessesececcerocsece The Zxioting Road Through Bridge ..sescecccescececesesoesesevessssevcescssses Traflio Information’ .cs.ssdysvedecsespeaccereebesscssccceessccccosccccccccccce ASCLAONES co ocecccccccccescccscccvssecccsecscccsccsscseesecescssecercscoccece Sussary of the Problem cesceccccccccccsscsesercccsscsesscssssssessesscseseses The Proposed By=pass ..ccccccccccccccccccsvecseeseceeseneeseessesscsscesesse Proposed Modification at Coldharbour Lane ..cecccsccccescrcssevesssessesececes Proxinity to Residential Properties ..sececccscscssescceseesssssscesecesseces Governsent white Paper = Developsent and Cospensation - Putting Poople Pirst Local PLANRIDE .coss seccccccbovedsoressercoccvccccccevecccvecceeocccceveccece Petostrian Facilities ....ccccccccvcccsccvcccerscescccccvcccccvcescccccccescs Pomme cece ree eseessseeessserenses Land Acquisition ....cecccccccecccccsvccce Batinated Cost J 2. cccovesccssacccccccccccscsccocccetsccccsccccscccesecsscocce Advantages Of the SChOHO ..sccccccccccscccccscccccccesescsccsecsccccscccccoes Alternative Schemes ..cccccccssceseccccsscccccccescccrsccsecescccceseccceseee Canterbury By-pess oiccscovccsccccssctcccccccscccccececececccccscccococvceccs CONCLUSION cocevcsccsensicrccerecccsecsccccssenscevcesceseceeesseescseecososs wersavwenueff De efit wihod a aie ete ia) SO Ot PR be ee OO Se i Orders, it 1a unlikely that euch a by-pass couls bo conpleted before the early 1980's, Neoause of the inadequacy of the praesent trunk rosd theourh Bridge, it 148 clear that a schene to relieve the village of throurh traffic oould not be delayed until it could be combined with a by-pass of Canterbury. If such a combined scheme was built, it woul have the ndded dicstvantare that much of the local traffic, incluling heavy goods vehicles travellin- betwoon Nover ani Canterbury, would reasin on the existing road through tho village, Sonelusion 50, I havo already described the importance of this trunk road, the conditions ant volumes of treffie now using ond likely to use the route in future years, 51. The numbor of vehicles travelling on tho route will increase, whether or not isprovements ore carried out. If the by-pass is built as I hive described, not only will the flow and safety of traffic be greatly inproret, but there will be an opportunity for the villuge to develop unhiniered by the many problems eronted by through traffic, 52. Having cnrofully considored the possible alternative routes for the by-pass soheme, I am confident that the published route, with the nodifica- tion, would cause the least anount of hardship and inconvenience to property omers, ani represents the cost satisfactory route for the Aridre Sy-rass. 53. There can be no doubt that there is a serious probles in the villares of Bridge, and unless relinved, this would becone intolerable with the ever increasing volune of traffic using this trunk road, LAYOUT OP ROADS IN RURAL AREAS TABLE 1-42 VEHICULAR RATINGS IN PASSENGER CAR UNITS ROADS IN URBAN AREAS TABLE 1-3} PASSENGER CAR UNITS Equivalent value in passenger oar unite (you's) Private car, taxi motor cyole com- bination, light goods vehiole lap to 30 out Dus, trad covseceesee | unladen) ssrceccceees 1.00 Motor cyole (solo), sotor scooter, moped 0.33 Medius or heavy goods vehiole (over 30 cwt } unladen), horse-drawn VOhiICl® vevseceveeces 1.75 | Bus, coach, trolley, 2.25 | | Pedal oyole ... 42 GROUP - Statement issued 26.5.1 Bridge. It is now a year since the point was firmly made that Bridge really needed a by-pass. As things stand at the moment it will be at least four years before the by-pass is reality. If a southern route has to be explored, following the recent public enquiry, it will be six years at least. The cake represents the time scale of one year. With the Government's announcement this week that £100,000,000 is to be withdrawn from the 1974 road building programme, improvements to the A2 could be further delayed. The A2 villages are already experiencing annual increases in TIR of 30 - 40%; with ever more EEC links being formed this rate of growth will further increase. It is our view that the Government is still not treating the problems of the A2 as a matter of national urgency. Surely the main route to Europe demands not a cut- back in the road programme, but in fact a speed-up. This is . the message we send today to the Department of the Environment with a slice of our time scale. -0- \ f ys : eae wt, Department of the Environment Regiona! “Controller (Roads and Transportation) (South Eastern) Edgeborough 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey G01 221 @ Tolox 85335 Tolephone 0483 (Guildford) 71101 xt ogy Your reference a tr 2 ted " Our reference eston as TSE 200 TR 020 1 High Street Date /09/ 34 Bridge / June 1973 CANTERBURY, Kent Pit Dear Mr Lewis LONDON-CANTERBURY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD A2 BRIDGE BY-PASS 1e Ixrefer to your letter of 22 May 1973 about the above proposal. Your comments about the handling of the recent Inquiry are indeed very gratifying and I would like to take this opportunity to thank your Group both for these and for its assistance at the Inquiry in support of the scheme. 2. It is, I regret to say, difficult to forecast with any accuracy when a decision on the scheme could be made. The Inspector has still to submit his report and recommendation to the Minister and until these have been examined by both the Minister and his advisers, it will not be possible for a final decision to be made. The Minister is, however, as you know, very much aware of traffic conditions in Bridge and of the need for urgency in this case and I can therefore assure you that a decision on the scheme will be announced just as soon as is possible. 3. Few details are as yet available about the Government's recent cuts in expenditure on road schemes. I understand, however, that this is unlikely to affect the construction of the proposed Bridge By-pass. Yours sincerely 7, inet R HAMMOND for Regional Controller t This paper is suitable for Dyoline Photocopying § PEN RRC 0 ree Pe eee ‘lice of protest for Problems) of living * he Government onthe a2) ROADS in the Sahara are rE 3 7 rene! 1 VETERAN A2-possten map cinta Ethan ete og Sey Caner we Deny again & © Group's hope that there will to 40 per cent, and with Brenley Comer to Dovey” on Saturday, urging for a be no cut-back, Jn the pro: GEM sSremed. thin rate be Canterbury's M.P., My speed-up in the road’s im- Went. emi bhs growth will er ine David Crouch, said; qi , proyement programme and slices of the cake have crease,” the group added. * Friday. -}| attacking the Government been sent to the Depart- “It is our view that the He was visiting residen” ment of the Environment Government is still not in Upper and Lower Ho for not treating the traffic and to the office of the Re- treating th bledown in an eff chaos as a matter of gional Controller for roads treating the probleme oeonal understand Romie. of U national urgency. in the south-east. urgency. problens ies ving on tt In a statement, tho A2 “ usy trunk road, hd (nn I I relat tt irae Rape at cut in the village's narrow things stood, It would be at pack in the road pro- were alg Counc and High Street, but this was least four years before the gramme but, In fact, a t no ordinary celebration. by-pass waa a reality. a “up. This {8 the mes- Conservative candidate ¢ monial cutting was Mrs. ss explored, \ on f Department of the Environ- tions, Mra. Kaye sal len Bertha Lewis, who exactly teers Monae Pec yeare: ment with a slice of our Mr. Crouch told 't : Ten cathe Ree Rae With the Governments TS exgent Herald "Tum dota a TLR. lo tore through ‘%nnouncement of its reduc- The A2 Group has em- mined to see that the pr her Namilys re throwg tion In spend: for the phasised that It wants to road cuts announcig, home. P 1974 Loads Bull ing pro- sure that not onl: on the Chancellor of t gramme, improvements to Bridge, but other A2_ vil- chequer will not ame" The cake, representing the AZ could be further de- }a8es would not be affected the project for develope the time scale of one year, layed. by the drop In Government of the A2 and by-paswes py was cut opposite the re- "The A2 villages are al- spending. te villages and Cant ry.” = soon a8 Parliament bles, Mr. Crouch «@ he jl meet the Minis « for ~Transport Industri Mr. John Peyton, and m sure there will be no h up in improvements He would impress on b Peyton that = Canterb must have a by-pass quick, than the proposed seven ~ eight years, Mr. Crouch has recent returned from o 10- ‘ s S eSeorn babes cf fe Go Cee peeecs Peagane Mei E dared <]c.cts Si sG0ggee C22 eos ivtyets 3 ok oS «6B 2 & SSS5 scSaeS EST SASESEQ KEEG esScSs she started just how bad | realised when the situation was. canvassing im “It is certainly Bri if you live in one of these roadside cottages,” she added. small cL ennai te | From: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA : ' June 7,1973 Dear Mr.Lewis, Mr.Crouch,who is at present: abroad on a Parliamentary visit, has asked me to thank you for your letter of May 10th about the Bridge by-pass and to let you know that he has asked the Minister to let him know when a decision can be expected. He will write to you as soon as he has any news. He has also asked me to thank you for your letter of April 30th about the present membership of the A2 Group Committee. Yours sincerely, \ hua Private Secretary Brian A. Lewis,isq., 61,Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. a _— Group Chairman: John Purchese Bei Le Mill Cottage, Hokeabourne, 1 Migh Street, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, K. We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 ; Please reply (0 Weston Villas’, Sea 1, High Street, » Bridge Be we Canterbury, Ken : 8th June 1973. an Noel Edmunds Esq., Radio 1, — B.B.C. Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 4WW Dear Noel, I was interested to hear your comments on Radio 8.45 a.sm.s this morning concerning the 40 ton juggernaughts certain to enter Britain. You mentioned Kent and the villages between Cant and Dover which will feel the biggest impact when these lor finally arrive. I am Secretary of the A2 Group which has campaigifor a Bridge by-pass for the last 11 years. My village straddles main A2 London-Dover road 24 miles to the south of Canterbur The main street narrows to 18'0" and pavements to 18". y Last August, we conducted a traffic census and f a heavy lorry passes through the village every 50 seconds of and night. Unless you live in a village such as this, you cay possibly realise what this means, Hésidents have difficulty sleeping, listening to the Radio and Television, and even ca a@ conversation in the street due to the continuous noise. Bridge by=pass is due to be started next year, bu take 2 years to build. Two weeks ago the Government announced|oon cut-back in road expenditure for 1974, so the worry now is thé could well be approaching 1980 before the by-pass is finally open ay residents are able to carry ona normal life. The thought of 40 ton lorries thundering through by frightens us. The T.I.R.s we have now are up to 70 feet long, wide and weigh 32 tons. Since Britain joined the Common Marke January these juggernaughts have increased by between 30% and Bridge was a Roman settlement constructed on a Homakg, It is” already taking enough without being forced to accept mor Yours sincerely, bran. h (). 2... Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Gro Soidiers Kilic¢ad In DliaCKSpOot crasn at village OT tear JUGGERNAUT TOPPLES —3 GRUSHED 10 DEATH By JOHN EVANS @e a THREE BRITISH 1 p & pierre o 2*. Ba soldiers were % Sh We <' ae” eee killed today when ee 4 z pS Ss their car was fe ; 4 crushed as a 40- ton juggernaut lorry overturned at a _ noforious blind corner on the A2 near Dover. happened Waters End Bridg« t 2 Dea Trap Corn né , Sc he 4 t OSS Channe gol h lea rd w a & b pape Picture by Joe Court, ar near Lydden today ochage at Watersend Grid when® the Cor ite ih oi rious uries. The ley driver was il wi ied. wt abort The accident r epbened by-pass is due to stor | wh bi ta wom 2 ged oo > ™ t\ ree die as MP Da BBE juggernaut ** three die in : ab erushes Car s 3 If he Sta cS we ton not THREE MEN, believed to b eadlers Snitheir , AN MP pyedeed action shes ieee ste’ give ray } + ) “ PA soiaiers died in a 10rror Crash wi p<-ton AnL way home om leave from "Gérmany, were killed Belgian juggernaut lorry, with today when their car was crushed by a 30-ton The crash, at a notorious blind cornesiiithe A? juggernaut lorry on the A2 near Dover. near D Kent, happened within mir f the y A fourth man in the car -- vk soldiers ri home from Germanys micave ind the Be ‘Igian driver of | Their car crushed as the lorry overturned. the lorry were” tak to The MP. Mr David Crouch (Con. Canterbury) said later he would raise in the Commons the whole question of the jugger nauts that use Britain's hospital seriously ir The lorry and the iided at Watersend rr roads. ° an accident Diack : - \ Croua) Poe tween Lydden and Kearsney. ; (ounce bad! ye Overturned a rtobp, whowHave 5 Cab Section over- tare te.6 malan inkeatiaestop ri y tl aus ie ron wed, b a aller Juggernau He described the road ns the victim. rom r *primit and id top priority must be ren to ) replacing it with @ ~MOlor- ree wa al Acti Group chairman an-regist« hOrry, -| amic til was on its ] S ver doc Tt car, zis- British . Mr Jot Purchese sald nao. A 30-TON Bel n jugger- “This accident is ‘ | Baut overt yesterday : son WAY the id was re ed | and ape soldiers ( mus CSpepist traffic 1 in a car* tersend from abroad. to d while k Bridge, a~ Ss black 1 = weight of Loved raft spol on ea London- ceri Hut lorries GWS our Dover roads bet Mr Purchese added j Thesporii, th on leave "We've been campaignin - | from Germany, were named for bypass roads for these . as Cpl... ames Hudson, of lorries for some. time: B ny ks 44 Th . a 4 prks, Drive e dead soldie David =, of Sanne named as REME dish Street Bedford, Driver Bric Hudson Chen on of Hither Herbert, of ( avendish A ion, Street, § for and Canterbury MP. mr. Driver John. Yaytor, 22, David'Crouich last night of Pascoe Road. Hither demanded top priority for Gy ‘een, London, bath of the a motorway to replace tho tovul Cor bs Of Transport “primitive” 9 ‘oad. at the House to a private notice ir today. If I should not {raising it tomorrow, eek to find an opportu: nity as” as possible.’ The aécident on Saturday was at Waters Bnd, about half a mile outside the village of Temple E re a railway bridge S bend in the road. said; * The road to 0 miles is like a I don’t think we » let anyone else pay lives for Government Tdon't think the Gov- given the matter rity. Id me this spot was cious,’ They said it rst black spot on the he way, he said, se the road to 32- Bringing the A2 to j have since 1 } which cerami mecha it Grampian idee, is ser- y Hospital. “STS ep planned in East S yer the use of minor country oad continental lorries. A meeting of Jocal authorities will consider co-ordinating the protests. ~Whena juggernaut lorry cra bend on ane was described by an M Ds ' j i ers died | ata blind | Three soldiers die at H. be WZ A2 black spot — THE A2 claimed three more victims on Saturday, Three soldiers returning home from Germany were killed and one seriously injured when a Belgian TIR lorry and trailer overturned at an accident black spot under Watersend Bridge, at Temple Ewell. The accident happened at 450a.m. The lorry, on its to Dover for a ferry to Belgium, was in collision with a Ford Zephyr car carry! the four soldiers as it rounded the S-bend, The soldiers and lorry driver were rushed by am- bulance to the Canterbury Accident Centre, but three of the soldiers died from their injuries. y were Corporal James Hudson, aged 29, of Bradford, who was serving with the Royal Electrical and Aechanics! Engineers, and Drivers David L. Herbert (23), of Bedford, and John E: Taylor (22), of Hither Green, both with the Royal Corps of Transport. The fourth soldier, Corporal Arthur E. F. Rogers (22), of Dundee, was detained with serious injuries, After an operation his condition was said to be satisfactory: The lorry driver, o Belgian, M. Jean Pierre Stas, escaped with pas minor injuries and was discharged from hospital aftor treatment. The crash led to another plea for a safer A2 and the L sgontinnation, of the M2 from to Dover. Mr. David Crouch, Gangersury. » MP. "Na- ‘ frat ‘reaction was ao nerd extrome sad- Car was crushed under lorry ness; to think that three soldiers had to die on a road which is now notoriously dangerous and completely un- suitable for TIR vehicles. “The scene of the accident is a vicious black spot. This tragedy is another reminder that we must give top priority to building a proper road to the port of Dover. And by a proper road I mean a road of motorway standards.” He went on: “We have to remember that now we are in the Common Market, Dover is a major rt into and out of Europe. We know that 40 per cent of the in- crease in heavy freight traffic Inst year went through Dover. We can expect similar increases next year and for the next few years. “And this Increase of heavy traffic, that will be thunder- ing to and from Dover through Canterbury and Lon- don, will be nothing short of fantastic. It is not good enough for the Government to proceed at its present slow pace of developing the A2. “I'm not prepared to go on being put off by weak excuses from ministers or bureaucrats that. we have to wait our turn for road de- _Yelopment in Kent. ». “We cannot allow any more le to have to pay with holr lives for such {naction.” Mr. Crouch promised to raise gain the whole ques- tion of the A2 in Parliament this week. He has pledged to demand a complete review of the A2 programme from the Minister for Tra rt and Industries, Mr. John on, in the light of Saturdays accident and because of the forsecable growth in traffic using the A2. -Mr. Crouch sald nothing but the highest priority should be given by the Government to rebuilding the A2. The road, should be brought up to modern Euro- pean motorway standards. Mr. Crouch returned last week from Belgium where he led a delegation of MPs who went to discuss the growth of the port of An- twerp. There he said there was no question of just developing existing roads to deal with the port’s traffic, but new six-lane motorways had been built leading docks. “It was an eyeopener to me, to realise that a count: similar to ours, lke Be gium, can do these things, while Britain doesn't a prectate that it has to bull these roads to serve a port like Dover,” Cur, Mike Fuller, deputy leader of the City Councll’s Labour SroUup, said yester~ day (Monday), that the tra- gedy underlined local coun- cils’ pleas for a Canterbury by-pass and a Spese councillors, on Monday decided to Mecept Mr. Geof- frey. Rippon’s @ecision to build Dover's @fistern by-pass ‘ he inner foute through parts of Whitfield and Gus- ton Voting against the decision Wereethe Labour members of Dover planning committee With one exception those ing jor accepting the inner route were Consety- ‘tives, Odd man out was Dover Harbour Board member Mr. Peter Mee (Labour), “I agree the route selected by the Minister is a bad one, But we must not have further delay with the by- pass,” he declared. His fellow Harbour Board member, CoundéMlor John Bushell, vot inst accept- ing the M “§ selected route, = A letter from*Guston Pro- test Association was’ read, pleading for the committee to resist the decision All the Dyer couticillors agreed the selected inner by- Pass route Was bad on plan- ning grounds ¥But through- out the i@- fears were expressed’ that her objec- “ons would. delay provision of the oyspags, * “Let It go and let's get on with the fob/" was Councillor Bob Kemp's view. The byspass — seven miles long Will reduce traffic using Watersend Bridge on the A2, where three soldiers were crushed to death on Saturday, Councillor George Ruck ‘id Saturday's accident hould not result in the com- mittee being “ stampeded "” into changing its opinion, The inspector's recom- mendation several cc Councillor Colin Sims claimed the inspector had been influenced too much by cost-benefit and not by long- term planning repercussions In 12 years, said Mr. Sims was attacked by cillors, an expanded Dover would be faced with the same prob- lem to that existing now, With the A2 running through & heavily built-up. area Leader of the Labour Sroup. Cotincillor John Bushell said the County Council could have forced the outer route B restrictions on lorries using to the dock he Minister's decision Dover { telling the Departm of the Environ- mentthey do not agree the new by-pass should act as a restraint on the expansion of Dover. @ Dove urged K to withd following traffic to tak by imposing Juggernaut other road. In accer ! Council y Council cir objection, Ts move ABOVE: Police constables David Care Smith search through the wreckage of the Zephy? car after the Watersend death crash, BELOW Looking from Lydden, skidmarks trace thé pati of the TIR lorry, and lany ‘PARLIA this weel Three soldiirs were crushed to ceath in | the accident at Waters- jend Bridge vyhen a pjuggernaut Idiry_ top- }pled over ofto the | Car in which tty were travelling hore. on leave, Dover Con: ervative M.P,, Mr, Peter Rees J told me’ “Twill be " pressing the Mi ister of Traisport to onsider i. Whether ways can be made !- cha inellingss: S hit aw iy fron stem, agedy under 1 hive d t ads 0 East ennnot i & more lor bigger ‘TER And Cw MLP., Mr. Davi urge t the Ma airp sod = © hannel Tur projecs be dropped until tf + A2 ts b t up to ne torway as, later this month, issels, talk: are to } tak race mbout a ‘pro- p t ineres se > the ‘ limit «f the ut lorric . using onds wt a cident just before i the morn- ' olders — from their in Germeay ides towards (anter- 2urY ih a Ford vephyr ee a A Bolg trailer eramic ling 1 lon? and loader with tiles was oward: Dover 1 crash ight under Brid; &, in ENTARY land to svitch some the A2 rcad — scene icrash — te the railw: and (ato. the, pressure was increasing the port traffie from Saturday’s triple death vrites Graham Tutthill. speed-up the by-pass, call Railway officials were called in lo examine the damage to the bridge and trains slowed a ree of the four they passed over it Dis The trailer It was the second Hed into the bridge. accident involving a rond was blockea DCavy_Yehicle at Water ce of a sharp pend wry overturned he Zephyr car, Ee avn end Bridge within 24 Aap e hi hours, On Friday a road mee * tr fanke a ay fPOugh Folkestone ee driven by ag Killed were Corporal Ashford niin owas in JAnies Hudson (29), of ©2lision : with a car c rryrive + driven by Mr, Hawkin ornaby Drive, Clayton, aroaeiti 18), of Old Bradford, Driver David —_ m4 EA ‘ aid 4 Herbert ), of Cayen. Park Bill, Dover, who dish received Slight injurie Bedford, 4 Dover Coroner Mr Tan Gill is due to open ¢ inquest on the three i soldiers today iday). Their funeral Will take place at Shorn eliffe Military Cemetery this afternoon at aylor Rog plan 22), Gardens, itry, Dundee, was seriously 3.30 injured pm Both - he » driver of th Jeanne Pi taken to Roger said to bay M. Sta who escap in the ¢ metal off firemen cutting wnt) arrived = with @ear NTARY this week to speed ‘and to switch so ‘the A2 road — sce crash — to the raily Three soldiers were crushed to death in the accident at Waters- end Bridge when a juggernaut lorry top- pled over onto the car in which they were } travelling home on leave, + Dover's Conservative LMP, Peter Rees. id mes “T will be ressiig the Minister of ansport. to consider whether ways can. be & ‘made of- channelling more freight away from the roads and onto t railway system. The: tragedy unde } } lines what 1 have sald [that the roads in East | Kent cannot take more jor bigger TIR And Can M.P.. Mr. David urged that the Airport and Channel Tunnel projects be dropped until the A2 is brought up to motorway standards, But later this month, in Brussels, talks are to take place about a ‘pro- posal to increase =the weight limit of the Juggernaut.torries using B roads. Saturday's accident happened just before | five o'clock In the morn- ing as four soldiers — }on leave from their } unity in Germany — | wadéd towards Canter- | bue¥ dea Ford Zephyr ca ey A Belgion Jorry and ier — Joaded with i araic! tiles a ede travelling towards Dover | docks,= The crash ) happened right) under |} Watersend Bridge, in ‘ pressure ‘ The trailer ci into the bridge. road was blocked Seseven hours, and Wee diverted = traffic Dugh Folkestone, Killed were Corporal mes Hudson (20), of yton, Driver David 23), of Cayen- Rogers ’ plan Gardens, Dundee, was injured Both he driver of tt Jeanne Plerr taken to ah Rogers said to bas Mo Stas later on has beer Fintry, seriously driver passenger: who esea) in the {rol e metal off firemen arrived cutting gear, with was increasing Dover's eastern by-pass the port traffic from Saturday’s triple death writes Graham Tutthill, Railway officials were called in to examine the damage to the bridge, and trains slowed a5 they. passed over it It was the second aeeldent involving a heavy vehicle at Waters- end Bridge within 24 hours On Friday a road tanker driven by -an Ashford man was in collision with a car driven by Mr. Hawkins- Moseling (18), of Old Park Hill, Dover, who received slight injuries Dover Corover Mr, Tan Gill is due to open ¢ inquest on the three i soldiers today iday). Their funerals Will take place at Shorn cliffe Military Cemetery this afternoon at 3.20 p.m, Rc eee ee OS LS Ge ees Cals Qe Oe roads ads Deaths on Kent’ dropped by 20 Inst year the total numbor of aces) by rose, with .203 More py seriously or Slightly infor tt ; The figures wore relate ey RO | thy week by Chey 3 ett sy Y> the K a A GORE Police Accident And Ip, PO a etd gence Unit. » tel. ; ‘ : In the County’ as a y = mane ale Se | 189 people were dctieg Pot Sete S-* meme roads during: 1972 the with 209 the year befor total number: oteinjury act dents were u in oped oe 6.234" find th, ously iInju n to 2,713 from Th for the sligh Apjureg hy & little highe, t Of those killed, 52 Pedestrians; 62 driver, ul passengers (in all vehicles, including Motor. cycles); 23 motor Cyclists and 11 cyclists. Most fatal and injury Accidents ine | Yolved cars or taxls In the Canterbury Division, which takes {p Whitstable }and Herne Bay, deaths were | down last year, by eight, a | 12. Accidents were up by 7 }4t 620 and the numbers of seriously injured TOSe to 263 | from 212, Figures for the slightly injured were also up | at 607 from 523 In Canterbury Itself deaths {remained unchanged at three } With accidents down from 1184 to 179 |. Five people were killed fp | the Bridge-Blean Rural Dis | trict area — a drop of four | Over 1971. Serious Injurles in | Creased to 76 from 68 and the }total number» of accidents |} was 42 more than Inst year Jat 181 Accident figures were }me same last year in | the Eastry district at 15! | Deaths increased by two, lo nine. Serious Injuries were only seven more in 1972, at M20 public | were i was still only “> hier th sae i JHL a: 28S 02 43/7 ‘Aepsaupana oy i Mr. John Hatcher (right) ins} 3 Hall Place Cottages, Harbi into it on Friday. With e . death in the Elham ari 4 Mr. Henr. o | serious accidents decrease ? Ssaudcy nquiry |by four from 31. .The total 5 JN T t number of accidents were up roposed route of tho | 2 vai by Christopher Riddell 3 MEA YsPD/O'd/endeyy d-Kent motorway be- | by only three over last year NY alt game (019g) we Maldstons 1 Folke- | {gure of 73 BAN all heavy lorries from tone will be examined at n | ¢ the A2. That is the “drastic ne public inquiry starting at rE 5 " Mr David Crouch, AjOdn8 oneay Mth aon, September _ : | h 3 y . 18 t in onduc- | ( roury’s M.P., proposes #9 rood 7"! 080 8:0, ted at St. Simon's Hall, Bon A2 deat to put before Ke o ver Lane, South Ashford, by aus fore Kent County ‘e208 20.02 Jo an independent Inspector, Me 1} in an effort to enda w0J suoyzonpar Tetoots gecmmaut menace. O°TS'S2*T3*0S° 13 az ex077 mn hours of Friday’s which an over- try plunged into the "The Mae route borin, | CASA inquest tone by-r J crossing of thx fr f house at Harble ! 1 d ‘rouch said that to Jj u All three oldiers hy i ure may be neces A2 * | when a TIR orry over ¢ © are not to go n to their rat the 4 ng in fear on the Ad re pr lous black spot at Water Th fent, in which a &® t Bridge Ew t four children Pe June 9, } or ped, illustrated < hom« rm f uate this out. terr leave ur I rous"” road At I wa vehicles, or 2 Gill, oF , 1 20 Coli H ; ri Larne YOHEPOWWOD2e paszA0> areds Bupyied aed ajdwy traffic or at everely until turned Into al ay exist with i Council and 188 the ques Waomatter of | ds uaapjiy> dop uoissiwpy 358] O23 ade say | WO4j Yoiew Buisroxe sa: JOUR apiAoid pjnous si] HOLVW 3nNDVva1 | * SUYVLS x | GQNV1TY3SqNNS | “A S¥aqayvsnya Only dave attar dantie awed came at ight of the h-ehour on loaded hip-board Only days after death crash another A2 accident forces COMMENT family of six to abandon home ’ BAN LORRIES FROM A2’ — MP CANTERBURY‘S MP Mr David Crouch is to approach Kent County Council ipa bid to Res seu0r “UH “Weed “L sued PONOK “STK YH MAGNH “LL ‘(upeydes) updeuy wo eq iH AsnqiqueD uve) puvisum I FUL Ves Hy @. Amp g uo ournog WU" Te sepoe oy 70 Yoyww YVR OH Uy sous OFT ITH PaL puy “paeqanH pay seddpe 2uy PV .SepwENAD 9q [1 uv 40} Om) sequinu yw Bulpru GVIWSONDI 4Od JNO 914 YJHLONV yop Aoswming $37 ,saepestns> vow ‘Aojuess SiUyD “4D “VoAEW Ainded S$ AUNGNALNVD Reporter: DENYSE WREN Og A puuug ay Wy seysyn UPAe8 70 1821) MN USM GUNS OF Avpanyeg uo Suneeu Aumpoods 2U[NoBj}2.eds s9eyjoOUT goaduys Aanquaqued ‘peousdury ye uayu 414 # Avpsmvg ONIMOTION Liacy Avg OUr9f] WU S109 3K JZupnowues Aq Avpeinyy uy wow essno> oy dn yd Juywyof uy peywasajuy oye kpoq Aue ing 48eM STL pose AVE CUsOL “SHWOITUY JO HIV ©) 4 J AQ peozuedso ‘oninoo Pup~Evo .seesejei 109908 GHL awii WLS ee SS ek ee el still litter the road. avy 7F¥] O19 UO [O.QUDD 180] UOI) UT wo Aum’ appar Uey Ue) Puy TTY) oO} 18) OH Sum puvang oud yeou uy ou Ul SUINIIA OM) FuyusywyO yOWT) pazoyem Apyeagy oy Ws ‘ATTHO HeurVsp Pewee Jup9ae CYL 4oOpPid Gav & AunqueyuND wun woewes Oy JO Bungee yeoq sy Juipys puw vould unoy ul puw ‘Aouwve puyeq yujod euo ‘uate eum PIT a hed belied The scene after the Harbledown cra evar ita 00 TTGV AMOS AHO CL coe oseees eae aa Sai ee Sa ‘This killer road Let's have action at sh — 16 tons of boarding CA 7167 MOUS 20 PSY 227697 UT FIQETTBAY “SqT WPI “NOsdde Ct doop COL 2p" LECT [UI WOT ‘suoHuCUNC eTpuTY FuLLs289 SIQEPED IU POsLOpeWUET AIInY POY VOrdares pul KYANTEWeS USY 4224 [Hee [eUIAKe 4Oj JeIPOE 18298 AHO OfOdyp. seuuy, 4s91;eq [wUI9)Ne AZT 40 OV AOKE PUTTIN (Aiddne 4an04 eqn) pa D0VOUd F198 OTT oT NOLLVOIsIDBas O92 O>}44 100 19 O87 GOFAL OFM». 0E s PUNOE UY 49) IGAVUOS DUAL “UEALIED 20 OQ “FH 4NOK Uy Joe 2G) OE] UHD NOK FUTOU BILL [vHOe CLQUuoRTED UMO HIE HEY Hf] 20 [SAE UNO ANDA JO) ONDOE & Hy OPEL Asayyeq AZT 40 4i9})eq O/QHOBI RYO! Woy 20 HUyTuE yom yp 20828; 20;0) WENA AEs wo})desss SAF yinas;o PESO PeUes) POUT wep A}ERTITHG © YOR UpOWZWODOT pezaA09 "soeds Jupred sve ophuy digt uaspmg) “dor uoysHpUp y wet 0] O94 ery Wy YORWU FuppoXe JoyjOUN opjraid pmogs FUL HOALYW GNDVaT * SUYVLS GNVIASAQGNNS * sugavsnad — oe ‘ a. chaoUc as the boarding part- lally blocked the road. Traffic was diverted for hours through Rough Common and Whitstable Road, Canter- bury, causing queues miles long. AFTERMATH Aftermath of the crash has added more to the fire of A2 who are still taking action oyer the tragedy at Temple Ewell the week-end before when three soldiers were killed as a lorry crashed Cur, Tony Payne, who rep- resents Harbledown on Canterbury District Council and has also fought long and hard for a village by-pass. went to inspect Ure crash and damage to the cottage: He told the Observer afer- wards; We have come to expect this sort of thing, and its going to happen again sooner or later What worries me is that the solution is so inadequate The proposed by-pass has an embankment right behind this row of cottages.” He added that the com. dination of heavy (Freight vehiclés and holiday motorists andous to reach the Channel ports could only add to the hazards on the A.2. Clir. Payne said he thought it was disgraceful that the Department of the Environ. ment had deen ** slitting on “a report about the by-pass for Canterbury for almost a year. Many people in Hardie down and further up the A? don't use their front rooms at all,” he sald. “They are just frightened that a lorry & going to come crashing into thelr homes before long.” The bottom part of Church Hill, Harbledown, has been the scene of many accidents in the past. Cars have crashed into (he railings and a few months ago & Mint! fan into the wall of a house near the Hatcher's ottage DAILY EXPRESS Salurday June 16 1973 ns PHOTONEWS Cameraman John Downing and writer Peter Chambers take a juggernaut jaunt t squeeze for the yoghourt night patrol as it vibrates through the ancient Kent villas e A NERVOUS ow Was deep French scepticism H ine it driver WAS hot chatty —_ Claude Cruchet as ip the lund Road ut of ed }) he d of concentrating traller-truck Be sireet Harbledo hasn't been wid Napoleon was a a ming genera We swayed round wire-pugzle bend t Sht of our cargo—60,000 Of yoghourt st back for a Paris-I livery “If we tip or Jean-Claude the biggest history of t kK te Worl Hideous How 1 bave cursed th lorries with their T.LR I the European designat International Road Tra I have crawled behind them a-car form Their hid into nt torme Limit ee ee ee “ a oe “2° 0 eo 9 ae ‘ : ¢ & New from the: yoghourt spec). ic tiitch juggernaut ploughs homeward with another bulk delivery for Europe ) tubs of yoghourt... Souring tempers, curdling the peace | and quiet ) of Kent, one more monster trundles in from “e Perrible ah The (A2) Group Pee ae Mill Co Bekesbourne, Canterbury Kent bts We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2- Please reply 10° 1411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. June 23 1973 Mr. Peter Rees, Q.C., M.P., House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA Dear Mr. Rees, Tam grateful to you for forwarding the copy of your speech and that of Mr. John Peyton in the debate on the Channel Tunnel on June 15, it was examined wikh interest, ® You will be aware that Mr. David Crouch, Member for the Canterbury Division, has arranged for an adjournment debate on the A2 for Zine 26, snd we in the A2 Group sincerely hope that there will be some very strong expressions of disatisfaction over the present situation by the “embers through whose territory the A2 runs, yourself, Mx. Crouch, Mr, Roger Moate, and Mr. Ww. Hamling - the Member in whose constituency lies the Rochester Way (part of the A2 north of the M2) where the Dover Radial Action Group are very concerned with a desperately inadequate section of In your own constituency Mr, W, Blackman, of 20 Templar Road, Temple Ewell (Kearsney 2579) has been put in touch with us the good offices of the Police, Since he is so incensed by the Watersend Bridge accident that he wants to have a demonstration at that spot in about a week's time, and is currently organising a petition to have traffic lights put at the bridge until the road can be improved. We have Suggested he contact Superintendent Dawson, of Dover Police, It is probable that he will contact you; and we felt you would be glad of the information in advance, Corner to Dover for at least the next three years. It ig hoped that all elected representatives in the area will urge the Department of the nip Environment to introduce every safety measure we have Suggested without delay, These measures are listed in the Resolution passed at Folkestone Town Hall last Thursday at the meeting called by the Folkestone Chamber of Trade. / J Purchese: Chairman A2 Group a af = The (A2| Group... Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply 10:- 411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. June 23 1973 Mr. Peter Kees, Q.C., M.P., House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA Dear Mr. Rees, I am grateful to you for forwarding the copy of your speech and that of Mr. John Peyton in the debate on the Channel Tumnel on June 15. It was examined wibh interest. You will be aware that I. David Crouch, Member for the Canterbury Division, has arranged for an adjournment debate on the A2 for June 28, and we in the A2 Group sincerely hope that there will be some very strong expressions of disatisfaction over tho present situation by the Members through whose territory the A2 runs, yourself, Mr. Crouch, Mr, Roger Moate, and I, W. Hamling ~ the Member in whose constituency lies the Rochester Way (part of the A2 north of the M2) where the Dover Radial Action Group are very concerned with a desperately inadequate section of In your own constituency Mr. W. Blackman, of 20 Templar Koad, Temple Ewell (Kearsney 2579) has been put in touch with us through the good offices of the Police, since he is so incensed by the Watersend Bridge accident that he wants to have a demonstration at that spot in about a week's time, and is currently organising a petition to have traffic lights put at the bridge until the road can be improved. We have suggested he contact Superintendent Dawson, of Dover Police. It is probable that he will contact you; and we felt you would be glad of the information in advance, There is a dangerous vacuum period through which we have to pass on the A2, with increasing danger from heavy goods flow increase and no prospect of a single house being by-passed on A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover for at least the next three years, It is hoped that all elected representatives in the area will urge the Department of the " Environment; to introduce every safety measure we have sugcestod without 1 delay. These measures are listed in the Resolution passed at Folkestone — 7 Hall last Thursday at the meeting called by the Folkestone Chamber Le) Trade, Yours sincerely, l : * fl G; ef ‘e — J Purchese: Chairman A2 Group eo when the Govt ‘eventually pres or sio1 they will also have to justify the fiumolal terms which are now a matter Tor MEROUE EEO H S| : I am most conscious of the need to satis? os Lary Weer $ Beet pe aad Ak See (ite =, : wes ep oe ae f te ES vos Ze . ie $2 Sst eH i the Hse on “that point. ay conclude my remarks vy repeating ny thenks to the rhM for : Gitaaty ie—rosiend> and the r hm for Sheffield, Park ey Qie—Kulley) for the reasonable and restrained way in which they heve approached what is a complicated and difficult problem. I apologise , ae se! any inadequacy for which I may have been perenne, responsible. i et “sin BN + (m. JOHN STRADLING THOMAS (Monmouth): I beg to withdraw © the motion efor vhehajounement of thit tise (LYrtion, by leave, withdrawn. Sess eee = ape esa iay's debate, the of Pao being whets a peek de- ; } the next stage of the elt Rem prilicieed | ai 3. state ; ph en M.P. for : : bou secede ie eel the Gove t country ined the idea tara Preah consideration of the 5 “and inte ' The MPs had ts ping. med va statem@ntenphae, el plans as they stand aObR ‘eyton, the Minister for Industries, Said that if the nt decided to go they would publish a Bill omits unoee te cess, authorising spending ur now. of £28 milion on more bor- “Crossing by train will take 3, and, preparato: work. ‘™minutes—no better than r “Richard Thompson, raft and then there MP. for Croydon South, com: time for loading mented: "Kent used to be the unloading vehicles at garden of England, it is be. ds, : coming the garden suburb, t would be better in and heaven knows what we Would be a direct will have to call it if this 1 scheme goes through, “That a government sup- posedly concerned about the environment should turn Kent into a parking lot is beyond my comprehension.” " e Ashford M.P., Mr, Bi es, said that without a j urance that surface trans- be moved on i was not propared to. eet progress on MP. Mr. Pett ft @ existin, nel traftic battered the sensibilities of his con- stituents, *_ It was no good expressing | Freight guthe’ by Saline more re’ \¢ ted to Ree, what positive steps would be taken to this h: ed, if the tunne rafter the debele Mr. R r, Rees asia ase had ‘decided: to an range a public mee al Dover Hall my ex- both for and against the likely effec on mar ticee Mr. Rees told the “Kentish Gazette:" “I ho Feople Re iestion # rai HES ( another Planet of "Seven miles and come out at ez, Gris Ni Ms is not o fanciful | to know th im pe aera “S Vq wa ae NY Ban all A2. heavy lorries, council urged N 4 “drastic” move, aimed at easing the life of fear led by A2 residents, Canterbury's M.P., Mr, David Crouch, @s suggested that all heavy lorries should be banned from he busy trunk road. Within hours of another rama on wisely — an over- arming lorry plunged into is. front of o house at rbledown—Mr. Crouch Md such a measure might e necessary if people were fs teeo on living in fear on The accident, in which a (other and her four children irrowly escaped, illustrated ow Inadequate “this out- fe to carry Bay wihinnns avy vehicles, r. Crouch sald. Sf He added: “We must now riously consider either to tn all hea traffic or at ast restrict {t severely until © rond has been turned into dual-carriagoway. “Such Powers exiat with © Kent County Council and Propose to discuss the ques- an with them as a matter of Kency.” He admitted that it might a “drastic solution,” but pre, it should not be im- sible to direct TIR vehi- pute other roll-on/roll-off Friday's crash came at a.m. at the height of the eye ae rush-hour on e A2. th 16 tons of chip-board, d travelling towards Lon- n, overturned on the sharp t-hand bend at the bottom the steep hil! leading out of + village. ‘he lorry shed its load, ich demolished a wall, be- e careering Into Hall Place \tages, a row of terraced 1908. t smashed into No. 3, home of. the Hatcher ally, epee ay the front ul AY door ck several hes. ‘armworker, Mr, John Hat. r was working nearby mm he waa told the jugger? t had crashed into his re. LORRY STUCK utes after the crash, Mr, Boer told the “Kentish ette”: “It's something all dents here expect, but 1 id not believe it was my te. n I got there and saw \oeey stuck in the front of house, I couldn't get ad the back fast onough to if my wife and four c’ iId- were O.K. , rently, my four-year- ion Mark was playing 1a ball in the front room n the lorry hit. bo Be they all seem to tut hough my_wife was & shaken up, The ambu- omen looked after her seg A hi mashed at a 8 Praosr Mr. Hatcher ad- “The chair I uso for hing television js just a Inches from | that. It te | frightening. few minutes later, and wife, Tina, would have standing in that door: saying good-bye to two veir sons as they went to >}, Mr. Hatchor pald. added: “This really persuade everyone of An articulated chip loaded the need for a by-pasa for Harbledown.” Next door, at 2 Hall Place Cottages, Mr. Henry Hogben was asleep in bed when the crash came. He sald: "There waa a heck of a bang and I waa shaken, about in my bed.” Other residents described how they heard a skidding and Scraping nolse as the lorry dropped Its load. The driver, a Londoner, Mr Bob Parmenter, was treated at the scene for a minor arm injury As the jams built up, traffic was reduced to chaos. Police set up diversions at Rheima Way in Canterbu and off the A2 through Roug Common. The road was blocked for moat of the morning as work- men cleared the wreckage and shored up the damaged cottage. Immediately after the crash, Mr. John Purchese, chairman of the A2 Group, accused the Government of “culpable neg- ject” over its delay in improv- ing the busy trunk road. He said: “We ore not sur- prised by this accident. It is something one must expect with the Increase of traffic through Dover, "People must realise it is going to be Sade Phat before a single house is by-passed on the A2." Instead of speeding up im- provements, all the Govern ment could do was announce cuts In expenditure, Mr. Pur- chese added. M20 public inquiry “The proposed route of the Mid-Kent motorway be- tween Maidstone and Folke- stone will be examined at a public inquiry starting at Ashford on September 25. inquiry will be conduc- ted at St. Simon's Hall, Bea- ver Lane, South Ashford, by an independent Inspector, Mr T. V. Burrows. The motorway route begins on the existing M20 ald- stone by-pass just cast of its yr | of the Maidstone Ashfor wey line and ex- tends for 20t miles to join the Folkestone by-pass (A20) at Castle Hill Six interchanges aro pro- posed on this length: at the eastern end of tho Maidstone by-pass at Hollingbourne; at the western and eastern ends of the Ashford by-pnss; and at Stanford, Cheriton and Castle Hill, Folkestone, The length of motorway, together with the oxisting Maidstone and Ditton bys asses, and the Swanioy to Wrotham section of the M20 which was considered at a public inquiry last year, will provide milea of continu. ous motorway between Swan- ley and Folkestone, Objectora to the published proposals have suggested al- lernative routes for parts of the motorway. They Include routes further to the north and to the south of Ashford, a route adjoining tho railway line between Lenham— and 4 Charing, @ route north of Sel- a nd local ‘ations at were reports of henvy lorries narrow lanes/saying he was the Parish | touch with the builders who Counc!) was told at its last | had caused the damage, As nothing has been done, were concerned | the clerk was asked to get and decided to/in touch with Part of the lorry involved in Friday’s crash. The driver escaped with a minor arm injury. Now. . . lorries use Selling lanes time there posted that the oad Surveyor had keep the situation under re view The Council recorded its thanks to the retiring chair- man, Clir. W. Moon, and con Rratulated him on his victory in the District Council elec- tions The “disgraceful” state of the pavemont in front of the new bungalows In The Street was discuased. The clerk re- }Park. - Plans showing these alter natives can be scen at the offices of the South Eastern Road Construction Unit, Fed- erated House, London Road, Dorking; the Kent County Sub-Unit, Concorde House, London Road, Maidstone; the Eltham Rural District Council offices, Lyminge, and at the Publle Library, Church Road, Ashford County Council as a matter of urgency, because it a eared the builders had tert he site. It was also reported that bend signa were to be put u either side of the old Chalk Hole on the road between Norham and Neames = For- stal Members were concerned about a private tip near Guahmere, which had become an eyesore, It was reported that the owner and Swale Rural Dis- trict Council had been ap- proached some time ago, but as it was o private tip it was & matter for the owners, un- loss it became a health hazard. A plan for marking. a num- ber of footpaths In the area in conjunction with the Swale Footpaths Group had been temporarily dolayed again uesgs blocks the A2. This time it was outside Hall Place Cojtages, Harbledown, where a lorry overturned and crashed into a house on Friday. = eet ee ee f.eompt 1 pver obstruc tion of some paths were be ing investigated. Officers elected: chairman Cir. A. D. M. Hilton; vice chairman, Cllr. G. R. Hi representatives to the Selling School Managers: Cllr Mrs E cC. Thomas and Cllr Higgs; representatives to the Swale Area Committee of the = 3 , Kent Association of Parish }Councils: Cllr, Mrs. Thomas jand Citr, Hilton The next meeting will be on September 5. te Lind $e doit & Zt kt 8 ” I enclose the reply I have received from Mr.Keith Spex Under-Secretary at the By-pass. have any news, dy Are gg a8 tment Ot ey . the Envi ronnen., conden ene the Bridge I will let you know as soon:as I Yours sincerely, Brian Lewis,Esq., 61, Bridge Down, bridge, Canterbury, Kent. C14 5BA. LS DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2 MARSHAM STREET LONDON SWIP 3EB eer My 01-212 3434 AR ZU June 1927 Oe Your Private Secretary wrote to mine on 7 June enclosing this letter from the Secretary of the A.2 Group and saying you would like some indication of when a decision on the Bridge By-Pass public inquiry can be expected. As I explained in reply to your letter of 2h May, the Inspector's report is awaited; once it is received, and of course provided it does not disclose any complications, no time will be lost in reaching a decision. I am afraid I cannot go further than this a present. eat KEITH SPEED We ee St David Crouch Esq MP il From: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA sale HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA dune 22,1973 Dear Mr.Lewis, As you already know, Mr.Crouch has been successful in getting an Adjournment .- debate on the A 2 and this will be on June 28th. ( I enclose a copy of a short,gtatement I have sent to the Kent press). He would be grateful if you could let him have some material on the A2 - especially statistics - which he can use in the debate. He also said he would try to get you two or three tickets if you want to attend the debate. But he had to warn you that it is likely to start fairly late - not before 10 p.m. - and possibly much later, according to the business of the House. (They have been sitting until the early hours recently and one day last week did not rise until 6.30 a.m. !) Yours sincerely, V. thu . Private Secretary Brian Lewis,8eq., 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, denteshyry, Kent. June 22,1973 David Crouch, Member of Parliament erbury, has been successful in getting urnment debate in the House of Commons 28th in which he will raise the matter 2 in the following terms: "The urgent need for the improvement of the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover". he (A2) Gr oup Chairman: Hon, Atel nt Purchese, Brian : Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas! F 1, High Street, ’ Be Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. avid Crouch EGQoMePey use of Commons, wOndon S.W.1, year lir, Crouch, Thank you for your letter dated 22nd June, 4 I am pleased to learn that you have been successful in getting an Adjournment Debate on the A2, and was pleased to pass your nessage to the public meeting at Folkestone Town Hall on Thursday last. ae I would like to accept your kind offer for some tickets fo enable two or three of us to attend the Debate. If it is possible 0 obtain three, John Purchese, Tony Payne and myself will be delighted me along. Should you be able to obtain more, we would be extremely ful. ua As requested by Miss, Armour, I enclose some material on he A2. Our leaflet 'A2=Problem Road! should be of use to you for a lumnary of the overall problem, also a copy of 'Proposed Improvements between Brenley Corner and Dover' produced by Kent County Council (copy obtained from Bridge-Blean R.D.C.). You will note from the list that anterbury by-pass is omitted, The following is a list of statistics which you can add to ® enclosed information: . The A2 Group was formed in 1962 with the aim by-pass. Seven public demonstrations have been staged in the village. These have included three sit-downs, the last involving just under 1000 residents representing all of the villages between _ Brenley Corner and Dover, _ To illustrate just how strongly people living beside the road feel, the Group conducted an opinion poll in Bridge last September, 398 householders were interviewed, and it was found that 63% had take part in law-breaking demonstrations in the 17'6" wide High Street. 73% expressed that they were prepared to break the law » in the future to draw attention to their problem. Bridge may be _ described as "demonstration minded", but the fact is that the " residents have been forced into thi ; 8 frame of mind by the inaction _ ~of successive Governments down the years, of achieving a Bridge -——~ —<« yew & than 100 extra lorries are passing through the harbour each day, PEOPOSGY Nasu sLouuiis wy pee y wencwn ~ ny undesirability of the single~carriageway? tps loaded. with tons of ‘crated Notorious Caneel. The force of the} cident heehee impact pushed the yan on to (Saturday) Pm, Pedy the vement and through © Protea, the itor. window, 75-yoar-o}4 Mr Dozens of crate’ crashed} man, of 20 Tek , from the lorry completely | Temple Ewe, THF Ra blocking the road. Nelgh-| draw Attention Lian bours, who rushed to help for & speedup in s Mr. Prickett, worked with|-ments. police to clear the wreckage Temple Ewe} | from the road. Villagers IT ‘ A stationary Ford car, _trame lights ath ek : my \ belonging to 21-year-old’ Mr,| ‘bridge id Yet again debris litters the A2 at Bridge This tim * Peter Dore © of Sikora selene nee ri ge. ¢ crates of oranges Spilled wich Road, Sturry, \ 1 Sees wt Ich from lorry involved ii esda dama in the crash. Se trom athe - in Wedn y’s crash. rLeceite diversions being} naut lorry wm Jagr, Kees 2A D8 set up almost immediately,| their car, % e long aeeees of pay gi ald > ides of the inciden FIN. / B rl d ge begs otha was the aecoud ping lee : AL STRAY crash in Bridge in mon 5, Wednesd , : | Last May, a T.IR. lorry te be the Anata Pome Canterbuty, his smashed into the Lewis ; | family’s shop at the other end iy plan oa e er 7 | of the village, demolishing it} ¢mod during thy at ren Or m [ a € T and killing the driver. Part of the troubhs M Mr. John Purchese, chair Benson and Hedies Rs the man of the A2 Group, sald between Kent pe po ba at the scene of Wednesdoy's the. St. - Lawrense 1 crash: “The road here Is only Although the ground an” another’ crash | 2 "| Gea.Fms ‘ | accidents are be-|%_ Mile-long queue. of rem “These wnhitin, outsi bow coming so regular and each Sato dan bee one underlines oes case ey The queue got tangiel » : } this road must be improved.| with the norma} fubb nia people of Bridge are appealing to. the Goyernment | How many more people have] trims ot People getty to ease the “ ing”? > F to lose their home or thelr! \igey. se appalling” waffic chaos on the.A2 after business before something..(s] "Phe a. amis " ; | ‘ the traffic-battered village was stunned by yet another lorry | done? situation. worsenad wi crash on Wednesday. "I “shouted and we both people trying to get {0 Cas They have sent a protest dived for cover. The front of BUS SHELTER terbury ‘Market and wil telegram” to Canterbury's | the shop just. disintegrated. | tourists pouring into the at M.P., Mr. David Crouch, who It was a miracle wo weren't | At Wednesday's meeting of| Finally. with the blockinr was talking on the whole A2 cut to ribbons by the flying Bridge-Blean Rural District of the A2 at Bridge at ait question In the House of Com- glass." ; Council, Cllr. Laurence! day traffic ground to & tal mons yesterday (Thursday) Although he admitted he| Shirley, the Bridge represen-|and massive jams built up a evening s the “Kentish was shaken by the crash, Mr | tative, pleaded for action over the city Gazette” went to press. Prickett insisted on remain H ~ rhe e@ described the A2 as|/ oe. Mr, Crouch has already ing open for business and! “this necursed road” and Promised to do all he served «customers» as he | inte: at earile can to “end the fear’ of shifted the debris | I aaah ae tera villagers living on the A2 and “It will take moro than this demolished the bus shelter in his proposals include asking to stop me,” he sald, “T’ve | the main street Kent County Council to ban seen too many of these al heavy lorries from the accidents in this village.” The village is waiting for ros Tt wasn't until Mr. Prickett | the result of the public rhe telégram urges him to and Mr. Luckhurst had| inquiry into its by-pass and make the utmost representa- cleared a way through what Cllr, Shirley urged the coun- TS tne Minister to Hremained of the shop that cll to press for this to. be leviate the ulling traffic they could see what had speeded up tuation” signed happened Demonstrators plan to Imply, The I of Bridge The delivery van had been | block the A2 with a sit-down Wednesday tam of the | struck by an articulated Jorry| at Watersend Bridge. the Juggernaut menace was 63- - = A year-old grocer, Mr. *Cyril } Prickett, who had to dive for ver as the front of his store Waa demolished Prickett, whose house Joor was wrecked by a h only a few years ago, unhurt When he imself out of the ound @ van sitting his hop-front had nm The van had b deliver. cal to Mr, Prickett, and ver Mr. Michacl f 16 All Saints stable — was when the nt happened | i: “I was e to the ; med to go ; I caught coming | ES. we ges ! it of corner This picture by a “Kentish Gazette” reader shows the yan came to rest in the front of Mr, Prickett’s shop. —~seteenanssiiis OF FEAR’ DEMO? VILLAGERS from Bridge and Harbledown are expected to join a demonstration at Temple Ewell which will block the A2 on Saturday near the bridge where three sol- diers died earlier this month. The sit-down is being organized by 75-year-old retired heating engineer Mr. Arthur Black. man, of Temple Ewell, who is distributing 3,000 leaflets in Bridge and Dover. “i'm holding this demonstra- tion to get traffic lights put at the railway bridge at Waters End. That will solve the diffi- culties. * it will be timed for 11.00 a.m, and jast for possibly 15 min- utes. The aim is to pressurise the government officers responsible for the road,” he said. Information and advice has been offered Mr, Blackman by the A2 Group but their secretary, Brian Lewis, de- nied this week they had any thing to do with its organ ization. He also criticized the police for suggesting fo Mr. Blackman that he contact the Group after telling them he was organizing the demon Stration. When the A2 Group organized a sit-down at Bridge their com mittee was arrested and charged. ” The police are try ing fo incite us to bre law, said Mr. Lowis, * categorically deny organizing the demonstration but we have fold Mr. Blackman we will help him as far as infor. mation is concerned,” “ There’s a fair possibility half of Bridge will be there and | think Harbiedown will only be too pleased to go and sit down after last week’s accident.” Members of the A2 Group have been Invited by Canter bury’s M.P. Mr, David Crouch fo listen fo the debate on the A7 in the House of Commons today (Thursday). TWO men leapt for their lives when a 32- ton lorry pushed a large van into the front of Prickett’s general stores in Bridge High Street yesterday (Wednesday) morning. The whole of the shop front was demolished in the accident, which happened soon after noon. Shopkeeper Mr. Cyril Pri- ckett, a village oguncillor, who has lived in the shop most of his life, was showing a con- fectionary traveller from Whit- stable, Mr. Michae] Lackhurst, out of the door, There was only the traveler bere at the time,” Mr, Prickett sald, shocked * Ifithad been on Tuesday the shop would have been full. .. . * was standing to one side of the door as he was leaving when suddenly I saw a van oo! towards the door. I ran back leapt for my life DIVED “If T had not run and dived I would have been hit and cut to pleces "The van was caught by the back of the lorry, which just shoved It into the shop. ‘A similar accident hap. pened next door about four - Cir, Another Bridge crash Men leap for their lives years ago," said Mr. Prickett. “ Thave only just got over that one.’* Mr, Luckhurst, of All Saints | Close, Whilstable, said he had been in the shop, completing his | Sellyery, for about ten minutes * Lwas coming out of the shop with my hand on the door handle when I saw the van coming towards me, and I ran and dived to the back of the shop. If Thad not been looking out at the time it would have hit me.”’ Cases of frult were loaded on metal pallets and it is thought _ the corner of one of these caught the van in the narrow street. At yesterday’ Ss meeting of Bridge-Blean Rura! Council, wrence Shirley read a telegram he had sent to becal M.P. David Crouch about the accident, This Is the second shop to be hit by a huge lorry tn Bridge in just over a year, and follows a near tragedy at Harbledown last week 30-ton -ton lorry “in High Street crash By HARVEY ELLIOTT A VILLAGE greengrocer’s shop was wrecked yester- day nm a 30-ton artic- ated lorry was involved in a smash. The forry wae in collision with @ van In the High Street of the K village of Bridge. The van was pushed into the front of the shop. The greengrocer, 63-year- old Mr Cpsril Prickett, who was alone in the shop, dived for cover. No-one was burt. Just over a year ago a lorry driver was killed when a for- Juygetmaut cfashed into lage: grocery store. The still awating the shopkeeper ts r mpensation and the store ts /iiagers have made several about the A2 road passes through the heart of Bridge, and are wait- for a by-pass to be built. Mr John Purchese, leader of the group which has been campaigning for a by-pass suid: "So many traders have had heir shops destroyed that those who want to move out cannot find a buyer any more. Unless something is done soon there will be nothing left of the village in tie Kit Another’ * sit-down aver A2 Demonstrators plan to | block the A2 with a sit “Keep dea otf, | the : a J w S diggidy wuen } oad”; “Let. us ‘live in ‘| | ~ THE Az trunk road from. to Canterbury «wns ‘Do bi yesterd “When 150 Kent Villagers: two minutes’ silence “for” i a in crashég, on the road, Prayers were led at Watersend Bridge by the Rev Sam, McKibben of the, is AT in Doyen 4 Or many he A2 ‘nnd Become a road to TTIR “Operators eBrilish Rag, are, making nice fat profy, ‘iid it is the people of paro | Kentewho are haying toppat pouce Fs Folkestone tewsagent, Mr There Was applause forthe Alan Stephenson? said . that Dover woman Who said: ©L | TIR trafic th fhe port am sick to death, of j of Dor sed by 40 told we must learn to Ive | per thi 40 pe cent with the juggernaut, } again ‘ ¢ fast two years, @Nd so far*this year ieee again by 40 per cen » fat | The Liew solutions | | he sa an immediate On W Hew major motor- from the Midiands to nie | YOKE AE present. in- | volved, the Government, the the price.” he said. ws 8 “Our businesses and-ou\ lives are suffering in “con- sequence’ . Purther dismay’ when Mr Tony, Payné& -« Canterbury district couneillor said latest statistics showed, Uiat of all people in-cars and Jight vans killed. On. the roads, “half of thent died following collisions with heavy vehieles, Mr. Mike Thomason be- lievedthe tong term answer lay inidiverting consignments to therrailways. Unnoticed In’ previous Years vast ton= nages of freight had pussed through Kent by rail almost unnoticed, and it would be) an easy task to convert cross- Channel shipping lo cater mainly for freight trains, 4 At the end of the meeting ! many of the angry 100 volun | teered to help with a petiti whieh Mr," Thomason «sald was being arranged to collect) thousands of signatures, The petition would’ serve to show the extent of public anxiety over, the problem of, heavy transport on the roads; members of the A2 Group sion with #@ Belgian TIR wall Renae pe about 1¢ un Bridge, Canterbury and juggernaut lorry. Mr. 3 en tol ¥ ; ae . Harbiedown, They will be The minister Icading the Debris from the math We ‘are demanding a nding & contingent to players will be the Reverend crash still remains 1¢ «©6speeding up of the provisior Watersend Bridge with bun- Sam McKibben of the Apos roadside a Tor the demonstration tolic Churches at Dover and the bottleneck dange Watersend Bridge has been = Lydden the A2 pisses d ected for the demonstra In five days Inst week he toria to Dover 1 because Ht was the scone and his helpers obtained “Mr Blix cmmar he tripledeath crash 6,000 signatures demanding a, Thi * weeks ago, Three sol 18 mph peed limi and \ 1 at the bridge E of the planned by-pass from the docks t6 the top of L den HL In the meubtin we are calling for the int ld me duction of a speed it th mph under the bt ww were crushed to death traffic ht ther badly injured In sev wu NMA WEEE CUT ENKINS IN WAR N JUGGERNAUTS s R. ROY JENKINS, Labour's ‘ : former Chancellor of the Ex- chequer, last night declared war on the juggernauts, He sald; “Those who-fight against heavy lorries slicing through the count e are NoT crenks ANGRY villagers from Temple Ewell and Lydden and other communi- ties along the A2 — plan to block W atersend Bridge tomorrow (Saturday) morning. Traffic congestion is expected as holiday traffic and freight lorries try to get to and from the docks. Prayers will be led by a Lydden church minister in memory of those who have died at W atersend. Man behing tomorrow's demonstration is 76-year- old Mr. Arthur have been ‘killed at this ter T. Blackman, of Temple Ewell. “1 hope others who are disgusted with ©: ple. wiees I dei a conditions on the A2 will join us,” he said. i upvens ne) eve 5. Backing Mr. Blackman are when ther ear was in colli- in Dover's moin street we Something “must be done | ey JOHN GRAHAM ‘But nkins er 3 d hvir ne in Earlier y 100 AL 5 ‘ ck ‘ 7. The vast ew rry 4 motorway ro r hree w gramme should ve Mem of tu dropped Ra esas rc 3 The road ng for A2 lobby in P. or a ba A abould be o juggernauts aud icensing mone the « duced for. ail ve toca wasblover’s , : . carrying freight t Mr, Peter Rees : than 100 miles, he Was making be Rev. Sam McKibben leads a meeting of prayer and Samcinstraltah in the shadow 4’ There should be | efforts to speed u © of the bridge beneath which three soldiers were killed in a crash. (cae Oa tial aed, Ftc Warne , Chairman: Hon. Sacratary/Treasurer: Brian A. Ate eee eavourne; 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to: 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. 2nd July 1973. David Crouch Esqe,MePo, House of Commons, London S.W.1. Dear Mr. Crouch, Many thanks again for inviting us to attend your Adjournment Debate last Thursday evening, and for allowing us to meet lir, Keith Speed afterwards. Kindly convey my added thanks to Miss. Armour for organising the tickets. I was pleased that you were able to use some of the information I supplied in the Debate. I have written a brief letter to the Kent newspapers, and informed them that you will be forwarding full details in due course. Yours sincerely, « cian (2. (3 Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. jeaths. They had returned accidental death verdicts: died in a horror crash with a giant TIR lorry. The jury- “See and two women—had heard how the soldiers weneycrushed to deat} at the bridge when thelr Gate , an accident with a33-ton Belgian juggernaut BRAKES. \N INQUEST jury at Dover on Wednesday demanded improved safety measures at 22-foot-wide Watersend Bridge, on the A2, to prevent further Ke 62°93 A road to eternity During a demonstration at the Watersend Bridge black- spot on Saturday, over 100 protesters heard a Dover minister describe the A2 not as a road to Europe, but as a road to eternity. Standing on a pile of debris left by a crash in which three soldiers died, the Rev. Samvel McKibben, minister of the Apostolic Church of Dover and Lydden, sald: “Life is so precious it is priceless. Death at any time is an unwelcome intruder, but when we bring it upon our fellow men by, thought- lessness and lack of concern, how much ‘more appalling death is, and how much more obnoxious. “We could day that Nixon has his Watergate, but Kent has got its Watersend, and there is to be-no whitewash and no watering down at Watersend, no bureaucratic blundering at Bridge, and no bungling at Boughton.” After prayers and a two- minute silence for people who had died on the A2 or been bereaved, the protesters marched along the road to Temple Ewell, carrying ban- ners and placards with such slogans’ as “Wateraend the Widowmaker, and “How many more have to die.” They were led by Dover's M.P,,” Mr Peter es, QC., Mr. McKibben, and the Rev. R. M. Harley, Vicar of, Temple Ewell and Lydden. Police held up the traffic while the protesters mayched, Dover Coroner, Mr. Tan Gill, said he would send the jury’s observations to the Department of the Environ- ment. He would also send to the Department a nim- ber of suggestions for im- proving safety at the bridge that he had received from the public. The Belgian lorry driver, M. Jean Pierre Stas—on the advice of his solicitor de clined to give evidence. But he stood in the box to hear tement he had made to the police read to the jury Th told how his brakes had failed as he approached bri itor Mr Peter the police had ) on M ‘ pe je proceeding The Coroner was told cal detail of f located in the bra of the Bel I by a vehicle eCxa r the crash “In it wa a reaso t maintained « there wis a defec h ak not fully eMcient aid the examine e statement made by.M tas to the Police told how he was driving “with a full d of 16 tons of tiles” to ch the Dover ferry. He he fourth of ten gears and approaching the bridge. He told how ~he °tried hi and they worked, He ed unti) he saw the ind white road side : chevror at the ind again pressed hi oruke pedal. “This time they on three soldiers who Was involved in didn’t Work,” said th ment Then just b t bridge; the brakes w a SDL second At the opentr c three-and-a-half hour ing ie the Coror told. th rT] * Lorries deaths du lorries a¥e 2 excep emotive subje nh Dov you amust disim tha 01 your minds at this inqu Witriekser th suide the torr trailer Were 51} foot 8. footewic and weightorwith the OF 2) tons 9 cwl WAS JUSL Over General Belgian. tran Gieslion Risk h to give-etidence a theslorry wa t anid the = ma weight the lor: been carrying WaeySlB to 19 Swiss lors Matilstein dr vehicle behind told “how S swinging ! because of travelling fast the brake li the appronct Cpl. Arthur f i Dundee, was | t pant of the spe death, He wi ¢ but had r to g three killed, he to fly home but ear instead The driver Ci smn Hudson (29 of B d had not been drit the “journey trom in Germany, he adcoce Parmer Mr. Frede: who lives at Wate i ‘ the accident was € ight abou Saturday “ h /FURGPE! Bey Tanck i , YER 150 banner - way ing demonstrators held minutes’ silence at sssend Bridge on ‘day during a “prayer st.” Rey. Sam McKibben € Apostolic Church in and Lydden, said that hy the A2 had become mid to eternity instead ‘ond to Europe.” led the demonstrators yer fot those who had Killed, and those be reaved, by accidents at the bridge The demonstrators, led by 76-sear-old Mr. Arthur’ Black man, of Temple Ewell, marched down the road as police controlled and diverted trafic. Mr. Peter Rees, Dover's M.P.. said the Minister of Transport toid him the Regional Controller for ronds in South-east England would be coming to Dover this week to talk to the police about the A2 But later Regional the | Ports get | priority for “new roads By our Motoring Correspondent Better roads srupesor's and | bypasses for several villages, are among the dist of projects worth £218 ions. released * yesterday by Peyton, follo’ /announced cuthi dust Transport Ind ment spending. 1s at i d Some improvement schemes have been Peyton has lish be year after, f south coast ded in the idee in" Kent, the ut back and Mr ° here: lists of work riod next year, pub- ymay id the at ; nn a by: fore: al . has age by which. h ing for the 2 e bypass has been planned. for some j | time, Contraller told the Dover Express that he had no such plans. He was waiting to hear the outcome of Wednesday's inquest (page 1) Mr. Rees said he appreci- ated that what the people wanted were speed limits, in- ternational signs and police Supervision of that stretch of the road Prior to the demonstr someone painted a cro: ‘to eternity’ a rom % from Waters- fay ~ a « fe plackard bearing. the mes- sage: “How many have to | die?” in the pile of smashed | tiles shed from the TIR lorry | in the last crash, | During a Gye-minute Dover | Express cheek on Saturday. three heavy. yehicles went over the double white Lincs | under the bridge. © @ There were traffic delays | at Watersend Bridge again | on Wednesday afternoon when o car transporter driver discovered his vehicle was too high to get under it and had the words “3 killed he the bridge, Another Ww reverse away. ; Reve Cxpre, 6 if “13 A2 dangers lead to part-closure of city school by Desmond Connolly CANTERBURY headmistress is to close two-thirds of her school because of the dangers to children cross- ing the A2, Her decision has already sparked off protests from parents wanting her to change her mind, but it looks as though 100 children will have to Mra. Evelyn S. ©, A Ke find new schools, Angus, headmistross and owner of St La tag ool pre’ wehool in parator iew Dover Road, g4ve her decision at a packed parents’ meeting on Tuesday, and said she had reached her conclusion after a parent had expressed his concern that the children had to cross the road from one part of the school to the other, 678 ther reserve Nowak, also McNeil 4, Hubbard 1, Beech i > uthe had six Pt plak Fabiszewskt 8 se, <= : 5 points, t AWARD Mr, Stevens recently receiv. ed a "long and meritorious service award’ from the Kent. football association. He has! been Boughton’s secretary for | 40 years. meeting was divided over the pro to increase re- ferees' fees from 7p per match to £1.26 per match plus ex- tepped in to take over SATURDAY JUL ATZp.m. (GATES OPED PM penses. CRUSADERS iho ; rat: ARB ee * | > ¥ : c > = é CHESTERTON more referees to the pe a benefit ANOTHER SPECTACULAR LEAGUE MATCH which was to the clubs. WARNING FEATURING ‘ om 3 MIKE BROADBANKS MICK HANDLEY ; ; *B : =A a 1 | the IO Ase feineee? te ALAN BRIDGETTE GEOFF PUSEY Ree VE th ioe ata Thy ETc. ADMISSION 40p CHILDREN 15p AMPLE CAR PARKING SPACE CROWDS ran on fo the field to congratulate the Kent team at the end of Sunday’s match on the St. Lawrence ground. WAJ7S The fo-anywhere set for the 70's. Special tough shock. INDESIT MODEL 12° nec. Price cores = cabinet and black non re screen coup! wit a brililantly designed transistorised clrcult givesexceiiont. 12L. UHF PORTABLE ovr Price £47.00 reception with minimum interference. It works from the mains or from rechargeable battery or 12y car battery There is a socket for your home aerial or it has its own Getachable aerial. This means you can take the set in your car, boat or caravan. Tone control for fine sound Cyclists’ time trial THE Thanet Road Club are in the trial, and the man holding their 25-mile cycling — they will all be trying to beat is q Ume trial this Sunday long a Cot Se eee star * stretch of Thanet Way, and if wi a hae hae Conditions are favourable the course in a staggering 54| become Southern United. SPECIFICATION there could be some very fast mins. 58 secs. — an average League treasurer Mr. D. E. 12 110° self protected tube. Power supply: Mains 240v Umes. speed of 27.3 mp.h. ; Mathews re that the p AC or 12v external battery. Inner dipole UHF acrial The cyclists set off at 7 a.m The man most likely to press Socket for external acrial Very high sensitivity and from the Monkton roundabout at him ts Keith Ratcliff, from the reception hold. Fully transistorised. Rectractable carrying one minute intervals, and head 2 handle. Dimensions: 11.9" high: 13.2" wide; 10.3" deep al the Thanet Way to Whit Thanet club, whose fastest time Welgh approx. 14\4 Ibs. Available in Lobster Red or Snow jong ay ; 48 just a minute slower than th a White stable, where they turn around Sharp's. credit balance on the year at the Borstal Hill roundabout, activities had been obtained and return to Monkton, a total of All in all it should be a very ¥ 265 miles. exciting day's racing, and a Annis & Son 42 Oxford St., Whitstable. Phone 4359 Ninety riders will be taking Very Close finish is expected. “[puguag povs uy Av Ey 3nd LNAWNUYAAOD =:S861n 19A19SqGO YsijUay 2Uj “9/61 Aq MESO aipwjybiu aus of pus up pasiwoid soy PL ey: JUDUILABAOD Buy “‘pHos J9]jD) 241-ZV TELE — THE IMPROVEMENTS on the A2 costing £9 million, making it a dual carriageway from Bren- ley Corner to Dover, with by- Passes around villages en route, should be finished by 1976, the Government prom- ised on Thursday. The assurance came from Mr. Keith Speed, Under Secretary of State for the Environment during an adjournment de bate on the A2 in the House of Commons opened Crouch Mr. Speed said For some 7 years, work has been proceed ing on a plan for the com. | prehensive improvement tc dual carriageway standard of the whole of this length of the A2 and, except for the Canter bury by-pass, it has been the firm intention for some time that all these improvements. should be completed by 1976." Later, he added Bub ject lo the satisfactory completion» of th tulory processes and lo adequate funds being avail and I must enter that these schemes will ted by the end of about £9 ost of He said any further speed ing up of Ue scheme could not be done while being consistent with democracy. An an nouncement on whal roads would be effected by the Government cut back in road expenditure of £100 million would be made “ fairly soon.” He aid not know If the A2 would be affected by this PROBABLY ng out Bridge, the Secretary said a by would be started for the bab y next summer vod by 1976 Une fact that lamouring had & stage ver do yhshod when we even if it eans a delay of all getting of know preciow with a roa od | the House inspector's elved etary of State the light of Ut ne by-pass can go rovided that hitches in land it n the entish Ob anterbury Tim by Canterbury's M.P., David bypass could be cor pleted by 1976 About the Boughton and Dunkirk by-pass, he said We are already further for ward on this scheme than we are at Bridge, and we hope to start work this autumn with o completion dale some two years later.” Mr. Speed continu At bledown, my offfctals tre working very hard on the inspector's report into the inquiries which were held in April. Again, if all goes well, I hope that work can start on these achemes by the middie of next year, and that the by-passes could be opened to traffic by he spring of 1976. ‘Once we have got the go ahead for the Bridge by-pass then the adjacent scheme from Bishopsbourne Road to Black Robin Lane can be started probably in the summer of next year, with the road open. ing to traffic a year later For the scheme from Bar ham crossroads to Ropershole Furm, the department will be inviting tenders within the next few days, This means the scheme will start this autumn and be completed by autumn next year For the future he said it was kely the A2 would ever be to molorway star most unlikely flows will justify forway parallel to two r this is opened t the 1970's I have said that it is o ntenti to complete the mprovement of the A2 tron rner to Dover. ex anterbury by had never been city’s even: pans, delays disputes on any F yver the t tual need for a were caused by timing and standards of constr Between one Uuird and one half of the traffic on the A2 north and south of Canterbury has its destination in the city area and would not wish to use a by-pass. Independent con sullans were commissioned in 1961 to conduct a feasabiiity study & ss the priority and possible alignments for a by-pass. We have now had that ? and it msid Discussions were al present between Kent and being heid the Department of the Envi A2: ‘Improvements’ by 1976 ees says Under Secretary uel Ml tees ronment to try and resolve the uncertainties about road pro visions in Canterbury The object of these discussions will be lo ensure that an announce ment may be made later this year of future road plans in and around Canterbury Questioned by Mr Peter Rees, M.P. for Dover, about holiday traffic, and how he intended to cope with the crisis "’ which happens in the last two or three weekends in July, Mr. Speed replied I understand there are plans In addition, I wish my ional controller to go down in the next few days to discuss the matter with the police and PROMISE make the plans more public In opening the debate, Mr Crouch had said he was not looking for publicity for the debate but for action from the minister I am no longer content to take my place In the queue and to be patient. I confess that I am impatient and that my constituents are very angry In past years I have pro tested, I have accepted the argument often advanced by Ministers in what was the Ministry of Transport, now the office of the Minister for Transport Industries, that 1 must take my place in the queue as the A2 did not merit THANK YOU, MR. CROUCH | WOULD like to applaud Mr David Crouch for obtaining the Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons last week He reiterated the case that Canterbury and its adjoining villages should be by-passed as a matter of urgency. it is hoped that ovr com- bined efforts are viewed Seriousty by the Department of the Environment, since the case for urgent action to all eviate the situation is now conclusively proved. Brian A. Lewis: Sec/ Treasurer, A2 Group. any high priority for develop. ment to dual carriageway or motorway standards I cannot accept that any longer as an excuse. In my opinion, the A2 today must command top priority above all roads in Britain. Tam not making a plea for just my constituents, I am DEMO AT DEATH’S DOOR WHEN death is only yards away from your front door on the A2 and giant lorries keep on coming, the only thing left is to demonstrate (writes Den ys¢ Wren) And this is what hundreds of villagers along the A2 feel. On Saturday 150 men, women and children biocked the A? at Watersend Bridge, Temple Ewell They demonstrated, not tor the first time, about the toss of human tile three soldiers were killed al the bridge in an accident with a TIR lorry They waved placards, plead ing for action now betore any more people die. The demonstration was organized by 75-year-old Mr Arthur Blackman, whe lives at Temple Ewell. He was advised by A? Group leaders, Brian Lewis and Jono Pur chese, who did not take an active part in the procession SILENT MP for Dover, Mr, Peter Rees was there, and together with the Rev. R. N. Hartey vicar of Temple Ewell, and the Rev. Sam McKibben, minister of the Apostolic Churches of Dover and Lydden, ted the demonstrators in a silent march trom the bridge 00 yards along the A? to the village, where Mr. Rees addressed the crowd And for the first time, the crowd of demonstrators were told what death on the roads means Mr. McKibben, standing on @ pile of rubble, the remains of the bridge death crash, told the protestors they were Standing at a scone of sorrow Life was precious and death was wowelcome at any time but if was even more appalling when if was brought upon us oa i Pie } Mr. Peter Rees, member of Parliament for Dover, joins the march at Temple Ewell CARH by thoughtiessness and lack of concern. Before calling for two min. utes silence in memory of all who had died on the Al Mr. McKibben said : " The A? has become for so many the road Jo ofernity, instead of the road Jo Europe.” Prayers were said for the families of people who had died onthe road Before Ihe demonstration Mr. Harley told a reporter that dangerous driving was in his Opinion a form of vielence, The A2 situation invelved much more than death on the road, it now concerned the quatity of people's lives Also af the demonstration were members of the Trans. port and Géneral Workers Union. Mr. David Gavin, a member who lives at Temple Ewell, said that Watersend Bridge together with Bridge and Harbledewn presented some of the worst hazards to Grivers of heavy vehicles One of the aims of the demonstration was to prove tho point that traffic lights are heeded at the bridge and a lower speed limit. The protestors did not sit down in the read following a plea from Mr. Blackman and warnings from the police, whe held up trattic while the dem onstration was in progress. . KR ls » “A G: Taking Uris plea because this stretch of road is one of the most important highways leading. as It does, to Britain's busiest port. Explaining the dangers of the A2 he added: "We made a great mistake in 1963 tn not continuing the MZ into Dover. If onty we had done that, we should not be debating this problem now and trying to produce a piecemeal solution. “Dover needs two motorways in the near future — not only the M2 or the enlarged AZ continuing from the M2 and the proposed M20 — to serve this great volume of traffic The A2 development pro- gramme ls a second-rate pro- gramme and is proceeding at an even slower and lower rate than that. There seems no urgency about it, which reflects the lack of under~ standing of our anxiely and anger.” AT NOW @ From Page One we lent of le gtalation motorists af every description have to shoul der, there ls none to stop these Jeggermauts enarting up traffic jon re open road — and that means practically every road in the country, other than the mo. torways It has pot gone unnoticed that when there is an accident invol. ving & juggernaut, the reason given ls The brakes falled,”’ Why do they fall —or do they? The village of Dunkirk, Eng | land has tho right spirit, the same that thousands of us | showed at Dunkirk on the other side of the Channel They urge a biits juggemauts To start today would not be a on the second (00 soon. As Uridge people ask ie How many rast die? ii Demonstrators on the A2, Temple Ewell, near Dover, on Saturday © car was in collision with a TIR S a < it was here where three soldiers died when their J CAMA ~~ =e «§ Thirteen the crash rush hour, but only .t poole Le 5 taken to C treated fop shocks Me f Mr Wa crs whose house — has b ees ito. several times, ae *y this terrific aad came out and saw that a huge tanker had skidded and pushed a cite. Wwagen paved 30 vitae tn to a row of cai : “On the op side Of. the road there i a crowd of school children’ waiting for their, bus... It could have ploughed into them.” Mr Brian Lewis, secretary of the A2 Group which is fighting for improvements to the A2 to be done’ more quickly said: “It was a miracle thati\no one was killed. The Government must realise the need for a by-pass to be speeded up.” hits ca A2 et te spot From. Que Correspondent in c lorry car ng 31 tons tt eee $ infla) iquid eh ed In : to a. an ol weak aa t on onthe A2 see Brid ee erbury, tod. ey aus aie ice exa lie lorry, Priel was’ ‘travel from Rotterdam to Birmitigham. Immediately after the’ crash telegrams were sent to the De- | partment of the Environment and to Mr David Crouch, the local MP, by Mr. Brian Lewis, secretary of the A2 group, which has m campaigning for speedier improyements to the ‘road..and ‘for a aby-pass for the village... pproval. for a “by: “pass -was included ina road | improvement Beeman | earlier this month, pul the action. group say they have. been told it: will not be opened until 1976, JUGGERNAUT BLITZ IN. A VILLAGE’S war with the Juggernauts flared again yester- day. A new campaign against the glant V2 ROAD OF FEAR lorries was launched after a -30-ton tanker smashed into 13 cars in the rt > Village's steep Hi t against the Juggernauts. }/Brian Lewis, said: N aa sherk High Street. In November they ere. ° “Again, only - miracle lalegrante eeiinte oy Schoolchildren waiting for a bus at |"promised a bypass to i neta & major |-vironment Under-secre- Bridge, near “Canterbury, Kent, | the A2 London-Dover road ashe in Bridge. tary Keith Speed and watched in horror as the | @found. the village. = » “The accident ts yet | Canterbury's Tory MP, tanker, loaded with ine} lans - another’ indication that | Mt David=Crouchy about flammable — chemigalg;, Plans ex Dopartment of the | ‘he crash. hurtled out of control. But rrr present environment should The pile-up happened” plans .t cy, ee. wits it ha er hie outside the front Jow |-for af fa. | Byidge bypass a or Mr uu ANE Rs é itered And ? ire velerdits “!"The present two-year pattere smash the village action | pr r she halt ers | group's secretary, Mr [key half? rl “I heard this terrific Crash,” he sald. “I ca db. Exp. mG out and saw that a huge Wf tanker had skidded and Un uck 13 ‘crash fester a . Volkswagen abo 0 ya ro Of caret sata ®. row A suGgERNAUT lorry Group fighting for road Casualties cartyine ey tons of intam- ihe only. * casualties ” were eras mable ‘auld ploughed into tnree people treated for shock Later police were exar a line of cars yesterday— in hospital, Ining the brakes of the] Just feet from a bus-stop Police examined the Dutch lorry, which was on| Ine of sgl anf brakes of the Dutch lorry way from Rotterdam were olsu was from HOt Cargo Of Birmingham with a cargo! Jn the rush-hour minh pls on the hi e | from terdam to of styrent—which is used A2 road a ieee. r Canterbury, ‘3 nose was tener Wis immedatey. sent 4 es were three people tre ited ans was a miracle that no ae Ni Kelth and Mr. David Cou or fhock In Canterbury] one was killed,” Said uty. Brian Conservative MP. for Canter: a Lewis, secretary of the bury, about the crash, Villagers at Bridge led & wWavo of protest by country people last yea ee | Beer Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent The Group Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, 1 High Street, Bridge, We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply (0; 411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. 8.7.1976 The Editor, The Times, Printing House Square, London EC4 oa In the past three weeks a juggernaut lorry has overturned at Temple Ewell, killing three soldiers; a heavy lorry has lost its load and crashed into cottages at Harbledown; a TIR and two cars have demolished @ bus shelter on Bridge Hill; a TIR and a 5-tonner have wrecked the front of a grocer's shop in bridge High Street ~- and a runaway TIR tanker has hit 135 cars in Bridge Village by a cottage which has had its guttering removed by passing vehicles four times in two years, This frightening list of incidents highlights the problem of the A2 "trunk" road. Heavy goods traffic through Dover increases at 40% per annum and relief by-passes for some of the danger spots will not be operational, we are told, until 1976 at the earliest. Mr. David Crouch, Member of Parliament for Canterbury, who has championed ou# cause for a safer road for years, suggests that heavy TIR will have to be limited on the A2 until the road is improved. We agree; and put forward again our suggestions to bring some reduction in danger to drivers and public:- 1, All TIR, British and foreign, should be inspected for mechanical road- worthiness at ports of entry or exit at least once every three months. 2, All TIR, British and foreign, should go on an electronic weighbridge at ports of entry or exit every time they pass through to check for over weight. 3. The danger spots on the A2 (listed from London to Dover) Rochester Way, Boughton, Harbledown, New Dover Road in Canterbury, Bridge, Temple Ewell, Waters End Bridge, lydden and River should have 20mph speed restrictions with slow-down lanes either side - all. signs to be illumintated, 4. The Kent Police and KCC should have a grant, as a direct charge on entry to the EEC, to police the road unceasingly and to improve access points on the road. The A2 in places im 17'6" wide (DoE figures). The present TIR are 8'2" wide. It does not leave a substantial margin when TIR pass at these spots. ‘There are 40 tonners promised which, whatever the hoad ae lobby say, have a greater penetration power when striving a F Who will help us? ) Yours sincerely, sot \ ens OeN C Channa. AL Gre ») Wa OPGELET VOOR ONGELUKKEN als u van plan bent de A2 te volgen van Dover naar Londen, denk eraan dat u op een bijzonder gevaarlijke weg rijdt. Alhoewel deze weg de schakel vormt tussen Groot Brittanje en het vasteland, is hij op bepaalde plaatsen slechts 6 meter breed. Zijn gevaar- lijke bochten en heuvels zullen u ongetwijfeld duur komen te staan in =< geld en tijd. Dat het ook uw leven zou kunnen kosten is niet ondenkbaar. Steun onze pogingen om tot een verb- inding te komen die voor het hedend- BEWARE OF ACCIDENTS if you intend taking the A2 from Dover to London! Although this road is Britain’s link with the United Europe it is only 6 metres wide in places. Its dangerous bends and hills will certainly cost you time and money and perhaps one day even your life. Please help us by complaining to your > Grave “CALAIS IX ane enese the Traffic Commissioners < - cf aags wegvervoer geschikt is, door Welcome to England! veg Deageress ANB oi Af Sag ( protest aan te tekenen bij uw vakorg- 5 \\ Neon ned \, —) anisatie en bij het lid van de Europese * ¢ Gin RRS Kommissie belast met transportaangel- ae < egenheden. : Wisweur tA Welkom in Engeland! Beachy Heed Boulogne-s.-» Fs ‘ / CitierS. a : ATTENTION AUX ACCIDENTS ATTENZIONE AGLI INCIDENTI te HUTEN SIE SICH VOR UNFALLEN ; si vous avez |’intention d’emprunter se intendete prendere la statale A2 wenn Sie beabsichtigen, die A2 von fa Nationale A2 de Douvres 4 Londres! da Dover a Londra! Dover nach London zu benutzen! Bien que cette voie soit le lien routier Malgrado questa strada sia I’anello di Obleich diese StraBe GroBbritanniens reliant la Grande-Bretagne 4 |Europe congiunzione della Gran Bretagna con Hauptverbindung zum europadishen Fest- . apprenez qu’en certains endroits elle Europa unita, in certi posti essa é land darstelit, ist sie an manchen ne mesure que 6 métres de large. Ses larga soltanto sei metri. Le sue curve Stellen ganze 6 Meter weit! Die gefah- virages dangereux, ses nombreuses pericolose e i suoi pendii vi possono lichen Kurven und Higel werden Sie cotes risquent de vous pénaliser en costare tempo e denaro e magari un on Zeit und Geld kosten und vielleicht temps et en argent et pourraient méme giorno la vita stessa. eines Tages auch thr Leben! vous céuter la vie. 5‘ Per favore aiutateci protestando presso : Bitte helfen Sie uns, indem Sie diese Aidez-nous en protestant vigoureuse- _ il vostro sindicato e i membri della 4) Tatsachen Ihrer Gewerkschaft sowie ment auprés de votre syndicat etde la ». commissione traffico a Bruxelles. te den Verkehrsbevollmachtigten in Direction des Services Routier Europé- Benvenuti in Inghilterra! > Brussel vorlegen. Willkommen in England! | ens 4 Bruxelles. % Bonne route! * Cis ; : > D “3 fh. J Mn gee Dlpons ane aS “a Published by The A2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent and printed by A. & J. Purchese Ltd., Cow Lane, Canterbury, Kent, England thn Aa or Cone co Smad SEK "6 —— gi Gy eR, A at = ~ ) bi 4 i ie 4 Fy | Mee tidus g ~ -- en ——- « iia XPRESS P (TRAILER E TRANS EUROPA) TRANSPORT WARSZAWA Swetotrryste 30 Photographs reproduced by permission of The Sunday Times, London Be 6D pee — - a nn ee a re Se INTERI x Income 976 it is doubtful if many houses will __........°° _ CHATHAN be left standing to reap the benefit’ = sui_oin 19ST. PETER’ $s — BRIAN LEWIS, A2 GROUP. Te Head Office: Reliance Teta i] ASSETS EX i Authorized for Members of The 85 1 PAGE ONE, last week's Ken- - tish Observer : ) THIN Tene. Gh BRP a By the time the by-pass is opened i in 6.75‘ RE-DEC CURT! “Dorel! BIS IADED with infla- ' 7) Soy eae RE SPT ible styrene a 37 | Ab DIE RA GS CURTAIN FAG | lorry ran into the tod 7 , a Sige” SOT 2 DESC ck of a line of 17 oak (UP TC rs in Bridge on Fri ; AND TERYLENE: yY morning ant ‘ s unted them 2 if ah rds. (writes Joh f ee CUSTOM MA wD. 3 vine YOUR OWN | we accident happened ¢ @.mM. at the foot of the hi tridge parish church. Tr | were waiting at traff % Eaeeereiion road wort; rently, the lorry 5 testa led coming down ff » SIST. PETER'SS Our Only Gimmick — » ve people were taken > lerbury Hospital but no e S@rious injuries. Mv firey Biakestey, of Hit Wah Drive, Bishopstor », $e Volkswagen was fi st and tater had to be e ‘ed from under the lor y, Getained with shock IMPACT hn Turner saged 23, aise of = The long-suffering village of Bridge. Scene in the High Street Yopstone, was in Ar. following Friday’s multiple crash, (Pi (@ly’s car. He too vas man). " Si ebad hie Cats ALL MAKES ( f to hospital but was ot ined. CONTIN ity Heslop, aged 15, of! tsham Farm, Wom na —————e eerie -_-- @, was in a van for th bose ‘CRACKPOT SCHEME’ ertha Lacey, of Stop well, the 1 . Pine tine and Joon re §6=—S| ANOther big + of Cornwallis Ave we 5 we, Aylesham, was it the . Feamnviesharn was tlie increase in MAI PAIN (DECO DO-IT-YO SEE OUR! ibath taken to hospita but | Su ER'S United Reformed Church minister, th tnot detained . 1 ‘ t ; John Ww ya, refers to the Channel Tunne ENTANGLED Jt geernau S crackpot scheme” in his current newsletter and urg improvements t A2. instes , took four breakdown [ORE SIGHT lorry traMc piss : to.the A2 instea n 4 an des to shift the entar pled Sing through the port of 5 eble, write The fatal and the road war not Dover in the first five months watersend £ tuntil atter 10 a.m of 1979 -increased by 20 per ‘ opouled th his is another reasor why en ompared lth the first COESSIVO gover: ave to get a road bul ding ‘vesttionths of the previous fall to ap Br e Famme done faster,’ said veaPate o mak Brian Lewis, secrets -y of " - i class 4 \2 Group. “We want hem Dayer Harbour Board. suid vith crnek Sct 1 on with it betore mid Liev (Gb ip a New Record of be Chantel er 27 jorries. In May alone bh will take yeateto ‘he building progr: nme there ere 16.568 —over 500 ect veeneenea as could be halved free Jugge ule a day, ‘ r ate 4 $ wait for a by-pass 3 lust In sume five months ‘the severe jood enough. Even fitter 228 ther vehicles, mostly cen in Darter vol manage to cai & as hol Makers’ cars, were pe ty . i damage to proper ¢ and (err ev “hn i. TQ) ici to life as the Depar ment ; of ron, DB vale Chanel sto ie le < vironment f ’ ¥ the time the by; 28s is Dowd Enteter 3 ame petiod ed in 1976, it is dou Mul if ) miles bets ¢ houses will be left Mand. ? M2 © reap the benef of its ence,’ Eee taken to terbury Hospi- as seriously Tes Porar: works, ona mage ven cars were da: d in the Pile-up, but incredibly of the five people Kent and Can fas none wi ured, e ™m, was Bieter Articulated tanker, Reena SAFrYIng. styrene Saenne fwaxtas later examined by after the driver. Mr van Hou Welingen, from Hoogyvlit, Holland, claimed the brakes It to hicles Wreckage had falled ok four br eakdown ve- two hours to clear the 4nd as traffic jams bullt up in the early morning rush-h our, police Operated divernions § for Night tramic Sround the village This latest Juggernaut hor ror happened feet away fram the front window of Mr Bin whose home has been Schoolchildren waiting for their bus. The lorry could Pre have ploughed into em." He added: “Only three days » RK high-loaded lor Stripped the Ruttering off my house again. The width of the road is only 18¢t and if two of these heavy vehicles have to they have to ull tight over to the kerb. The road is totally inadequate to carry heavy traffic . ite the speed Umit thon, the village plus the recent police checks Uini we have insisted Upon, the lorries “re still going too fast.” The fear villagers feel was reflected in a telegram Mr M J. Clark, of High Grantley Meadow Close, sent to the Minister for ‘Transport In dustries, Mr John Peyton It read: “Yet another sori oun accident occurred in Bridge this morning. We are™ having a smashing thme. Wiah you were h The Az @ mmmediately know how hese TR accel. dents can be happening with. out more Deople being killed "Even Hitler did not man- age to cause as much damage to property and tisk to life in B © as the Department of the Environment. “By the time the by-pass is Opened in 1976, it in doubtful Many houses will be left Standing to reap the benedit Of Ks existence “This mn of the He contin another nd - : « snned-ur r the by-pass A NOUR icy are saying that a start will be made on the road in mid 1974, we are still not satisfied that this Is quick enough “Also the two-year bullding Programme for the by-pass § which is not due to be com pleted until 1976, should be cut by half On Friday's casualty list Were the driver of the Volks wagen, Mr Jeffrey Blakeanley Hiliboroush roe" i I( he Jug a weight the bough the) ra the: tdge sald tarmaca tienc also say creased in number of inspe ¢to employ for spot Ministry have checks and have ioe portable welt bridges to aid their cr# down measures “More welghbdri @re on order,” spokesman Nevertheless in] gernaut threat js wearl dam thin but its ps’ not only Kent's too. for the the 8 not been ximum y recent Goy- Pruning of the get. r & juggernaut the autumn ma imum of 88-40 imit per axle gross weight, countries are Sgeation ts for limits men from ey also point out that EEC ing fo: down in Latest su an lil-ton | The A2 and M20 ha affected b: ernment roads bud Th all meet to decide show and a max Weight tonnes vehicles -ton giants rough the sport Min. says d at point m the n Peyton that he is “ concerne partment this were quick to that spending o; Tran Concern Well, Just what Is being done ister Joh to curb the 32 His de week that thunder th out county? roads, the situation, forged Sheerness and ip #0 each daily plied basis ribute tothe @, the sh t to take as been gemauts on ‘een this were mult 4n annual mess will cont. ther 4,000 giants And of cours {8 custom bu jug ssing If a x The i betw ritish Rall Folkestone at was a the port Ng 28,000 TY yB 1 he first fu year of th their anc en Now a new freight fe Provided b: at Operation recorde heavy lorr fortni Ir opéra (hia roll the be the ng in xten- Port tual. By the time the by-pass is opened in «75 Income 1976 it is doubtful if many houses will ....0..72" CHATHAN be left standing to reap the benefit’ = suiLoin : Loe 19ST. PETER’SS) — BRIAN LEWIS, A2 GROUP. Te! Head Office: Reliance 4 Tees ASSETS Ex Authorized for Members of the 8» PAGE ONE, last week's Ken- - tish Observer ; THIN CRASH AT BR oem a. dowel JADED with infla- ible styrene a 32 ‘ CURTAIN FABI Hlorry ranintothe = DESC ck of a line of 11 oI aver (UP TC rs in Bridge on Fri- ~~~ sf AND TERYLENE! y morning and PayM iy F : unted them 25 = | bo. CUSTOM MA we.» YOUR OWN |! - ¥e accident happened at | ets @.m. at the foot of the hill | ridge parish church. The | were waiting at traffic 8 controlling road works ni rently, the lorry’s tes failed coming down the rds. (writes John TS) } $3 ST. PETER'SS Our Only Gimmick — > ve people were taken to ferbury Hospital but none ‘serious injuries. Mr. trey Blakestoy, of Hill wah Drive, Bishopstone, $e Volkswagen was first and later had to be re ‘ed from under the lorry, Getained with shock IMPACT hn Turner, aged 23, alsoof The tong-suffering village of Bridge. Scene in the Hi igh Street lepsione, was in Mr. following Friday's multiple crash. (Pict ; (efy’s car. He too was man). " petra nuke Danes ALL MAKES ¢ 8 fo hospital but was not CONTIN | ‘CRACKPOT SC SCHEME’ MAI PAIN | (OECO DO-iT-YO SEE OUR I home after treat t ertha Lacey, of Shep. imieeneres, Another big SAYS MINISTER we, Aylesham, was in the - mr # . Renee et that. They mcrease in | )OYER'S United Reformed Church minister, tb {not detained - John Wyau, refers to the Channel Tunnel ENTANGLED Juggernauts crackpot scheme ™ in hi rrent newsletter and urg ‘took four breakdown *REIGHT lorry traMc pass nprot : es: (at } Beeeemiuine ereonsied = ing through the’ port of . ite, w ites: ut ‘atal . and the road was not Dave? in the first five months walersend Br {until after 10 a.m. of 1973 -increased by 20 per : ipeinted tu his is another reason why n@compared Oth the first cemtalve govern ave to get a road building ivegtHonthy of the previou all to appre ramme done faster,” said veal » make’ the Brian Lewis, secretary of class fond. @ eawimn i before mas Doyer Harbour Board said crackpo! fon | it before mid. hey 4 up vu new record of } re) neko 1 sf forries. In May alonc shich will take Yearsto F The building programme herebwere 16,568 —over 500 ectivenhO nana le be halved three igge uls a day, 5 angulite Ramegiee by pecs is just In same five Month: even ve oie food enough. Even Hitler 22 ther vehicles, mostly Sam f ; wot manage to cause as holfi it damage to property and ferr to life as the Department { Mkers* cars, were " ra ne acr the Channel to te ‘ ees th ud froi ai wm ame period miles bets y the time the by-pass is ed in 1976, it is doubtful if f houses will be left stand- © reap the benefit of its ence.’ hl pepro(- eorm 4) Asi04 of” skup ANH Ag, oanod, suwur pew AG, 27 oo B> OF doea e10u1 7nO = -ODUT, pur Ay , 9OU97BIXO #7 JO “9L6T UI nu #8 oen Loa d-£q oyy e1]> ou 791 9a TA ® InZIqnOP quourjzvded eq) ast OF ASH vulvp 4?’ “Pow wie ofoNy MOT 5 r 3 é EB A 8] ase a ba. 0) tad 72 The public works committee red the preparation of prs banning all hea fom, the aty section o bh fi rt_of indon Be vehicles by folkestone. 7 Pouncillor Mi Hh of re cil’s plan mittee a lecturer conaimic and social statistics Kent University, initiated the roposed bans H —_o yesterday: “ We had on this yery serious use We da hot seem to id any real response the Government to our for a firm indication that a terbury by-pass will be bullfin the near future. “ Rather vague talk” “There is a programme un- dem which the A2 villages of Begghton, Bridge and Harble- are due.ta be provided v by-passes by 1974. But ye have succeded in get- is rather Vague talk about thie ‘carly 1980s", ? Yet heavy goods traffic has grown so enormously that the existing stretch of the A2 at Canterbury can no longer cope,” Mr John Purchase is chair- man of the A2 Group, an organ- | sation campaigning for the |} road {®@ he brought/into line | with neds imposed by Britain's entry ite the Common Market, He “Said: “ The > dnitiative shown by Canterbury will be welcomed by villagers all along the AZ. If the move) succecds, tranquillity and sanity may re- steep hill Fuller, 27, turn to the London-Dover trunk route.” Mr Keith Spemgd, Parlia- mentary Under Secretary, En- vironment Department, said in the Commons Jast month that there had never been any dis- pute over the eventual need of a by-pass for Canterbury. What | still had to be resolved were the timing and standard of con- struction Between a third and a half the traffic on the A2 north and south of the city had its des- tinations in the GW area and would not want to se a by- pass : I understand that a decision on the Channel Tunnel would be By HARVEY ELLIOTT AN ADMINISTRA- TIVE loophole might Ashford, July 1 A new move in the fight against j naut lorries roo ‘the Conti ries from many major ) responsibility of the coun- en ee committee has told council executives to a guiding factor in the timing } Kent has enable councils! council. throughout Britain to i ban juggernaut Jor- roads. The Department of the Environment is respon- sible for Britain's trunk rouds. But when these roads pass through county boroughs they become the cil—who have the powers to decide how they should be used. Now Canterbury council has been asked to ban all heayy lorries from trunk roads through its boun- daries, If it did. the notorious A2, which carries heavy traffic from London to Dover through the villages of Kent, could be juggernaut-free by the | | autumn. ! | 3 prob- lems. Our prime objective is to express concern at the state of the A 2in East Kent and'to press again for a Canterbury by*pass. | “Plans were submitted con- cerning @ by-pass arthe-end of last summer by consultants to the Department of the Environ- ment, but council officials and Wreck councillors have Constantly been Heavy lorries would be | | refused permission to see them. diverted through Folke- | | We have. also. requested a mini- sterial méefing, bue the) depart- ment cofistantly reply that they point vin “such dis- stone on to the A20 But though the council has powers to issue the see no orders, it could be over- | | cussions.” ruled by the Minister _As a county borough the coun- Nevertheless, if enough cil has power to»issue. orders councils get. together they banning the Uorries from the could wreck the whole | | city, but.they, could: be; overrid- coer ae pale: lorry den b; j nt) Goyernment at attic rita national level, e In Tamworth, Stafford- A spokesman’ for the A2 shire, the council. has action group said: “ The initia- re en Spa tive shown by Canterbury will be along & two-mile stretch welcomad vy, Villagers all along of the AS Watling Street the A2. If the move succeeds, apologising for ‘the tranquillity and sanity may again ‘blighted’ state of property | return to the London-Dover on the.road. / trunk route.” The notices blame the Department of the En- vironment. The long- awaited diversion of the trunk road, will take another three years. CALL FOR BAN ON THE JUGGERNAUTS A pad has started dramatic new Pt Tide Juggernaut lorries off Canterbury Council's public works re, draft orders banning all h: lores moving in and out of the Clty ea Mike Fuller, the councillor behi action sald. ye : We decided a4 ec ment interested in Canterbury's problems. “Our prime objective is t M cern at the pBrngen the Pin beet Kent rae, to press again for a Canterbury by age moves were applauded by the Ag a group, Sald 4 spokesman y - day: fhe Initiative wit be welcomed by villagers all along the A2, If the moce succeeds, sanity may again return to the ondon-Dover trank route.” tau S75 SHUDDER ins th: for the unfortunarg pecnle of Bridge, who ave suffered yet another juggernaut ter- ror crash, e latest dose of agony oc. curred when one of these continental gl- ants ploughed Into the back of 11 stationary vehicles. Fortunately no one was killed. But the risk of tragedy is likely to Increase with the threat of still more Juggernauts polluting their way through Kent. Inquiries reveal that the steady rise in Juggernaut traffic is about to accelerate. And Kent's roads, Indeed the people, are not equipped to take It, True Mr, Peyton, the Transport Minister, has approved the spending of £218 million in the current financial year on major | road works in the county and a possible £130 million next year. But what Is going to suffer in terms of economies? Is the new Kent county council going to be forced tg cut back on ex: penditure on B roads, or perhaps education In order to splash out, more on the A2 Juggernaut highway? Mr. David Crouch, MP for Canterbury, supported by the A2 Group, has vigorously campaigned for Im- provements along this road. it is not enough for Mr. Peyton to Promise the money. Move In the roadbuil- ders NOW, Kent has shouldered the Juggernaut burden long enough. + CAUSed a split of the town counell. a are aabour Gre divided on whether to scra i on roll-off faciiitt pe rH ve, Already the container terminal has cost 100,000 » And for some months has »ohot been used decay e We does not have a fantract with any con- Fr operators, = ~ have’ already spilt. | by-pass towns’such ‘as Sellindge ' our repeated pleas for a by-pass, problem of . Others, such as Harriet-' ellindge, cluster lower end of A iway bridge ‘Barrow Hill. Another lot is the steep hill ¢ of Folkestone; Hi Torries their “loads several times there. Plans to extend the M20 and have been discussed, but are held up until a decision is taken on the Channel Tunnel and its approach routes. Councillor Michael Puller, 27, chairman of Canterbury City Council’ planning committee, says “The Government has ignored and this ban is the only effective answer left to us. eet the Channel Tunnel plans would re- quire extensive redevelopment of the A20 and M20. This is one reason why the A2’s needs are | * being ignored.” Councillor Fuller admits that + the move Is primarily to press the Government into action on a by-pass. “I would rather see a new road round Canterbury than just transfer all our problems to the .A20," he says, ; Keith Speed, Under-Secretary at the Department of the En vironment, has said that there is no dispute about the need for a Canterbury by-pass, but the timing and construction stan dards still had to be resolved. Council Ko drafts © A2 ban AN ORDER which would stop heavy traffic using the A2 _ Pirough Canterbury is to be Grafted by the City Council. The County Countil and the Department of the Environment are also to be approached and asked to find alternative routes for the big lorries. Making the decisions on Wed nesday the City Council was told the move was to put p ure on the Government to a by- pass around the city, The original wording of the resolution was objected to by Ald. Peter Wood. He felt the working saying the traffic should go onto a Canterbury by- pass before it was built was frivolous. Cllr. Mike Fuller told him that the wording was meant to be tronic buthe agreed to put the words "if and when bullt’’ after the reference to the by-pass. Cur, Tony Fisher did not want the order to be an empty threat “If we make an r then it should be one which we put into effect and not wave at the he said Can had suffered for years the | ic and the ‘order was something he would Support implementing in full. /~ over Instead of banni 7 tinental roaute” ean pletely from the 2, the: should be made to trave} ti convoys at ofr. ei2i; th TonteReation of John Baker White, of Street End Place,” Says th . voys could be’ formed un: on e dual eWAY sect! of the of Kington M2, near Bronley Corner. cs They would travel u police eupervision, at once? to'9 pm. pmivand 8 Mr Baker White adds: « each case only one police me ed as convoy @ lorries would to travel — Army | fashion—with specific dis. |tances between them, “Any driver found attempt- ing to travel out of convoy would be fined £100 for the first offence, and three months’ imprisonment and £150 for the second offence.” He forecasts: “The Minis- try, of course, will say it can- not be done, citing the stock excuse that it Is Impossible because ‘It has never been done before. In point of fact it was done, and successfully, during the 1972 dock strike.” As a rider, Mr Baker White adds: “Ineldentally, could the powers that be tell us why no work has been done for close on a year on the new section of road at Denne Hill?" Canterbury's present MP, Mr David.Crouch, Ig still fighting for “some form of rationing of heavy vehicles on this marrow and danger- ous road.” - He § told the » Kentish Gazette: “The necessary wers already exist with the ent Coui Council to pro- tect the of those living beside this road. and, of course, of those who drive on it, inchiding lorry drivers. “I have written to the | County Council SAR OR them to investigate the position as a matter of urgency. I have | also written to Mr Keith Speed, Under Secretary at the Department of the En- vironment, asking him to give immediate consideration to such a step.” Mr Crouch explained that he did not wish to ban lorries altogether, but to ration or | restrict the numherg In the | interests of safety, “My restriction would mean that some traffic to and from Europe would be routed to other ports, fe, Harwich, Felixstowe and Southampton. | It has been suggested to me that In recommending such a step I” have been tfrrespon- sible. This I cannot accept. In fact, I regard it as quite | the reverse. | “It is the responsibility of | the Government, togethor | with the local authorities, to | ensure safety on the roads. With our entry Into the Com- | traffic on the A2 is now In- creasing all along. the route and there is great anxiety |}and argument that this | should be allowed on a road | which, in the Ministry's own | words, is only 18ft wide In many ninces.” | Mr Crouch has put down the following Parliamentary question: “To ask the Secre- tary of State for the Environ- ment If he will take addi- tlonal steps to protect the lives of those who live beside | the A2 from Dover to Bren ley Corner between now and | 1976 when the proposed Im | provements to this road will | be in operation: and, in par | tleular, if he will consider the Introduction of some limita tion cf the number of heavy vehicles which may use this | route until then.” |mon Market the flow of | Geurep ie) 67% The A 2 Gr oup Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: hn Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, wat Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to: 4411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent CT4 5HD 16.7.1973 eat Mills, Eeq., , Watling Street Nuneaton, Werks, Dear Mr. Mills, ; The A2 Group is concerned with the A2 trunk road from Brenley Corner to Dower, where there are villages through which many heavy goods vehicles go on their way to Dover from London. I would stress at once that we are not anti-TIR, but that they should be placed in a suitable environment. by-passes are promised for the principal danger spots by 1976 - so it is the period 1973-1976 which interests us primarily, f The road narrows to 17'6" in places (DoE); heavy goods vehicles pass at an/average of one every 50 seconds day and night, (KCC figures), and ; 1500 buil open directly on to this road along the 22 miles mentioned. The noise levels recorded in Bridge are 934A ('Motoring Which’) and 98d4BA (Open ieee How to reduce the noise in the immediate future is the problen. As a sound recordist in the film and television industries for 15 years Tihave advocated double-glaging of windows, with a 4" airspace lined with acoustic absorbent materials, acoustic tiles on the ceilings of rooms next to the oad; and for those set back from the present road and in the noise-shadow of the proposed by-passes, hedges and trees to be planted as a noise-break, | j I am writing to you to see if your Department has any other Suggestions up its sleeve. Life is intolerable in Boughton, Harbledown, Bridge, lydden and Temple Ewell from the noise point of view. We understand . the heavy goods vehicle is essential to trade and do not condemn it or ite efz3 driver or operator. We would, however, be grateful for any help the heavy tone goods freight firms and MIRA can give in reducing one of its major pollutents. ‘3 sez Yours sincerely, wees / Rictiontebut that little | Mare in any of them dampen noise \" ' (ured bv 4 } ie | / i of pro- dampening | ample, adding | I, is boing } om | drivers and into the detailed Houuc mulation of driver condi- itis In general true tions. ‘ ; eae! Weed of There isa dovetalling here r owns esearch by : “Occurs at high engine speeds, 10 Fou and. by the pei S- duringe-gear changing. for MOum) acoustics and audiology rin 4 ~ example, one of the most x a kind of marriage of Bebe world, has produced Tae ls eA ONY AesemUae te vatios to-soee \ [pehen tne vies vibration, about which very sraptoo.. Panera aa rably with similar com- units. “but which: ‘the, standard test con: ns has a noise output of ly 80 dBA This is only one of the. maximum 4for engines of that dunde: existing legisla nd 4 dBA below the ee moximumn for motor |* % j A, rrY Se - ; oa a2 a a seeess Yeseses BS 2 » halysis vi diese! engine ¢ ink ra s4 i ‘ S5555 mess. $5 earried out at South ES 3° 4 ee Sib tSpbe a2 ion. during the past ; Suge rae MmaeseS eS de showed fairly rapidly mF 3 age°s $s- 53 there was a marked simi < : ce arse 35 S32 2 of noise output from = 8 ey gress 5 escke =: “of similar tating and > mee: sab Sse ee ‘even when from | : aoe gs2%s¢ eL°S" Eetes r Ke Ee ot’ the } a / Pee eee9 & aa t » examina’ of the ck $3 $3 Se ‘ Urces of noise tnowed that | cay ua” 4 ae + sheds 3 vas possible to calculate S David Crouch. “It is an outrage’* he sald, ‘‘to have monster vehicles pounding through these villages nightand day. People are already paying with their lives for our failure to build a better road into Europe". Mr, Crouch has de scribed the A2 devel- opment programme as second rate. He sald: ‘There seems no urgency about it which reflects the lack of understanding of our anxiety andanger., "’ He Is calling for a limit on the flow of TIR lorries es oe a < 4 o > Sak S Se Sess85 bees 8 ELED o 8> 6. Site be & ~3¢ =:%s ."% 729,08 a oe S Yes Sos es S Eove. 4u—55 Rent umes 2, fee am £Aa “wets ra ” poeteous SwecSretieg-coes ba SMORE ESS HSse Sf “SRS LCE Sea o< Sole Les © - ySAS Epa sone SPA ONES oe 9 eget Soros sccs Daves" seat eosSuvsses o 3 om tav~ Ge Bese so: o Emaeeyheere! - 9 Snr EN eSa BO Beas MOSES ‘A2 must take priority’ call TRAFFIC IS AN OUTRAGE — MP through East Kent a move which Kent County Council Is already empo- city Iimits earned a reproach from county council roads committee wered to take, he sald. chairman Mr. Robert Dover MP Mr. Peter’ Cooperon Monday Rees who joined a protest Mr r was speak. march along the A2 a ing atthe meeting of the fortnight ago, has called county joint committee at for larger, clearer warn- County Hall. Some ing Signs. He said: ‘The members were worried A2 Is the jugular vein of about the working party's the South East. The recommendations which pressureres on that vein include a proposal that have really reached the new county* council intolerable proportions Canterbury's plan to drive the juggernauts off the A2 and on to the A20 by banning them from the should be responsible for making traffic manage- ment orders. District councils would be respon- sible for processing the Lkue wo oo 4 even ceo — exe 55, 6 = - Be Pwovte oe Shs: Eofecs 6-5 = elas S2Les8 SP a. . 5 oe Y.5 Lae tes wit $622 53§ aoa oS 0 avr 23s ScoFSE e 4 - vv i os ao Ev= oe geet : Be 2eeesec Sos oF Ooexut o Sy Bo CeeS EES SOERGZE Oona Sezs—e Rms. se" e a Sessu .S SSE = aese SERS EA SLPERe Seen Sees ie2so Be ben U ame Ye Sees SSSSES SCs ~ savEscst *nutus wa Feehe™ Sent 2. 28 atwuc ose Sm Sw ES toc buss tds.se Sey Eg 505 BS Bessssg 2eo5% sSose eS os lee. Ee oe Ses = «Ss tHe 4G. Ot Em oS emse as eG 2, os seu oa te "oo “te” SE Sedo pdeeeesEsenee Boek ee S< ee uanes s<7 Y¢ e Ease S55 ‘co a orders through the vari ous procedural stages Answering criticisms by Canterbury members and others. Mr. Cooper referred to instances where authorities had banned lorries and thrown them on to roads through neighbouring au thorities. “Only this weekend, he commented, "We have heard of Canterbury's lan to ban juggernauts e effect of that will be to turn the lorries off the A2 on to the A20. “‘We cannot have something like that made possible. We must have a standard throughout the county and if each individual unit is allowed to make its own traffic orders, that standard goes." at drivers of Co 785 OOM ctl BABY 0} 3 “11® yf 203 30 aun SNeusadIn( 0} UO}UdI)e binous 7 yey Aayunods® a 41OUIO “uONy “UOd WO Bu Puy oavy 7 our Oo] sop TW SARBO00Nns | AINQsayUeD 20; | 8as107). 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PS TE eS te JO aoUNAsIp w Mtaus0D Ao; | >) » / CNSR = eo Uae = . 0} 49A0g Woy WEoge Ssunyeves*thseyes mesg EEG & | SLOPSTUTA 2: shaes = ct am ove Zusis «282 oe gee yes aHOVav: ; IN | Fou Sef ane Sn 3 Phe Mr. Speed. fly at KENT'S battle against the Juggernauts is to get Government priority, The promise was made by the Under Secretary for the Department of the Environment, Mr. Keith Speed, in an exclusive interview in London, He sald the Govern. ment aimed to spend more than £10 million on improving the A2 all the way to Dover, and It was hoped to complete the arth the ond of 1976, © Government has also promised to extend the M20 to Folkestone ina multi-million pound con- tract that will be completed in 1078. “We are very con. cerned at Westminster that the juggernaut problem in Kont be solved ¥* s00n AS possible,’ sald He sald the Govern- ment would stick to Its guns for the maximum welght of 11 tons per axle carried by the jugger- nauts and would not allow the French to bulldoze the UK Into accepting a limit of 13 tons per axle, More accessible grants will be made by tho Government to the Road Transport Industrial Training Board to enablo It to attract more drivers to combat the nationwide shortage of HGV drivers, a factor In the juggernaut development, The Government will also help the county council and local author- ities with 75 per cent &rants for improving other roads. Education and other welfare ox. pendiiare will not have to bo cut, as was feared, dem .. BUT MOTHERS WIN FIGHT MORE than 600 angry council estate residents staged two mass protests at Folkestone this week, bringing traffic to a standstill The demonstrators, mainly women and children, were protesting at the failure of the Department of the Envi- ronment to provide either a bridge or underpass to cross the newly opened Stretch of road through the Hill Road Estate. They carried banners with slogans such as ‘We want crossings not flo wers'' and ‘Mother unite for your rights. ’ The route is used by many TIR lorries heading for the Channel] terminals at Dover and Folkestone Many of them got caught up in the protests and missed their ferries CROSSING The demonstrations were only called off when Folkestone council's hi gh- ways and watch com- mittee announced on Tuesday night that it would construct a tem. porary crossing, Work started first thing on Wednesday morning, and should be completed within a few days. The council will now approach the Department of the Environment again to get permission for a more permanent pelican Crossing. A spokesman for the protestors said later “We have won our battle “We have got cisely what we wante It was O KM 27-21-73 certainly worth trouble. ’’ On Monday, the protes- tors had threatened to demonstrate every night unul their demands were met. There had been angry scenes earlier as motor- ists attempted to _arive through the yelling 3 Tempers flared when fists started to fly and the demonstrators began banging on the outsides of cars. Police made numerous attempts to move the demonstrators, but they remained firm, singing “We shall not be moved.” « It was not until one of the protestors, Mrs. Marian Waller, climbed up Into the cab of one of the TIR lorries and called on the crowd to disband and form again on Tuesday evening that they finally agreed to let the traffic through. At least four local councillors attended the protest, Before Tuesday's test began Councilior George Thomas appealed to the residents to retrain from taking action as the Nighways and watch committee was about to discuss the issue as a matter of urgency. the BLOCKED But his request was unheeded as a_conaid- erable number of ¢ehildren and thelr moth- ers blocked Hill Road and hela up traffic on the roundabout at the bottom of the Dover Hull on the A20. 3 (Guildford) 71101 ext 274 Your reference Our reference + TE 200/09/R 34/020 20 July 1973 has asked me to thank you for your telegram of 6 July about the ridge in which a Dutch articulated lorry was involved, Mr Speed as © learn about both this and the previous accident which occurred {p June at Prichetts General Store. + The Department has already considered the possible introduction of Many road safety easures on the A.2 at Bridge and some which are considered to be necessary, incluiirg e 40 mph buffer speed limits, the advance warning signs and the 'Pelican Crossing! hay een implemented. Such measures, however, can only serve to alleviate traffic Condi tice in the village and can never hope to solve the problem. This can only be achieved by constructing a by-pass. Both of the recent accidents clearly demonstrate the neei for this to be done, _ 3. As you know, the Inspector's Report on the Public Inquiry on the by-pass schene his ‘ _ recently been received and is being considered by the Secretary of State. The neei to . oe es with this case quickly is very much appreciated and I can assure you that a decision on the scheme will be announced just as soon as is possible, beh, ee yee a a ‘ «4, In the meantime, traffic conditions in the village will be kept under review to ensure thet further road safety measures are implemented should they be considered to : _ be necessary, I must, however, finally say that from the evidence available it would _ ss @ppear unlikely that any road safety measures in addition to those now in force could have prevented the two recent accidents. KA i boww K M J FINBOW for Regional Controller Copy to ~ B Lewis Esq 1 High Street Bridge Canterbury Kent # This paper is suiteble for Dyeline photocopying John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent The Az Gr oup Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, : Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 16th July 1973. Department of the Environment, 7 2, Mersham Street, London SeWels Dear Sirs, i enclose a Frivate letter addressed to Keith Speed Esq, Under Secretary of State at the Department. Kindly pass this to him as soon as possible. Yours faithfully, Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. - Group Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Ka av Bead John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, © woes Mt eo Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, ray ie ae _ Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care Bbeur the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 16th July 1973. Keith Speed Esq, M.eP., Under Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, 2, Marsham Street, London S.W.l. Dear lir. Speed, Further to our recent meeting at the House of Commons, you are no doubt aware of the accident involving 13 cars and a T.I.R. which occurred in Bridge last week, also that the City and County Borough of Canterbury is now preparing draft orders to prevent heavy lorries from entering and leaving the City via A2, In my letter to you dated 2nd July, I requested an early announcement concerning the Bridge by-pass. Having regard to these latest developments, I must insist on @ reply to my letter as a matter of urgency - from yourgoodself please, not one of your ministerial minnions,. Yours sincerely, oa ee Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. The /A2) Gr oup i oo ae ae Secretary atbeagurer: Mill Coser Sekeaboume, i High Street Bri Canterbury, Kent . Eee. Kent ase We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- i" ‘Weston Villas’, % 1, High Street, # Bridge, ; : Canterbury, Kents CT4 5JY. mie | 17th July 1973. der Secretary of State, ment of the Environment, rs Marsham Street, London S.Wel. Dear Mr. Speed, I enclose for your information a copy of the front pace of one of our local papers, the Kentish Observer, which a to the Adjournment Debate on the A2. The page 1 comment will show you just how strotie local feeling is at present. Yours sincerely, eg Brian A. Lewis: Secretary/Treasurer, A2 Groupe Chairman; John Purchese Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. 22nd July 1973- You will be interested to learn that Clir, C.) had a site meeting on Bridge Hill with tl » a8 @ result of the recent T.I.R. accident: Yours sincerely, ‘ , ir Mill Cottage, Bekesboume, 1lHi Canterbury, Kent Conterbuneet Bridge, G Ul Chairman: Hon. Se y /A2) ro P John Purchese Brian A Lew, Treasure, peer We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 ; ‘ e Please reply to:;- 1, High Street, ar Bridge, os Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5yy, q ’ Ree Ide 23rd July 1973. I would be pleased if you could kindly publish the _— g under your "letters to the Editor’ section of I.F.W, CNY cif e. “I am a regular reader of I.F.Ws and was particularly nterested in the Comment on July 18th issue (page 4) concerning Dr. Clifford Sharp's report "living with the lorry’. I was recently asked to speak at a public meeting in Folkestone, and was somewhat annoyed at being shouted—down by residents when I said that we (A2 Group) were not against Juggernauts, the operators or drivers. Pa A2 Group has fought for a by=pass round the now notorius village of Bridge on the main A2 Llondon—Dover road for 11 years. If any | village in the country should demand banning such vehicles with justification, it is this, but objectively we take the view that the place for the lorry is the motorway. The A2 is the prime example of planning run riot. Successive Governments have lagged, loitered, hobbled and faltered over the whole 22 miles of road between Brenley Corner (where the M2 finishes in a field) and Britains prime ro=ro port, Dover. During the last 10 years, 5 miles of dual-carriageway have been constructed in open country With the by-passes to the villages of Boughton, Harbledown, Bridge and Temple Ewell hinging on the indecision over the Channel Tunnel, The high cost to the Haulage Industry both in terms of risk and delay will remain for another 3 years, the length of time it will take to construct a proper Trade Route to replace the existing Bridle Track to Europe.’ Pi Yours faithfully, e. (). eis Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Groupe A2) Group... to. nou Mail Cont Cotsen Bekesbourne, 1 Iiigs Seer, Canterbury, Ken Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to;- 61, Bridge Down, ote hace Tit eS Canterbury, Kent. CT4 ‘SBA. 23rd July 1973, I ch Esqe gllePoy . £ Commons, § Wels rs Crouch, I have read your comprehensive report on i A2 | July/August issue of Invicta, and wish to thank you for the ‘eference to A2 Group. ? Yours sincerely, aeaeem | Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, ; Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY, 25th July 1973. Clir. R.H. Cooper, %: Kent House, lower Stone Street, Maidstone, Kent. Dear Mr. Cooper, Further to our brief meeting in Bridge last Sunday, you will recall that I informed you that members of A2 Group met Mr. Keith Speed, Under Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, at the House of Commons on 28th June following Mr. David Crouch's Adjournment Debate, The Minister told us that the Inspector's Report on Bridge by-pass enquiry was in the hands of Mr. John Peyton, and that his decision would be made known "within the next few weeks." Since 4 weeks have now passed, would you be good enough to press @he Minister for an early announcement on our behalf? Yours sincerely, Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. Ee Se ; Join Bak bebourn Paige A bey i Gress po t J Cc, yt ‘ i tae Canterbury, Ree Bde, KENT COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS’ ROOM, County HALL, | MAIDSTONE. % 27 July 1973 Dear Mr. Lewis, Thank you for your letter of 25 July 973. I have written a personal letter to Mr. Peyton and feel sure that he will do all he can to expedite a decision in this matter. Yours sincerely, is R.H. COOPER Chairman of County Roads Committee Brian A. Lewis, Esq., Secretary/Treasurer, The A2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. MIlLGAey = Council, ) de met Mr. Keith Speed, Under Secretary of state at the t of the Environment. RE eas The Minister stated that the Inspector's Heport on by-pass enquiry wes in the hands of lr. John P scision would be made known “within the ne t fe a, Perhaps your council would be good ono to ‘ae y announcement on our behalf? (s. . Woeel, hace Wo Brian A. lewis: hassock Sarve oul uraelicey . Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese, Brian A. s, Mill Cottage, Bekesboune, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, 2 Ae Bridge, ou Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 25th July 1973. ag David Crouch Esq. ,MePe, House of Commons, London S.Wel. Dear lir, Crouch, You will recall that when we met Mr. Keith Speed following your Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons, we were told that the announcement on the Bridge by-pass enquiry would be made “within the next few weeks", 4 weeks have now passed since our meeting; would you therefore be good enough to press the Minister for an early decision? Yours sincerely, \ Brian A Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. a tment of the Environment / Controller Roads and Transportation n 1 Road Guildford Surrey GU1 2BL Telephone 0483 (Guildford) 71101 ext 274 Your reference Our reference DSE 200/09/TR 34/020 Date / August 1973 d by Mr Speed to thank you for your letters of 2, 16 and 17 July road. > toad safety measures in force at Watersend Bridge have been owing the recent fatal accident and in the light of the evidence quest. As a result it has been decided that additional road signs mé) 'Reduce Speed Now’ together with 'Slow! carriageway markings dec on the approaches to the bridge. It is considered that these ures, together with those already in force will, if properly observed @ most effective in safely controlling traffic at this point. d t¢ Bridge, arrangements are already being made to have experimental (3 laid on the Dover approach to the village. These markings will ce the ex:sting waming signs by encouraging motorists to further reduce the stee) approach, Seed has asked me to assure you that both he and the Minister are well he need to make an early decision on the proposed Bridge By-Pass and that t is bing and will continue to be made to ensure a decision is announced Chairman: Hon. Secretary/7, John Purchgse Brion A. Lewis, “?™ Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Brig Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Ken; ge, We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- ‘Weston Villas', 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. cCr4 5 2nd August 1973. I.F. Soilleux Esq., DeMeAc, MeLeLeGeAcy Clerk of the Council, Council Offices, Old Dover Road, bee Canterbury, Kent. CT1 3DHe Dear Mr. Soilleux, Thank you for your letter dated 30th July 1973 together with enclosures, I am extremely greatful to you for the pressure mh you are maintaining in connection with the Bridge by-pass, and » confident that our combined efforts will achieve results. You will be interested to learn that I have recent) been in céntact with Mr. Robert Cooper, and understand that he ha written to Mr. John Peyton on a personal basis to expedite the matter quickly. With thanks again. naa Yours sincerely, ip j Brian A. lewis! — (law () ein Sec/Treasurer, Aa | ee Se aT 5 -_—_ BRIOGE-BLEAN RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL COUNCIL OFFICES, ’ ah OLD DOVER ROAD, CLEAN OF THE COUNCLS (1:7, BORLELM, OMAGMIL@AL * , maranes [nee ae TREASURER: 6.0. B.HABTE, AA CEA, AMV As ALI CANTERBURY, KENT ~ COWEN BOUFNETOR) FU THACHMAY, C komm, $44,000 AM cTi 30H BOOM POLIS HEALTH WBPECTON | J.W.A COMEWRTER, FARIA: Teron. CAMTERCUTET COA" (suns! sme H5/55/5/1 30 July 1973 Dear Mr Lewis BRIDGE BY-PASS Thank you for your letter of 25 July 4973 and for the information contained +herein I enclose copies of letters dated 15 May, 23 July and 30 July 1973 from which you will see that I am keeping up the pressure from our end and I sincerely hope that the joint efforts Yours sincerely Nee game c. Clerk of the Council B A Lewis Esq Secretary/Treasurer A.2 Group "Weston Villas" 4 High Street Bridge Canterbury Kent CT4 5JY Encs F/t Rt Hon David Crouch, MP House of Commons Westminster London SW1 ¥/r CT1 30H she 3tate ban thet se ole od 3 to cdles ome ity to tion at Pe even 2 time 15/55/5/1 » 30 duly 1975 Deer bir Crouch BRIDGE BY=PASS vurther to my letter of 23 July 1973 T informed by the Secretary of the A.2 Group members of that Group met you and Kr Speed on 28 June 1973 when it was stated that the Inspector's report was thon in the hands of the Minister responsible I enclose a copy of @ letter I have written to 'r Speed and I trust that since the Minister hes now had four weeks to consider the report a decision will be forthcoming in the next few days It seems to me that scarcely a day goes pest without the report of some inoident or other involving commercial traffic in the narrow street at Bridge. Surely in this case the Government can trim off the red tape; Bridge really does need a by-pass now Yours sincerely (Sgd I F SOILLEUX) Clerk of the Council D Crouch Esq, MP House of Commons Westminster London SW1A 414A Ene w/e Rt Hon David Crouch, KP House of Commons Westminster London SW‘ F/T CT1 30H | now State st an » thet 3180 ible sed wu to wdles 1eme lity to ition at of even 24 time cri 50H #5/55/1 415 May 1973 pear Mr Crouch BRIDGE BY=PASS As you are aware the local into the Bridge By-Fass has now been held and as you know my Council g#ve complete support to the sohene proposed as modified and submitted by the jecretary of State for the Environmen There were & number of submissions at the inquiry claiming that an alternative route should be considered and whilet I appreciate thet 4der the weight of these it is for the Secrotary of State to cons a wish me to urge you objections I am sure ny Council woul evory thing possible to get the metter decided as soon &8 ed to categorise and emphasise the re are woll acquainted I have no ne needs instent relief to you 45 I am sure you will be po: sible for you to to do po ssible which the Departmen like this into operation and I appreciate eve erect the hurdles in the first place but as you kn a knife-edge and any unnecessary delay of ever Bridge 18 balanced on a month 18 vitel time lost. This village is id another Aberfan and we must do our utmost to avo2 Yours sincorely PA 4 Y/ Clerk of the Cowmoil Rt Hon David Crouch, MP House of Commons Westminster London swi ¥/t cri 3n H5/55/5/1 23 July 1973 Dear Mr Crouch BRIDGE BY-PASS Thank you for your letter of 25 June 1973 andl note that Mr Speed is waiting for the report of the Inspector te as much as anybody the pressure at present cn wt I would suggest that if his particular item his I think we epprecia the appeals procedure at Government level > the Inspector could concentrate completely on + report could be produced much quicker than the normal time allowed by the Government machine, As you well know, I am not given to overstatement of situations but the people in Bridge are living at crisis point twenty-four hours a day. It will be little consolation to the next person who dies if six months instead of 2 year to ccas out. The result the report only takes of the Inspector's report is needed today and the Secretary's decision on the report yesterday to maintain the hardest pressure you I would entreet you, therefore, roduce the goods the possibly can 1s the representative of this ores to p population so earnestly desires Yours sincercly ys | ff 7 Clerk of the Council D Crouch Esq, MP House of Commons \ Vestminstor London S'1A QAA gfe 933 qiths eH #greiks (Sgd IF SOILLEUX) ct 2 a E 6 : it of the 2 Marsham Street K Speed Esq, MP London SWiP 38B Bee Deas | 39 ST. MARGARETS STREET COMMISSIONERS FOR OATHS | CANTERBURY. KENT AND AS E. A. BARTON IN WHITSTABLE AND TANKERTON CT atx TELEPHONE: 6a15) $7.0. CODE: oz27 U. Ho, ALEXANDER ‘PvBUc) TELEX: 965078 A PILCHER i z Other, Villagers also wel- comed the news with reserva. tions. r Brian Lewis, of Bridge, and Mr John Pur- chese, of “Bekesbourne, co- jeaders of. the A2 Group, were concerned about what could happen In the village between now and 1976, when the by pass is scheduled for com pletion. "It's fine to hear the road is at last going ahead, but, as everyone knows, serious road accidents are a dally occasion here. We want to make sure the lives off villagers are safeguarded between now and 1976," said Mr Purchese. Mr Lewis was angry that the road waa delayed by the inquiry He suggested that the objectors to the Govern ment’s route should pay the inquiry costs. The only change the De- partment of the Environ ment has made to its original plan is in the flyover junc- tion at the eastern end of the by-pass. Here the Department has included interchange facili tigs to make it unnecessary for any heavy Jorriecs in volved In locaY tramsport, to travel through the Wiliage. CURVING EAST The new road will be dual- carriageway and will leave| the existing A2 just south of Milestone Farm before cury Ing eastwards across Bekes- bourne Road and Bifrons| Park to Coldharbour Lane } In approving. the Upper Harbledown road, Mr Rippon | has ignored objectors who questioned the need for a by pass and instead; urged & comprehensive scheme to by pass Canterbury. Announcing Mr, decision, Mr Jo .Peyton, Minister for Transport In- dustries, said it was accepted that a by-pass was Necessary Rippon's to relieve Harbledown and | Upper Harbledown "in the immediate future.” The new road will. by-pass Upper Harbledown to the south, crossing the A2 near the junction with Faulkners Lane and cutting: north of Harbledown to join with Rheims Way Halfway along the new road, before it crosses the A2, the, dual. carriageway ends at a point where aA future Canterbury by-pass might begin Both roads will be land- scaped with grass yerges to lessen their effect on the surrounding countryside a | A30 in Devon and the A2 in Kent. In normal times, there nothing wrong with the roads themselves winding They are pleasa routes traversing some of the most ancient and attrac tive towns and villages, but wit the advent of the heavy lorry invasion ‘and the influx of tourist traffic, together with a generous sprinkling of holiday caravans, normality seems far away. On the West Country hills, in particular, I saw some of the most suicidal attempts at over taking Incompetence and discipline, triggered by frustra tion, led some motorists to dis regard all the normal rules driving their queue they out sanity as break to get behind the made of ti cray lorries The passing frustrations and inconvenience to motorists is perhaps of less importance than the effects of it all on the | people living along these routes One can only imagine the hell of existing in a cottage in one of along narrow high_ strects the the A2, pounded d and night by heavy lorries going to the Continent. I returned from my journeys thankful ! nd still aliv than ever to be convinced that more delays im completing the basic network — of>, motorways and modern dual carriageways ar¢ to blame for much of t! deterioration in the en n ment In too Many cases charming minor roads = are spoiled by piécemeal improve ments because the motorway which will be b later in any case, is not ready in ime. | be DAI ec Villagers of Bridge, down Kent, route learned from the | ment of the day awaited approved Each have dual two-Jane carria andat is hoped that all ti completed @arly in If a 4-8-3 Y-PASSES FOR ‘ JUGGERNAUT’ VILLAGES Harble Harbledowr juggernaut Depa Environment yeste long been Uppe the and on A2 the line of their that by passes has of the méw roads w ort Lonsdete’ railway Hotel, Slurry, Teyn: Vision One — Boi F ros ughton 5 . Bren Wi verle Rea, road Onk Ros, lerne Wan. derers, Herne Unit fizer Genletles Re, Andrew's, St. ¥ PY ont enUnels, Whilstable -F.B., » Rough Gammon. seule Waltham, . Whitstab) Boys Res, \ noe Pivislon Three — Church College, Horne Res, Hernhill, Miutaton Ts. St. Stephens, Lane. Sturry Res, Teynham , te Hes, White Heat- hens, W Division Four Adisham, Ash, Bishopsbourne, Boughton Res, Longbridge Youth Club, Norton Sports, Bark United, St. Andrews Res, Sharsted, South. ern United, UKC Staff Res, Weston Works. Reialon Five — enh es, Blean and r HU, Chartham Mills, chiharn Res, East Kent Packers, Long- bridge Youth Club Res, Nall. United, Saints Res, St Gregorys Res, Spartak, Spring - Lane Res, Waltham Res, The draws have also been made for the various cup com Petitions involving member clubs. CHALLENGE . and another when their noliday jas smashed after ily of Sf. Alban’s Road, Hit- i TO CAP IT al was heaped on the antl-Juggernaut flare-up this week y the fews that TIRs from Continent are to be with noise reatric- posed on British , College of Art or \ebek rb v Brents or Whitstable nited, Lane or St. Gregorys v orton or Boughton, Rough Beltinge, magerta Whit. ke. Longbr! v - stable Old Boys Orr Bali Hernhill or v Whit. stable Natives or E.KCP., West- gate v Herne or » Lon. sdale or Herne Bay Wdrs v Ash or St. Andrews. Local S unday League B. THE Herne Bay-Wnhitstable Sun- day League next season will Again have five divisions, with * —- ae the first three and U4 wo. SPEEDWA Due to promotion, withdraw- als and new clubs, the five divisions have been juggled Around and the names of the clubs in each division are as PETER MURRAY Seed Canterbury Speedw: In a night full of ¢ proved to himself, Hoskins that he i Canterbury's hottes AMF Social, Beltinge. Division 1: Faversham Resl- Canterbur dents, Ravens, St Ann's Cross, Speedway fans are ge Littlebourne, Reey i lava WC, Amphonti ting so used to nailbj Sports, Sturry Road, Mall Ath. Ing finishes that the letic, FC St. Ann's Reserves, could soon be takir them for granted. Premier; Canterbury Tele. et, FBC St. Ann ‘s, Rallway Hotel, Woodman's Hall, White Horse, Whitstable Wanderers, ‘Ap Sports, Field Athletic, Division 2: Jackdaws, Sabba- | Langley’s im TURDAY, AUGUST 1ith at? p.m. (Gates open at 6 p.m.) RUSADERS #EWE KINGS tarians, Northgate, Guinea, eel baras Manor Reserves, Toss ys, Canterbury. Post- als, Fremlins Social, Radfall, Brewers United, Field Athletic Reserves, Invicta Motors. Division 3: Falcons, G. L. Baker, Spring Lane. Canterbury Motor Company, Fleet Wande- Mounts Sports Reserves. Division 4: Southern United, Northgate Reserves, Huyck EAC, Hothe Court, Press, e. Mounts United, Queen's ad (Boughton), Wipad Wanderers W. J. Payne Sports, Neptune, Preston, KINGSMEAO STAD! also | FIER THRILLING LEAGUE MATCH ay oe © RECORD ATTEMPTS : d to the track of surprises! The scene after the Sloan family|r 40p. Children 15p. Saturday’s accident on the A2at& far parking space: And on Saturday it all hin, on the last race. The crowd w wild as Ted Hubbard took lead and the question every: was asking was, whether H DAVE PIDDOCK: Silenced the crowd with nis \ sign. WA Short-sighted motorway planning “25; From Mr DAVID CROUCH, MP ie IR—I entirely agree with Mr John 4 rtant comments om road its in ey “The tyranny of the lorry” (Aug. 1). The Dover road, the A2, was partially converted into a motorway, the M2, in 1965 but this improvement stop 27 miles short of Dover! We have beea living (and many have died) with this tanning short-sightedness ever since. Success ve Governments have refused to do the obvious thing and continue the motorway and we have had to put up with the “piecemeal improve- ments” Mr Langley speaks of, which are much less satisfactory from an engineering and safety point of view. The Department of the Environment hope to complete these works in three years, but there is still 90 mention of when the Canterbury by-pass will be built. In the meantime the traffic increases at an alarming rate. Last year lorry traffic went up_43 per cent. Has no- body told the Department about our entry into Europe? Have the Depart- ment of Trade and Industry not advised them that our exports to Europe went up by over 30 cent. in the first four months of this year? The Dover road is now our biggest trade ronte but it does not apparently qualify for the status of a motorway. In Kent we suffer not 'so much from the tyranny of the lorry as the incom- petence of the planners. safer A2 In the Commons, the G wrote to the ambaasa- dor, ites of the leaflets were also sent to the principal ship- ping agents in Calais. However, the leafets which have a map showing danger points did not go undistributed” and were handed out at Dover. ‘The A2 Group now Intends to | ask the Belgians to allow them to give them out to drivers coming to England, ‘The English text says: “Be- ware of accidents if you intend taking the A2 from Dover to London. Although this road is Britain's link with the United Europe it is only six metres wide in places. "Its dangerous bends and hills will certainly cast you lime and money and perhaps one day even your life. Please help us by complaining to your union and to the Traffic Com missioners in Brussels, Wel come to England.’' Mr, Purchese explained one of the purposes of the leaflet was to see greater safety measures taken along the rowd before the Bridge and Harble down by-passes were finished and leader of the ngnt for a > DAVID. CROUCH House of ‘Commons. —_———__ by 1976. wn ater sauek Was sent t the French Embassy explains that copies of the leafet wer sent to the Gendarmerie at Calais with a explanation what was intended. The letter says: “We wer told in a telephone conversa Uon with @ senor official that none might be distributed ar that the membe seen dolnj ‘ be tat to @ arrest. 1 inves: “Sir count, butes tow pea contribute towards uv on by allowing r leaflets to be distribu Ignorance can be the A2; and wt wish you or yc to make any o interfering in the wv ters ofanother cou you have the respons informing your countryr the inherent dangers road.” Reet AE John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent The A 2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretary/Treasurer We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply '0- 411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent 8.8.1973 The Regional Controller, Department of the Environnent, 74 Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey, @U1 2BL Dear Sir, "1.1. Noise is usually defined as ‘unwanted sound'... "1.3. ... Above 120 43 the pressure is experienced as pain." Bridge By-Pass Enquiry: evidence of D.H. Ritchie, B. Sc., M.1.C.E.) Mid-afternoon sound peak to 93dBA in Bridge High Street, 9 dBA higher than Westway, London, "Our measurements show that the day time noise level was very high, and the residents only gained a brief respite between 1 and 5am" (Motoring Which? survey, published April 1973) "Britain will have to put up with noisier lorries as a result of the | adoption of Common Market standards announced yesterday. The maximm ‘ noise for heavy vehicles in Britain when new is 89 decibels, while EEC regulations stipulate 99 decibels if they are more than 200 brake horse power." (Guardian, 8.8.1973, pi) In view of the excessive noise already experienced by people living ing the A2; there are 1,500 building opening directly on to the road between y Corner and Dover; what recommendations does the Department of the Environment make to reduce the pollution of noise? I should be grateful for detailed and technical suggestions. I would imagine that you have prepared some thoughts on this subject since the British representatives who agreed the conformation with EEC regulations must have been in full consultation with the Department of the Envirnnment before accepting the figure of 99 dB. Yours faithfully, c : A2 Group PROGRES DISTRICT COUNCIL ee OLD DOVER ROAD, ¢ , lemreance ree Coseeatom 000) MACIEN 8 ORHABTIE, AACCALANVAALL®. a CANTERBURY, KENT CHOWEEN & BUVEYOR: mt, CM, MAA beh Apes URY, i . CLE OF THe co PRADA os... Mita, ———ae f Mh WA CRO RTEN, 7am 04.4, i mer 15 /ofe 8 August 1973 Dear Mr Lewis BRIDGE BY-PASS Thank you for your letter of 2 August 1973 which arrived at the same time as the news that the Seoretary of State has agreed the line of the Bridge By-Pass. I do hope that we are able to experience as much relative speed in the construction of the By-Pass Yours sincerely > Clerk of the Council jaye: BA Lewis Esq Secretary/Treasurer A.2 Group “Weston Villas" 1 High Street Bridge Canterbury Kent CT4 5JY F/HE COUNCIL OFFICES, cri 3DH TELEPHONE: CANT EneerY Ota (4 LINES) ° te fe From: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON, SW1 August 8,1973 > Dear Mr.Lewis, Thank you very much for advising me by telegram of accidents on the A2. I am particularly distressed every time I get a telegram,as you can imagine,on this question. I am also getting telegrams from Mr.Fowler and in them he seems to imply that I am not doing enough. He signed one of them,for example, "Now NOW NOW, FOWLER". If you can contact Mr.Fowler,do tell him that I am doing all I possibly can and I don't think there is any doubt in anyone's mind - either in the Government or in the whole House of Commons-on this point and I shall keep up the campaign. I have been in touch with the Road Haulage Association and the National Freight Association following their sponsorship of a pamphlet from the University of Leicester called "Living with the Lorry". CHANNEL TUNNEL I think it would be useful if the A2 Group were to give some consideration in depth to the whole question posed by the Channel Tunnel. One of the things I think you should look at is whether you believe the Tunnel will succeed,as the Government hopes it will, in attracting freight from road to rail. The figures given to ine by the Minister of Transport Industries recently purported to show that when the Tunnel was established,thereby linking the British rail network with the Continental network, this would have the effect of the railways carrying 60% of HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON, SW: of freight transport in future. This is a very optimistic hope,in my view, and I do not accept it. I still hold the view that the greater flexibility of road transport,notwith— standing the increasing cost of fuel, will prove the great attraction of road versus rail. I believe therefore that we shall continue to see an ever increasing flow of heavy goods vehicles in Kent to the Channel Tunnel portal of Cheriton,where the TIR vehicles will roll-on roll-off on to a train rather than on to a boat. In addition,of course there will be a continuing flow of vehicles to the Channel ports for Channel crossing that way. I think therefore that it would be useful if the A2 could publish its views and write to the press,in particular to the national press i.e. The Times, The Daily felegraph, The Giardian, etc. on this very important issue and let your ideas be know in public. It is not enough just to write to the local papers. It is a matter of national interest now. Yours Sincerely, Brian Lewis, Esa., 1, Bridge bown, Bridge. Canterbury, Kent. AMBASSADE DE FRANCE Gaanceetersone aad 58, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, ae ; 7 LONDON, S.W. |. o ‘Conskittan:oe 2a TeL: 01-235 8080. 9th August, 1973 Dear Sir, In his absence, the Ambassador has requested me to answer your letter of 5 August, which he received yesterday, regarding the distribution of, leaflets of your Group in Calais, While we'do appreciate your concern for road j ’ safety resulting from an increase of heavy traffic, but we i. bearing in mind that this is an internal matter as far as o, this country is concerned, we are afraid that it would be wad *t-c0°- dmproper.for the Embassy to act upon the request of a private «, -5 > © group or erganisation unless such.a request were forwarded Kis through the appropriate official channel. The normal procedure would be for you to ask the competent British ;-authorities. to approach this Embassy or alternatively, to Cia .. invite the British Embassy in-Paris to take up the matter VO . Gireotly with the:French authorities. In the meantime, of course, your leaflets which, we understand, are distributed to foreign drivers on their +o.+ y _ arrival in Dover from various E.E.C. countries should enable to keep them informed about the conditionsyou mention on the A2, Yours sincerely, VYES ant : Ne V.A. GARES Mr. John Purchese Chairman, The A 2 Group Mill Cottage BEKESBOURNE (Kent) From: vid Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON, sSW1 August 8,1973 Dear Mr.Bajns, I al) enclosing a copy of a letter which I sejit to Mr.Keith Speed, M.P. Parliamentary Under-Secri/tary at the Department of the ols Environmen’) about heavy vehicles on the A2. | As - understand it, your Council is the appropriate authority in this case,with existing powers to 1estrict heavy vehicle traffic on the A2 between Dover and Brenley Corner. There have been comments ir the press that to restrict this traffic would apparently add to the difficulties of the A20. This is something which your Council,I hope, will examine in jetail. It is not enough just to assume that to relieve the problem on one road would automatically create difficulties elsewhere. What we need in Kent until we heve satisfactory roads to the Channel ports is a traffi> policy anda plan. We cannot let people go on suffering from the impact of heavy lorries — with the noise, the danger and the pollution - without taking some steps to protect them. As I see it, we have the problem with us with increasing intensity for the next 3 year3,by which time the A2 will, I hope, be largely improved (with the exception of the by-pass of Canterbury). From my studies,it is quite clear that the road infrastructure in Kent does not match up to that in mos; other industrial and transport centres in the country Compared to the situation in Clydebank and q the North-Eist, the roads to the Channel ports look ces primitive. ly suggestion that some rationing of heavy 2 will have to be considered was not and ill-considered thought,but a positive irther examination. What I have in mind on the number of heavy vehicles allowed ise hannel ports until the roads which serve these 8 are improved. We shall have to consider using other serving the Continent. Under the new Act (Heavy Commercial Vehicles (Controls Regulations), an obligation is placed on the local Stee cr routes for heavy vehicles,but this (oO effect until 1977. In the meantime, would be grateful if you could let me know what steps _ ur Council omens to take to protect the people of Kent along the A2 ta _ the A20) and those who use these roads. _ Yours sincerely, f Bains,Esq., erk of the Kent County Council, County Hall, Maidstone. EA The A2 Group Chairman: Hon, Secretar Fe , > (Treas John Purchese, Brian A, Lewte, easurey Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent ' We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent, Please reply to:- 10.8.1973 The results of the by-pass Enquiries for Bridge and ‘bledown have been announced; and it is thanks to you and your ttee and the efforts of Ir. Crouch that the decision has energed Marsham Street. Thank you very much, The next three years are the princival headache for he villages, wntil the by-passes exist; and we shall be nainatining our pressure to introduce safety measures for this period. Again, it Was noted thet you were at a site meeting to discuss yellow hatching and resurfacing recently at Bridge, and we thank you for the work being we Next week we shall (subject to the road works on Graimnage not affecting road traffic) be holding our annual census. ubtiess the figures will reveal some increases, taking Dover Harbour ed statistics into account. What would be most helpful to us in ting conclusions from the census figpres would be if we could the accident figures for the first six months of 1972 with the 8 for the first six months of 1973 on the A2 from Dover to Corner. Would it be possible to have these? ‘There was a press release saying road casualties were up in Kent as a whole; bly these are available in areas within Kent. ih Could you please advise us on this point. ca Yours sincerely, KENT COUNTY COUNCIL MemBers' Room. County Hatt. ae MAIDSTONE August, 1973 Dear Mr. Purchese, - Thank you for your letter of the 10th August and I am gratetal for your kind remarks in the first paragraph. With regard to the accident record on A. 2, the County Surveyor has carried out a careful check and according to his itsi ht the accidents are as follows:= ™“ For the- fivst six arte of 1972, 2 fatal, {2 serious and 49 slighte e peor the first six months of 1973, 1 fatal, “28 serious, and 48° alight. “You will notice’ that: the figures are resamaibiae consistent. a Yours ‘since ly. = eo R.H, COOPER Chairman of the Roads Cepstrtees ** J. Purchese, Esq., Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent. — as —— lc wl The |A2| Group Chatrmen: Hon: Secreiary/1¥éésvner John Purchese, Brian A, Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply (o> Mil) Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent, 11.8.1973 @ decade been interested in obtaining road conditions on the A2 from the motorway 12 to the port of Dover, ang being met by the Department of the Environment trouble-spots. These will not be there has been an alarning growth in heavy i Dover Harbour Board statistics have indicated arial growth in this traffic for some years. any drivers on the 12 fea. untries have no idea of the inadequate nature of the road. We have produced multi-lingual leaflets (copies enclosed) which we wish bute to foreign drivers. Indeed, we contacted the French Police at Calais copies, saying we wished to distribute them at Calais, This was refused, er from the French Enbassy subsequently advised us to contact you so that consultation over the leaflets could be made, a Before you reject such a request out of hand, might we make the following 1 points:~ - ae Britain is a member of a Comminity whose member Countries send many vehicles on to this road, It would be in the interests of safety if drivers of the risks, and we cannot believe any Government would deliberately Withold information of this sort, especially if part of a group dedicated to ; No cost would fall on any Government; and co-operation in the matter would demonstrate a real intention of serving to safeguard individuals, Since it is possible you may not have heard of our organisation, might we suggest you contact either Mr. David Crouch, M.P. for Canterbury, or Mr. Keith Speed, M.P., of the Department of the Environment, who has met us, and whose Department is certainly aware of us, Yours faithfully, The /A2) Group Chairman: Hon. Sacretary/ Treasurer: Brian A. Lewis, John Purchese, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply $o* 411 Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent. — 10.8.1973 ; C.H.G, Mille Esq., MIRA, Watling Street, Nuneaton, Warks. sae Dear Mr. Mills, I wrote to you on the 16th. July, asking if your Department had any practical suggestions to make over noise from passing lorries in the villages on the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover, The announcement yesterday that Britain is to allow up to "99 dB" to conform with EEC regulations, lends some urgency to the matter of a reply from an organisation dedicated to the motor industry as MIRA is. Possibly you are investigating useful lines of thought on the subject. Cerfainly any conclusions you may make will be read with great interest by the villagers in Kent, and will doubtless be noted by the press and television who have shown great interest in the problems being faced. Yours sincerely, MOTOR INDUSTRY [|| iedsi'n’h: Mena ta, Beno RESEARCH ealntered Oc: ASSOCIATION Tet (una) set Fen arr A Lompeny Limited by Guarantoo Your reference 1th August, 1973 J. Purchese, Esq., Chairman, A2 Group, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5HD. Dear Mr. Purchese, I regret the delay in replying to your correspondence, but I have only this dey returned from leave. Your suggestionsregarding the use of double Glazing, with proper precautions, are obviously sound but I doubt the value of acoustic tiles on the ceiling except in special circumstances (eg in conjunction with opening casements in which the ceiling forms one part of a lined duct). The use of foliage screens is only effective with deep, dense, evergreen growths end purpose constructed Screens, such as those developed by B.R.E., are more effective noise barriers. Regarding the general problem of truck noise, the DoE is funding a Programme of work on the construction of a viable quiet truck with noise effission targets of 80 dBA, and we are one of the contractors on this project. There are many practical, economic and technical problems associated with the production of heavy commercial vehicles at noise levels in the region of 80 aBA but intense effort is being put into solving these problems. 1 Your reference to "99 dBA" in order to conform to EEC regulations is, I believe, erroneous. As members of the EEC, the United Kingdom is required to comply with Directive 70/157/CEE (copy enclosed) which calls for maximum construction, or type @pproval, levels of 91 dBA for trucks over 200 HP (DIN). As far es trucks are concerned » EEC levels are not significantly different from those currently permitted by the C & U Regulations. What has really happened is that the UK government has been unable'to introduce lower noise limits in this country since unilateral legislation within the EEC is contrary to the policy of harmonization of legislation. Reduction of limits must now await the introduction of a new, or modified, EEC directive, Yours sincerely, LenB, 07> C. H. G. Mills Noise Emitted by Vehicles Projected Legislation in Common Market Countries The following document is translated from the “Journal Officiel des Communautés Européennes’’ No. 142, dated 23rd February, 1970. Member countries are required to enforce the regulations laid out in the above document within 18 months of the 6th February, 1970. The document is translated here in full because, although there is a strong superficial resemblance to document ISO R362, there are important detailed differences; in particular, attention is drawn to item 14.1.4 “Interpretation of Results’, and Section II “Exhaust System". DIRECTIVE OF THE COUNCIL of 6th February, 1970 concerning the unification of legislation in the member countries relating to the permissible sound level and the exhaust system of motor vehicles (70 157 CEE) THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, . in view of the Commission's proposal, in view of the Assembly's’ decision, in view of the decision of the economic and social Committee,” considering that the technical regulations which motor vehicles must satisfy, in virtue of national legislation, concern, among other things, the permissible sound level and the exhaust device; considering that their regulations differ from one member country to another; that the necessity thereby arises for the same regulations to be adopted by all the member countries either in 1JO No, C160 of 18.12.1969, p. 7. 7J0 No. C48 of 16.4,.1969, p. 16. addition to or instead of their present regulations with a view particularly, to permitting the operation, for each type of vehicle, of the CEE. acceptance procedure which is the object of the Council's directive of 6th February, 1970, con- cerning the unification of the legislation of member countries relative to the acceptance of motor vehicles and their trailers,? HAS DRAWN UP THE PRESENT DIRECTIVE Article 1 By vehicle, in the sense of the present directive, is understood any motor vehicle intended to travel on the road, with or without bodywork, having at least four wheels and designed for a top speed above 25 km./hr., except for vehicles which move on rails, tractors and agricultural machines and public-works equipment. See page 1 of the current Official Journal. ‘r *. From: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON, SW1 August 16,1973 Dear John, Thank you very much for sending me copies of the leaflet in four languages "A2 Dangers", Thank you also for telephoning me about the difficulties you had encountered with the French police in distributing the leaflet in Calais ! As I told you on the telephone, I can't do much to help you when you run into difficulties in another country, but I am most grateful to you for letting me know about this. Incidentally, I read the piece in the Sunday Times. It is valuable to get press coverage on this. I do congratulate you on the leaflet. It is excellent and a first-class example of how to pursue in a positive and responsible manner an important social and environmental campaign. The most important element in this latest leaflet and action is that it takes note of the fact that since we entered Europe we have to think "European". That is what we now have to get the Department to do: to think in terms of recognising the A2 as the "European trade route". F Yours sincerely, he 0. John Purchese,lsq., Middle Cottage, Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Kent. Mill nia. _ Bekesboure, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Ken Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to;- 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. d Crouch Esqe,lisPo, use of Commons, ) 6 on S.Wel. » Mr. Crouch, As you will know by now, I telephoned Miss. Armour erday with the results of the traffic census conducted in Bridge t ony and Friday. On both days, radio reports warned motorists to avoid A2 | use A20 instead due to delays at Bridge through road works. Thursday was the busiest day for lorries. In all we counted otal of 1814 plus 37 trailers, an average of 1 every 46 seconds of 24 hour period. This total represents an increase of 114/8X#*- total ist year when considering all lorries, but a 29% increase for TIR and ggernauts. We noticed, however, a reduction in the number of TIR with lers. Friday was the busiest day for traffic volume. In all 836 vehicles of various types passed the census point, this being increase of 16% over last year, and equal to 1 every 4 seconds. The 836 is equivalent to 24538 peous, and remembering that the road has a pacity of 9000 pcus per day, we can conclude that it is now 273% rloaded. Projecting the above figures over the course of a year, 16% may well mean that an extra 1 million vehicles are now using in addition to a total of about 4 million lorries. I trust that this information will be of benefit to you. Om Sunday last, I discovered that a shop-keeper in Bridge having difficulty in reinsuring his premises for Impact Damage. This ibviously is an extremely serious situation if companies are now ‘eluctant to insure properties in Bridge High Street due to the high scident risk. We will of course be taking this up with the press, and vould value your comments. ni, a ae since ane ‘ae! Brian A. lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. _————— ny p . J at he ton Chairman: Hon. Secretary/ Treasurer John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to 41) Cottage, Bekesbourne, 11.8.1973 The Editor, "The Times", j Printing House Square, London EC4 CHANNEL TUNNEL Dear Sir, The A2 Group, which has been campaigning for éleven years to got improved conditions on the A2 in such villages as Sridgy, ia sericusly worried by the implications of the Channel Tummel project. The facts are simple. The loading gauge of British Rail is different from that on the Corfinent, meaning that no trains from Burope can travel on the British rail network. Consequently the Chamnsl Tunnel line will not comnect in the true sense with British Rail, and a roll-on roll-off teruinal at Cheriton will be handling thousands of heavy goods vehicles which will of necessity arrive and depart in Kent primarily by A20 and A2. The Dok have alreudy indicated that the M20, if built, will solve the County's road transport difficulties. We doubt it, because we understand that far from being a continuous motorway with all that that implies the present road will be progressively improved to A road dual carriageway standards. This piecemeal cringing attitude towards road construction will result in an inadequate link with the radial motorways from London. The A2 will continue to be inadequate in the most serious way vatil a@ Canterbury by-pass 1s built. At the moment the Minister of State at the Dupartrent of the Environment is hugging to his bosom the Feasibility Report on Canterbury by-pass delivered to him last year. Nothing is being built; nothing is wven scheduled; and to judge from Ministerial approval for the Harbledown by-pass in the past week (which should have formed part of a Canterbury by-pass) nothing is intended. It has taken a decade for the DoE and its predecessor to realise the danger in villages such as bridge; how long will it be before the thought occurs to them that Kent as a whole is miserably served by roads ? Yours faithfully, , : purbhese; » A2 Group two t 14. pamphiets Mr. John Purchase, Find leaflets. the chairman of the group measures, Sonate Appe orry drivers to the and leader of the demo — He also commented on Bolution towards «2 Y all rs they would face party-sald: "We were told the increase In Hownet, the | aan a between Dover by Calais police that goods traffic tnd me aint leaflets f° “ aversham’s Bren- British roads were no ropean cars using the UTpere ehh Yue dangerous. bends et hg person wen Hew gn the AZ he an a ye o person soon © wrote; ‘It seem © Adde, ket @ynia and hills will certainly distributing leaflets senaible to us to hand passat the. and vatla : cost you time and would bearrested’’. these leaflets to the TIR = respo OF that he », ry) Bram ul money | the leaflets In his letter to the drivers atCalals, ROU to intent nawes maakt er warned. ‘And perhaps French ambassador, Mr, ‘Your country contrib- dan renttymen of tre son Si carer one day, your life’. Purchese pointed out that utes towards the prob- "We s ee their plan- 84 Rs ad Salen Nee to many residents in East lems we have in for AT WOUld be gra f : Sonnet tiruntons Kent were anxious about Canterbury and the our miggenert! oy verainps se commission: the inadequacy of the A2 surrounding villages on Teaflete nee that with. russels, and about the time being the A2 but your country able incalaiy he Ally Wereetarn 8.973 - PAMILY IN CRASH | Dove@cxfkessn.973 sERIousty HuRT. | A2 danger A family, of three were taken WITH REFERENGE to Mr to hospifi I injuries A. T. Blackman’s, leer pub after their car Was involved in lished in, the, Dover” Express a, head-on collision with a bus last. week, A2- Group. with on the A.2 London-Dover road Canterbury M.P. Mr. David at Barham Near Canterbury Crouch, recently met Mr yesterday atthe Keith Speed (Under Sccre They are MrsDayid Adams, of | #@ty_ of Statg,at the Depart St. Alban’s Roads Caldecote, | ment of thes snvironment) Herts, who was trapped in the Amongst, ,AZ- matters wreckage fOmldSeaminutes, his’ | cussed with ste, Minist wife Anne and son Keaneth, at x thevWatorsend Bridg< Yagedy . I understand safety at ‘the dg re-examined, and it hasbeen decide t xdditional. road bear the legend ‘Red Speed Now’ ‘together wit! ‘Slow’ carrie 3 spot ‘months were } } eyvecss yoyo rotest ’°* Pp | nes. The Department con } that these measures, toge \ with those already will, if properly observed motorists, The conjecture now=) inadequatepsolition in + of the dangers which Brian A. Lewis ec Treasurer//A2 Grour 1, High Street, Bridge. _ eee ay ore dis opened and after this the dj exist unless - apathy has It will mean a del: ears) bef least «three -y new Watersend Bridge fied, I-am afraid too armchair taken to reduce it. with cuttii g equipment to free the Crash on the A2 at Barham on Tuesday. those who have met their deaths at this - Spot. hose “present - for marched with ¢ in sympathy a3.42 Cee “es = g228 ags 28 Seoe pass Br ouF BSS o— suc SSGESs Keen @zo & traffic the car driver after this head-on b by-passes, the special sa‘ety measures at B more safety precautions are Hilt ow bar markings, which will persuade drivers to cut the village. The markings will be laid across over yards of the road between Bridge Down and Beech Hill at diminish- ing intervals and wil] give drivers the sensation of in- creasing speed. Tt has been tried elsewhere and has been successful in making drivers slow down and take greater care. Mr John Purchese, chair- man of the A2 Group, sald he was delighted that the Department of the Environ- ment was making such a valuable move to reduce the risks in the village “I hope that it will now apply the same thoroughness to Increasing safety for the Motorist critically ill after A2 erash A_ motorist Is critically il in Kent and Canterbury Hos- pital following a head-on crash between a bus and a car on the A2 at Barham on Tuesday He is 53-year-old Mr David Adams, of 66 St Alban's Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, who was trapped in the wreckage of his car for 45 minutes. With him were his wife, Marjorie, and 21-year-old son Kenneth, but they were both released before Mr Adams. Firemen from Canterbury had to use cutting equipment to free the family After boing treated for serious head injuries at Can- terbury, Mrs Adams moved to Brook Hospital, Woolwich, for more ment A hospital spokesman said that Kenneth was “fairly satisfactory.” The Adams’ car, crammed with holiday gear, was wedged under the front of the bus, an East Kent single decker travelling from Dover to Canterbury. The bus driver. Mr Robert Bagnall, of 95 South Street Whitstable, was treated at the scene for shock and one of the passengers was taken to hospital, also with shock The hinchtime crash han pened outside Broome Park Service Station on a notori j Ously narrow stretch of the }road. It was blocked f | nearly two hours The driver of another Involved, a German tour Miss Marice Frey, was hurt needed on the steep Bridge a ridge to protect villagers’ lives between now and when the new road is completed in 1976 ot OUEN speed limits and | rest of the A2 before the by- ety measures area seen 6are rovided.” Siready in force on the A2 hdded. , through the village. the In fixing the Gnal lines of Government has decided that| the Bridge and Harbledown They will take the form of | Little alteration to the original ssperimental transverse! routes. despite the strong ob y' jections at inquities cartier Mr Keith Speed, the Minister | in the year res) {ble for roads, hopes At Bridge, where the main dispute was whether the by- —— their speed before entering | pass should go north or south of the village, he has ac cepted the recommendations of the inspector who con- ducted the ~ ong and chosen the northern Ine Explaining the decision, the Department of the Environ- ment said: “While regretting the adverse effects the by- ‘ pass may have on certain proper uss, the benefits that will be provided for the general public will outweigh the inconvenience to indivi duals.” The Government has al. | ready admitted that altho ugh necessary, the publile inquiry at Bridge may;have delayed the project by nine months Welcoming news of the final go-ahead, Cllr Laurence Shirley, of Bridge, said “This is absolutely marvel- lous. Now, all I hope is that | they put the contract out to tender quickly amd get on with the work as soon as possible.” MORE WEIGHT One of the objectors to the northern route, Dr David Pratt, of the Old Vicarage, Patrixbourne, commented “Since most ople are more concerned about having a by-pass soon, this bore more weight at the inquiry. IT think we will just have to accept ay The only change the De partment of the Environ ment has made to its original plan is in the flyover junc tion at the eastern end of the by-pass Here the Department has included interchange facili tles to make it unnecessary for any heavy lorries in volved in local’ transport, t travel through the village. The new road will be dual | carriageway and will leave the existing A2 Just south of Milestone Farm before cur ing castwards across Bekes bourne Road and Bifrons Park to Coldharbour Lane In approving the Upper Harbledown road, Mr Ripr has ignored objectors wh questioned the need for a pass and instead urged | comprehensive scheme to by pass Canterbury Announcing Mr Ripy decision, Mr John Peyt } Minister for Transport dustrics, said it was a that a by-pass was ne to relieve Harble wn a Upper Harbledowr t Immediate fut The new Upper Harbie } south, cr | on ght begin Both roads will be land aped with grass verges to ir effect on the | surrounding countryside | C6 Hole in the road programme leaves £218m. starts this year WORK on trunk road schemes costing £218 million are due to begin during this financial year. This information was given by Mr. John Peyton, Minister for Transport Industries, in a written Commons reply last week, | The list, of proposed works had been limited because of the | cat-back in public spending. As | previously reported, road build- | ing and improvement is being | cut back by about £100 million. | At least two-thirds of this is accounted for by reduced main- werunce cuts and local auth- orty expenditure. Mr. Peyton said that, in ad- &2on to the £218 million worth of work, he hoped to authorise schemes costing £103 million in the first part of the 1974-75 programme. To keep future expenditure within. restricted levels, how- ever, it had been decided to defer £54 million worth of work until 1975-76 or possibly later. Mr. Peyton said: “My review has been related to the Govern- ment’s objectives for its trunk road programme set out in the policy statement to the House of Commons .on June 23. In ye i es” ce. te ? he Calais police have refused the A2 permission to distribute road safety ts in the town, an approa particular | have been con- cerned to press ahead with the improvement of access to the major ports, and with the pro- vision of by-passes to relieve towns and villages from long- distance lorry traffic.” r The SS schemes authorised in the current year are: A.34 London Road round- about (A.4) Newbury to Chieve- ley (M.4), Berks; A.66 Fitz Cottage to Peel Wyke, Cumber- land (including Cockermouth by-pass); Dunkirk MA itchurch an itchfield by- pass, Hants; A.66 Brough by- ss Westmorland; A.66 Greta Bridge by-pass, North Riding; A.\1 Cringleford by-pass, Nor- folk; A.10 Littleport Bridge, Cambs. and Isle of Ely; A.406 Colney Hatch Lane flyover, Friern Barnet; A.66 Keswick northern by-pass, Cumberland. A4I7 irencester Eastern by-pass, Glos.; M.62 Queens Drive (Liverpool) to Tarbock; A.64 York by-pass, W. and E. Riding; M.18 Wadsworth-Hat- field Le syd a oalalnl Ww. Riding: A.3 Esher by-pass, Sur- rey; M.25 Egham-Thorpe, Sur- rey; A.10 Ware by-pass, Herts; M.11 Contract 4A/A120-Quen- EMBASSY LETTER UNHELPF ach has been ade to the Foreign Office to consult the Government about the leaflets. After the Calais retusual, copies An don; A45 Meriden by-pass (GSJ at Shepherds Lane), War- wicks; A.40S, A.4l to A412, Garston, Herts: A.3 Ripley by- pass, Surrey; A.3 Pains Hill to Ockham Road, Surrey. ; A.127. Flyover at Junction (Halfway House), Essex; M.42 Solihull section, Warwicks; A.282 Dartford-Swanley, Kent; M.20 Swanley by-pass to Wro- tham, Kent; M.5 Chelston- Willand (Wellington. by-pass), Somerset; A.127 Rayleigh Weir roundabout, Essex; M.11 Con- tract 2 Loughton-South Har- low, Essex; by-pass “a7,.¥ arsh diversion, Devon; A.303 Wylye by-pass, Wilts; A.419 Cricklade by-pass, Wilts; A.361 Milverton by-pass, Somerset. A405 Humming Bird to Park Street, Herts; M.62 Exten- sion Balkholme-Caves by-pass, E. Riding: - den to “aunceston by-pass, Cornwall; Pearce’s Hill to Pocombe Link, Devon: A.38 Southern Access of M.S to Gloucester; A.36 Junction with city relief road, Salisbury, Wilts; A.2 . downs b Talley diversion, Hants; A.419 Stratton St. Margaret by-pass, Wills; A446 Curdworth Bridges (Chattle Hill to Hams Lane), Warwicks. M.67 Hyde by-pass, Ches- by-pass, hire; M.180 Contract 4B Lindsey; M.II Quendon-Stumps Cross; A.20 Limekiln Viaduct (permanent works), Kent; A.1? Ufford and Wickham Market by-pass, E. Sulfolk; A.41M Tring by-pass, Herts; M.69 Coventry to Leicester, Warwicks, Leics; M.180 Thorne-Scunthorpe; M.5 Sandy Gate to Pearces Hill (in- cluding Pearces Hill to Wobbly Wheel TR Link), Devon; Safe- ty barriers, service areas and motorway communications (M.1, M.4, M.5, M.6, M.11, M.18, M.40, M.45, M.56, M.61 and A.423(M)). Among the £103 million ear- marked for authorisation in 1974-75 are the A.45 western access to the National Exhibi- tion Centre, Warwicks.; the M.25— construction between Godstone (A.22) and Seven- oaks (A.21), Surrey and Kent, and between Sevenoaks and Wrotham, Kent. Schemes deferred until at least 1975-76 include by-passes for Northleach, Glos. on the A.40; Ripley, Swanick and Al- freton, Derbys., on the A.61; Witney, Oxon., on the A.40; King’s Langley and Berkham- sted, Herts., on the A.4IM; St. Columb and Marshgate, Corn wall, on the A,39; and Bridport and Dorchester, Dorset, on the A.3S. Brigg THEIR PEOPLE U of the literature in several Mr, Purchese said Inter: “‘I Janguages, warning visiting tow their letter was very drivers about dangers on the unhelpful, considering their ve were sent to the French nationals’ lives and property mbassador in London. endangered on this road.” He pia hel Arte letter asked — added that the A2 Group took Positive response’ in the French E: 's advice etting the leaflets dis- and wrote to the Foreign ‘ ‘ Office making these points. F to 1- is a member of a Other news from the A2 Group eye | whose member this week is that they had Led send many vehicles taken 4 48-hour traffic survey on to this road. It would be in outside Bridge Por F Office the interests of safety if driv- which Secretary Bri3 Lewis ers knew of the risks, we sald ends tomorrow day, —_ ohne ay Govern- at midnight. . sefeart a ig “We will see then what effect 3 inks hu Britain's ee pee\Comn, - may not have mon heard of our o we survey, at the Inst suggest you contact elther Mr. air, prove our point David Crouch, M.P. for it Common Market entry the | Moo ia f or Mr. Keith’ |} has madea ys te ryt et ad “It should also prove the necess- has met us. ity for a Canterbury by-pass," DESPITE warning motorists to ke off the AZ because u road works, the A2 Group and third, we earried out the recorded a “staggering Village's narrow main street. need for the Can by- ‘ : Be Att pe ” oy? er the first analysis of inst census on a bank holiday Pass.” stressed Mr increase” in traffic during a the figutes, Mr (id the ‘weekend, wheat traffic le at’. With $5 1h per cent inerenes 48-hour census on Thirsday Kent Herald: “There were its heaviest. This year we are jn the number and Friday three very reasons why a Week before the holiday. means that A2 re are The ’ one could have expected a "Deapite all this we have suffering someth half aftor Tpoeuas almost a year reduction in traffic. First. recorded staggering increases % million lorry movements « le last one, was aimed there \were regular radio in all types of vehicles, q Oo at mnow ing just how much broadeasts on Thureday and During the busiest 264- 8 The moat substential In-, wns j Bane had increased nince Frida urging drivers to use for lorries, there wns, crease over last year Contin TAZ into the se 20 natdsd of the AZ average, one rumblin Lait im cee ge cause oO) t J 2 wi a ere r Twenty! of the groupe Brides roadworks at throw; athe village every PP. m ber | “Second, there ts less holl- day traffic on the roads because .of the present currency problems in Europe members, led by the secretary, Mr Brian Lewis, working Med three hour. shifts, logged every vehiéle through the cent sald : In that period, the census proved doubt _ the | takers recorded 1814 heavy. *Mect of going into the EEC, lorries, plus 37.TIR vehicles. On the Friday, there was “This moat lend weight tothe 4 1% per cent increase {n all types of tra And between 4. My | aA cars were =e “Taking FYiday’s Sgures, this means thére is a vehicle of some sort coming through aoa rn fOCr seconds roughout ie, day and night.” Mr Lewis expiained. an At Led thd of increase a revea the group's fo : a am ext ane ‘ff it ehicles would’ be added the “ rqad’s propidt very’ , year ' “ vw At the morhient!' the 'A2 t& ter carrying between five and six million vehicles =. annually, gthree times. + inky Cogncil CAITY was work- . & heavy on, meep Beidg © Hil and 5 ' Pp 1 “tie © detver waar iovecd) tor * detiheratély drive off the road: to stop. a tw Said Mr Lewis, “This sort of incident B | “ underlines our case and the menace that residents have to live with every hour of the day.” The results of the census will be passed to Canterbury's 4a cua 2 ; . D ~ arp, Mr David Crouch, to ald ‘ is partl t Members of the A2 Group logging vehicles passing through Bridge during the 48-hour for Sosedsews pt fmt a= const. . to the road Liberal Party denounces Mr Hain’s threat | to immobilize juggernaut lorries 2% jugeer or 24.23 By a Staff Reporter maut Owners can ignore moral ‘we camdot accept any action which The Liberal Party has protests, but they cannot ignore ¢ould Involve Injury Or loss of life denouneea as “ essentially something xa ginecaly pif eB. SE ener illiberal” Mr Peter Hain’s an- ireatens their livelihood, hepacneriger discusse: nounced plans to take direct “ By this action we intend to Seana pest Yon riaarais poeacit force them to take the whole Sane a action against juggernaut lorries action is that threaten the environment on roads from the ports. A party statement issued yes- terday said Mr Peter Hain does not speak for the Liberal Party and obviously not for the Liberal Parliamentary Party The Liberal Parliamentary In both Houses wishes to make.it clear that they would not in any circum stances endorse any form of cam-~ paign that would elther actually or © otentially involve a deliberate reach of the law. Any such con- * duct is essentially Uliberal and should be condemned, Mr _Hain’s. proposal to immobilize the Juggernauts tem porarily by “quiet guerrilla raids” in lay-bys or outside transport cafés are disclosed in an article in the September issue of the National League of Young Liberals’ magazine The Liberator (of which Mr Hain is editor), to be published next week but “leaked” to The Guardian last Thursday, In an interview. yesterday on the BBC’s Radio 2 programme The Jimmy Young Show, when it was suggested that such action might be not only illegal but dangerous, Mr Hain said: “People fail to appreciate the urgency of the problem. The Government, EEC and jugger- ««In-reply, issue more seriously end make them realize how environment- ally destructive these giant vehicles are.” Mr Hain added later that rhe intention was to immobilize the vehicles temporarily, not to cause safety risks or permanent damage. The exact method and iy af the action was still ded but ir would take place “wi ‘the next month”. the Liberal Party starement, Mr Hain sald: “ This isa storm in a teacup. The party has jumped into print without knowing whar this is all about and is speaking from a background of confusion. It has not made very deep investi- gations or even asked me for details. “The Young Liberals have, anyway, always been individual- ists, and I have already received as much outright support as criticism from rank-and-file Liberals.” : A statement from the National League of Young Liberals yesterday said: The Young Liberals morement docs mot sec Out to break the law ; we support the course of direct action only when all other political strategies have been tried and have failed, As a non-violent movement, yfotabatanan Liberals no more. opposed by the A2 *Group- of 2,000 residents living along the route between, Dover and Bran- ley Down. Mr B Lewis, secretary, said yesterday that the group was well aware that heavy lorries were a community prob- lem but it was-urterly opposed to the idea of tampering with them. Mr John Pardoe, Liberal MP for Cornwall, North, said last night at St Mawes, Cornwall “Mr Hain speaks for himself alone ™. Liberals had been in the fore- front of those who demanded a restriction on the size of lorries, and the enforcement of tougher legislation. “But we are not entitled to break the law, and immobilizing the engines of lorries is breaking tho law.” Liberals who turned = to methods were * )* Liberals will recognize the fallacy in Mr Hain’s arguments If Liberals are entitled to use illegal direct action in support of a cause, what is there t Conservatives, socialists communists, the Angry Br or the IRA from doing th same ?” Ue Yellow 4 <7 bars on the road Yellow bars inted across the AZ at B Hil in an attempt to make drivers alow wore Sead the ” lage. have had a marked im- pact on motorists. Tho markings have been : painted across 400 yards of = the road between Bridge % Down and Beech Hill at diminishing intervals and give drivers the impression of increasing speed. — 3 : a ee ify % DUNES; é Te re fh | A as the bars, which ae | Mins SME Fd L Ae iy saat cet, “ere 9 a "4 ““ villagers notleed they had an of the A2 Group log; mg, vehicles passing through Bridge during the ‘mmediatw effect ae ro i o-hour census, Continent. One vi at said: Cay one was og as | came down the hill and the juggernacts were slowing gre \ ) TAKE ROUTE AZ fy i i i Went up which last Thorsday and Fre day recorded a Sg bere The most substantia! in- increuse” fm A2 traffic during crease over last year was a 44-hour census in TIR juggernauts, which The census, almost a year went up by nearly 30 per after the last one, was aimed cent and, said Mr Lewis, | at Ce bog — how much , proved beyond doubt the | traffic since Harbledown effect of going into the EEC. | Britain's entry into the : Common Market. by-pass ke the the Friday, there was a per cent Incrense in all : ~ 497 type st frame. and “oh Three reasons ir, LS pm, 3, cars were The grou - Pp secretary, Mr I write once again to co r- logged. Brian Lewis, told the Kent- rect a misleading impress! /n raking Friday's figures, | ‘sh Gazette: “There were given by -your reporter ci 1- this means there és a vehicle | three very good reasons why cerning the Harbledown ° y- of some sort coming through one could have expected a pass. Bridge every four seconds | eduction In traffic First, Intairid throughout the day and | there were radio I have always maintair. night,” Mr Lewis explained. broadcasts on ureday and that the correct solution is 'o Ati ithe. bate ott tae Friday urging drivers to use construct the Canterbury | y- revealed by the group's cen- | the A20 instead of the A2 immediately instead of sus, on extra one million | because of roadworks at he” new single carria ‘e vehicles would be added to | Bridge. at Harbledown, In t is the road's problems every “Second. there is less holi- I ik itis fair to say t at year. day traffic on the roads I have the RpErest, of Be ‘ because ae aya resent majority of the residents o t currency problems Ha , the Bridte- carry bene aint 42 Ss [ cnagenaaeeerioaens the Blean RDC, the City of C n- million vehicles annually, last census on a bank holiday terbury, the. Canterb ry which is nearly three times | weekend, when traffic is at Soclety and thé Chambe: of the load Kent County Council bee pen ermal year we are wee holida: x In bi rt following he me hana ) Rene y caneies ine ‘have is report fo & he While the group was work- | recorded staggering increases ingohy, the Inspector agr ed ing in the illnwe) a wears in all types of vehicles. with the objectors, but de- lo Suffered brake failure ; During the busiest 24hours cause the Department of he on the steep Bridge Hill and | for lorries, there was, on Environment has no in >n the driver was forced to | averaoge, one rumbiin tion of constructing a pro er deliberately drive off the road eae = the village every by-pass in the forsee ble to stop. seconds.” , ._ future, he recommended rat | . In that period, the census the Harbledown sch me Said Mr Lewis: “This sort takers recorded 1314 heavy should proceed. of ineldent underlines our | lorries, plus 37 TER trailers. A. G. L. PAYNE (CC)! ) case and the menace that “This must lend weight to the “pt = Nas | residents have to Ive with | need for the Canterbury by- Woodside, every hour of the day.” pass.” stressed Mr Lewis, Bigberry Hill The results of the census With an LI per cent increase Harbledown will be passed to Canterbury’s | in the number of lorries, this MP, Mr David Crouch, to aid | means that A2 vil rm are his parliamentary campaign | suffering something like half for apeedier improvements 2 million lorry movements a to the road. year. g yc low lines across the A2 at Bridge on Wednesday. The lines are des encourage drivers to slow down. yt A Workmen busy paintin gued to — f ~ lorries anything | wi n another ridge crash including a Bridge villager and an 11- fl, escaped death by inches in another juggernaut fon the notorious Bridge Hill yesterday (Thurs-- 0-ton London-bound lorry smashed into a row cars, sending two of them plunging over a t in a carbon copy of a crash on the same a few weeks ago. Two people were taken to hospital) with minor cults — but the others escaped with nothing more than grazes and brulses, It was about 11 am when the cars came to a halt on the hill to. wait for road work traffic Ny pane to change, the same set of circumstances jas the previous crash on July 6 when 11 cars were damaged. Z One of’ yesterday's crash victims was 18-year-old Keith Hatton, of The Dell, Bridge, who, just two weeks ago, was taken to hospital with injuries after another accl- dent on the A2 at Bridge, Nursing a cut wrist, he said: “I could see him com- ing and that he wouldn't stop, I turned the wheel and got out of the way, but I could’ see he would hit me and just put my hands over my head.’ His car was pushed aside as the lorry thundered on, smashing into a caravan and ear, pushing them over the bank, and hitting a third car, before coming to rest. Wreckage from the cara- van ond glass was scattered across the road as traffic bullt up on either side of the village: For Mr and Mrs Dennis Atterbury and their daugh- ter, Denise, from Derby, it was “the end of a gorgeous holiday.” A SQUEAL Said Mrs Atterbury: “All I remember is that we were coming down the hill and heard a squeal of brakes. Then we were pushed.” The family was, returning home after a touring holiday | of the Continent. Their cara- yan and car were extensively damaged. : An unhurt but shaken lorry driver, Mr Roger Sedgewick, of 16 Beaufort Road, Dover, said he was on his way to London Docks to deliver the bonded load I was coming down the hill, braking and In low gear, but she just carried on. She wouldn't slow down, I tried to avoid the other cars but she just kept going.” Recent _ safety measures taken at Bridge Hill include the laying of a asakidproof surface and the painting of yellow bara across the road to give drivera an impression of greater speed than they are doing, so compelling them to brake. Mr John Purchese, chair- man of the A2 Group, sald yesterday that though these measures. were welcomed, he felt that a algn rere oe drivers of the ateep hil ahead and asking them to drive in low gear should be put up at the top of the hill | Another A2 horror crash at Bridge. Top: This caravan was one of the vehicles extensively dam- aged when a 20-ton lorry tan into the back of a line of stationary ‘cars yester day (Thursday); Above A holidaymaket’s. car poised over a 15 ft drop and behinds it is another car shanted off Bridge H in the crash. Justafter 3pm I was awakened by the familiar roar accompanied by a at the juggernaut passes through the village on I A.2 ges is average every 46 seconds, day carnival of flashing itghts. Only two " Last andnight. — lorries passed during the next ten of the A.2 Reporter Chris Hansford minutes. _ Action Group carried out a spent a night ina village 3 Again I fell into a light sleep which _ the village of street hotel to find out what it lasted until just after six, 4 aes s 30° of Early arrivals for the 9 am boat train from Dover? By then I neither knew nor cared. Like the dawn chorus of the countryside, first light seemed to be the signal for the traffic to begin moving towards the coast. “46 By 6.301 Had completely given up the the idea oteeine back to sleep. I felt fo en te tes r peels 2, eeven ey } particular was th jo goan @a pot ee. Sour . stuf tu et I should I foun it Ino longer consciously - ‘ _ thought “this ts a juggernaut DRONE’ ; Man andeionly ofthe toetinucds * > : aT _. Was ‘aware only continuous ss . ; again and n ~ . barrage of noise. x yas anne ie ook hon thatifI fared bet n During the hour a half untill ic would could reasonably leave my post I ly : had ample time to yer juggernaut. was the car on @ replica of the annually pulled igh the “streets and r which devotees threw themselves to their death. Like the Hindus, Bridge too is being crushed but under a different god — the one we call Gan, mui pn a EN Ts paraded through our treets, a bilised by eeaas of - for about seyen ours outside Newhave. By JOHN WINDSOR ’ The young Liberals claimed yesterday that five juggernaut lorries had been saboteurs. Two French juggernauts were immobilised | immobilised near Dover for up to four hours, | The lorries were all in lay-bys or outside frapiport cafés, and had their fuel - injection Systems switched off. The sabotage squads sue a sixth juggernaut south of Bridge on th campaign was launched after a meeting of Young Liberal leaders in Oxford last week But yesterday's first strikes were cescribed as “indepen Gent.” The London head quarters had first learned of the sabotage when members telephoned to tell them how 1ad halted the lorries in ly hours of yesterday nd Sussex police said had had no r rts ze, Young Liberal head insisted that its infor as able, Dut would * responsible cn three squads Not all those members of the d been no danger trof because the ply nted from moving ral hours for breakdown t the fuel ed ¢ A2 in Include road_ blocks. Further details will be worked out at the Young Liberals’ .council for regional officers in Newcastl tomorrow ’ Reports that. the campaign had started brought criticism from Mr John Purchase, chair- man of the A2 Group. and former chairman of Canterbury Liberals. He said that immobil- ising lorries was highly irrespon- sible, A driver who had been delayed would ‘be anxious to get | to his destination, and his mind would not be on road safety, I condemn’ this utterly.” His own group, which had {been campaigning for better road conditions for 11 years and had won bypasses starting in i three different places, had never jattacked = drivers—just the people who put the lorries on the road The Road Haulage Associa- tion said the action, if it had taken place, was ilegal. An official said: “How could they not be breaking the law by interfering with other people's property ?° The association had had to warn its members n. Three other continental lorries were when distu ‘ rin, Kent. The ant jernaut | of the forthcoming campaign and had also warned its Conti nental counterpart, the Inter national Koad Transport Union which is based in Geneva. “ We think this is a rather childish antic. But children playing | with matches can do harm,” =| The Young Liberals’ spokes. | man said that’ immobilisation was harmless. As for the ord uestion, this was still being | discussed before the oficia campaign was jaunched “Tf \'s legal, fine, it shows it can be done. If not, we'll’ just have to face up to it’ No good radical should shirk break- | ing the law. Morality is far higher than legality. I think the “Liberal Party as a whole would support that view.” Support for direct action! against Juggernauts was an- pounced yewlerda by the North-west council of the | Independent Labour Panty. Its resolution described juggernauts | as “uneconomical as a means | of transport, seriously detri- rtal to Jiving in the areas pass through, and a direct ger to life.” A NEW cargo link with the Continent forged this week ts expected to cut the number of jugger- nauts using the overloaded ony as many as 16; a year Hut although places like Canteraury and Bridge will benefit from the new Ramsgate. Flushing service, it will increase traffic on Thanet Way, another accident black spot A consortium of Kent businessmen formed Tha not Shipping Lines, the company which will use Ramsgate Council's £100,000 roll-on-roll-off berth at the Royal harbour They have hired the 1,000 ton Norwegian freighter Admiral Cur. oT The ship can ca a speed of 18 and covers the * Mr. ken P Wayfield Road, who ens, of Rod. mersham, Mr. Tim Stevensand Mr.“Geoffrey Crabtree, both of King. adown, near Sitting. bourne Other backer¥ include Sittingbourne farmer Mr. Tony Gascoigne, Mr. Peler Prince, a Maid. spat eohelinc and Mr. en amp, of Oxted, Mr. Tony Dunnell, of Stockbury and Mr Laurence Crabtree, of Hollingbourne men ainers and aS caret ferry link with the Dusiness * ban pemart 4 marks ihe second independent fentinent this year for ent Less than three months ago the Norfolk Line, who 50 operate from Yar. | mouth, initated a new wrvice linking Sheerness with the Ha Norfolk their mitial vessel, but next month are expected to replace this with a custom-built ferry for the Ha run, One question which has yet to be answered ts, what extra environmen- tal strain will be cod om the roads lea to Ramsgate and Sheerness as the juggernauts rendezvous with ferry Moehanieat thunder: ee CANTERBURY COLLEGE OF ART School of Graphic Des (a) How long have you lived at your present address? 5 years 10 years over 10 years (b) Have you noticed an increase in the traffic? If Yes when did you notice the increase? up to 6 months up to one year 2 years and over Have you found it more difficult to cope with the traffic? Have you seriously considered moving? Do you know of anybody who has left due to the traffic pase aera eben ys ’ ‘ increase? (c) If you moved here recently were you aware of the traffic problem before you moved? How did you think you would cope? (a) What do you think are the main disadvantages of living along the .,A2? The noise Vibrations of the vehicles The safety of your property The value of your property The fumes Interference on TV or radio to friends, shops Danger in crossing the road Plants dying/gardening Difficulty in parking (e) What do you think are the main advantages of living along the A2? People eecccocscce Easy access (f£) Have you noticed any ill effects on members of your family due specifically to the increase in traffic? Babies tecersosesee Children eeeeessacece Adolescents oe eeccaccees Adults eerrereccres Old People eccceecccoee Pets eerecerevos ecccccceeee Drying washing The dirt eosccccecee NOise from recent eeoscocsecoce road works coccccccese Rubbish from cars eeveeeey, @esecccecce Danger to children oeereee eeececeevee Danger to pets @eevsccvece Opening windows Pree e ee eery Difficulty in crossing the road secccoccecscee Questionnaires Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Pee erosres Coecerrree (g) Have there been any road accidents in your family along the A2? Children @eeeeercesece Adolescents Ce eeereocrece Adults eee eereseres Old People Coccccrvesece Pets eeerereseoves ee+-/oontd, = ary Questia ‘Seesion concern < though these figures. Per of them in some fu Brian Lewis,5sq. a i a adi 61,Bridge Down, Bridge, iniprese ve : | Canterbury, Kent. : Py Brian Lewis, aah. Bridge Down,” Beets idge, Coneeen eee Kent. : + * By y a - August 21st with its most revealing fi Be concerning the traffic on the A2. I had of course rage on T.V., radio and in the press. ees I have sent this to Keith Speed and written to tell him that not only do we feel that the village by-passes proposed must go ahead as fast as possible, but that these figures show the ; absolute necessity of a go-ahead for the Canterbury by-pass and the earliest possible target date for its start and completion.’ Yours sincerely, Brian Lewis, Esq., 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. THE CANTERBURY SOCIETY Hon. Treasurer Chairman Hon. Secretary A.Robinson, Esq., Prof.B.Keith-[ucas, Miss H.Alpin, Yew Cottage, 20 King St., 26 Orchard St., Backington, Canterbury. Canterbury. Canterbury. August 22dn, 1973. Brian Lewis, Esq., Hon. Treasurer, A2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury. Dear Mr. Lewis, I have pleasure in enclosing our cheque for £10, bei: donation from the Society to your work. Yours sincerely, Filo M fin Hon .Secretary. Group Chairman: Hon, Secre' John Purchese, Brian A. Ls Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Stre Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2. Please reply to:- 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Ci'4 5JY. 29th August 1973. Miss. H. Alpin, Hon. Secretary, The Canterbury Society, 26, Orchard Street, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Miss. Alpin, I acknowledge with thanks receipt of your letter dated 22nd August together with enclosed cheque in the sum of £10.00 for the funds of the A2 Group. Your donation has come at a most opportune moment Since our financial situation is regrettably serious. As you will realise, the costs involved in keeping & campaign such as ours alive, are enormous. We are anxious to continu functioning until Canterbury by-pass is a reality, but obviously unless we receive support such as yours from the City we shall be unable to continue. With your expert knowledge, I would be pleased to know if you could guide us regarding possible ways of improving our finances. Thanking you again for your support. y Yours since ? (|) Qu ) | Loum Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group, Cha’ tema Hon, 8 Kain Pur GAS Ae Urey Mill Covtag; tekerbourne 1 High Street, Brig Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent” We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 ; SF sf Please reply to:- | 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. C4 sy, 29th August 1973. Rex Hammond Esqe, Department of the Environment, 74, Epsom Road, Guilford, Surrey. Dear Mr. Hammond, with information contained therein. I note your commen ‘2 of yellow bar markings on Town Hill, We have now spent a | overall affects they have on traffic, that Bridge Hill is experiencing the desired affect. I therefore would be grateful if you could kindly give your urgent consideratin to the introduction of similar such markings on the Town Hill appr to the village. Cc rn ng the introduction ns erable time studying the Thank you for your letter dated 20th August toget),, | “and are pleased to report } For your information, the south bound side of ti road (going up the hill in other words) is suffering far more tyre marks over the lines than the north bound side, ; result, the bars heaved wor fade disappeared. I can only conelude that this ‘ Yours sincerely, ce ne hu fe Brian A. Lewis: Sec/freasurer, A2 Grou) Group Pe 4 hit nay em my eebay ek Canterbury, Ke L We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- 29th August 1973. David Crouch BBQs ylePoy House of Commons, London S.Wel, Dear Mr. Crouch, Thank you for your letter dated 20th August, together with enclosed information concerning the number of lorries passing through the port of Dover. I agree Sieuelatest census figures are more impressive, but would stri at 29% relates not only to TIR but to all types of jugs +e. You will appreciate that in addition to lorries bearing the TIR ayubols we also have a tremendous number of vehicles in the 32 ton class carrying imported goods loaded at the port, i.e. all types of fruit, vegetables etc. This is particularly noticeable at this time of the year. I enclose for your information 22nd August cover of International Freighting Weekly. Yours sincerely, phe Brian A. Lewis; Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. RE 3a a ere rae « Mr David Crouch (Con - Canterbury) To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, how much the number of lorries carrying freight pas; through the port of Dover has increased since 1971, in 1972 and in the first part of 1973, respectively. - Mr John Peyton The numbers are as follows:- 1971 109,139 1972 156 ,479 72,731 1973 _ (first five months) (Tuesday 17 July 1973 for Friday 13 July 1973 No Wy. ) Department of the Environment’ No 3717/72/73 Telephone 0483 (Guildtord) 71101 ext 280 Your reference Our reference i% D3B/200/09/TR 34/020 Date Dear Mr Lewis 7 {ONDON=CANTERBURY=DOVER TRUNK ROAD A.2 = BRIDGE BY-PASS 3 + Thank you for your further letter of 5 August 1973. + The laying of the experimental yellow bar markings on the less steep Town Hill ipproach to Bridge has been carefully considered, but this would be complicated jomewhat by the 2 side road Junctions with Bekebourne Road on this section of the e2. I shovld perhaps explain that such markings are normally laid only on barriageway roads on the approaches to roundabouts and that it is in fact unusual Por these to be laid on single carriageway roads like the A.2. As you know, these n ings are still very mch in the experimental stage and their effect on traffic eds on the Dover approach will be carefully monitored. Should the markings prove be highly successful, as is anticipated, then it wold certainly be worthwhile 0 consider using them on Town Hill providing that the problem of the side road Junctions can be overcome. 3. Although the Secretary of State's decision on the By-pass scheme has now been announced, it is still difficult, because of the uncertainties involved, to forecast accurately when work could begin, It is however anticipated that if all goes well work could start in late May/early June next year with completion about (2 years later. With regard to your comment about the difference in the time taken to announce a decision on this scheme as compared with those at Boughton and Dover, I feel that I must point out that the Bridge scheme is much smaller and far less expensive than the other 2 and that its Inquiry was comparatively less contentious. Both of these factors do, of course, affect the time it takes for a decision to be made. i ) ours sincerely R HAMMOND for Regional Controller o This paper is suitable for Dyeline photocopying Prom: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA September 7,1973 Dear Mr.Lewis, Please forgive me for not having replied sooner to your letter of August llth. I just w: to tell you how impressed I have been with tw things you have done lately: firstly, the major census which was carried out in Bridge,with th. revealing figures produced and the other your v proper reaction to the very wild and irresponsi proposals of Mr.Peter Hain ! You probably hear of my own condemnation of this on Southern T.V. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, ( Signed on behalf of Mr.Crou in his absence abroad) Hh - Brian Lewis,lsq., 61,Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. ips i > Hom. Secretary/Treasurer: . Hexen ue .% We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the P Please reply to ‘Weston Villas’, 1, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. llth September 1973. GH. Oversby~Powell Esa., Department of the Environment, Regional Controller (R&T) South Eastern, 'Edgeborough', 74, Eprom Road, Guilford, Surrey. Dear lir. Oversby—Powell, I acknowledge with thanks receipt of the Report of the Public Enquiries held at Bridge Place, Bridge on 8th, 9th and 10th May 1973. A2 Group are naturally delighted with the outcome, and wish to express our thanks to the Departments Inspector Mr. FeA. Adams for his impartial assessment of the situation. As you may know from press and television reports, A2 Group recently conducted a traffic census in Bridge. The results prove beyond doubt the urgent necessity to construct Bridge by~pass as quickly as possible, In the busiest 24 hour period, we counted a total of 1814 lorries plus 37 trailers, an average of 1 every 46 secs of the day and night. This represents a 29% increase over a census which we conducted at the same time last year. In the busiest 24 hour period for overall traffic flows, we recorded a total of 20836 vehicles of various types. This represents an increase over last years figures of 16% and is equal to 24538 pous. According to KCC, the road through Bridge should carry a maximum of 9000 peus in a Pil (} DE Brian A. Lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. PS, Mare Keith Speed has been supplied with our census figures through M.P. for Canterbury, Mr. David Crouch, We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- 2 24 hour period, so it is evident that it is now overloaded by 273%. If you study the 'Draft Orders’ on Bridge by=pass, you will see that the Department project an anticipated 20,000 vehicles per day by 1990, assuming that the M20 is open to traffic. It will be noted from our figures that the road is already carrying in excess of the above figures. Whilst it is appreciated that traffic flows on the A2 will be somewhat reduced once M20 is in operation, I am still not convinced that the Department has fully anticipated the overall effects of Britains entry into Europe. Obviously the tremendous increase in heavy goods vehicles Which we have experienced during the last year is a direct result of this, Your urgent consideration to investigating ways of speeding-up Bridge by-pass is now requested, Yours sincerely, ——————————————— Brian A. Lewis: . Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. PS. ire Keith Speed has been supplied with our census figures through M.P. for Canterbury, Mr. David Crouch. From: David Crouch, M.P. HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON SWIA OAA September 12,1973 Dear Mr.Lewis, This is just to thank you for your letter of August 29th, with the additional information about the census figures. Thank you also for the copy of the cover of International Freighting Weekly of August 22nd, which I read with interest. ey .Yours sincerely, by. Vows ol ficels- ( Signed on behalf of Mr.Crouc in his absence on holiday) Brian Lewis,Esq., 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5BA. 2 kugastehorsiaecs aay HIGHWAYS ACT 1959 TO 1971 AND a CQUISITION OF LAND (AUTHORISATION PROCEDURE) ACT 1946 NDON-CANTERBURY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD BY-PASS) ORDER 197 & BY-PASS SIDE ROADS) ORDER 197 E BY-PASS) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 197 am directed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to refer to the ic local inquiries held at the Bridge Place Country Club, Bridge, Canterbury, ‘between 8 and 10 May 1973 by Mr F A Adams CB, an Inspector appointed to ‘objections and representations to the above-named Orders. he A 2 trunk road in the village of Bridge passes through an almost contimuous p—up area with side roads and private accesses and is inadequate for the e of traffic using it. The traffic itself is a source of danger to both s and property in the village. The A 2 is an important route to the Channel and it is the Secretary of State's policy, in the context of national ng, to improve the route to the standard needed for the traffic it mst carry ind in the: future. The proposals are for a by-pass of Bridge, some 2 miles in length, passing to north-east of the village. ” the purpose of the present draft orders is to authorise the Secretary of State struct the new trunk road; to provide for the superseded length to cease to road; to alter existing side roads, footpaths and private accesses ed by the construction of the new trunk road and to purchase compulsorily required. ere were 34 objections to the line and side roads orders, the majority of rguing.that the line should be to the south of the village. 4 objections ‘e lodged against the Compulsory Purchase Order, three of which were withdrawn. 6. ; though the main weight of objection was against the proposed route of the by- pass there were several other points raised by objectors which can be summarised as i ae . r mc a te Fy ade: = + gp : 5 | in 8 Skat ge S00 eer? Pe inset Say is ye DSE 200/09/TR 34/7 020 ae k, a reterence; id ; » , ™ 2 August 1973 i ie te, HWAYS ACT 1959 TO 1971 AND : SITION OF LAND (AUTHORISATION PROCEDURE) ACT 1946 DON—CANTERBURY—DOVER TRUNK ROAD BY-PASS) ORDER 197 ‘DGE BY-PASS SIDE ROADS) ORDER 197 DGE BY-PASS) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 197 directed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to refer to the ¢ local inquiries held at the Bridge Place Country Club, Bridge, Canterbury, 7 between 8 and 10 May 1973 by Mr F A Adams CB, an Inspector appointed to Pp objections and representations to the above-named Orders. The A 2 trunk road in the village of Bridge passes through an almost continuous f— Orders in ». castorn end of tho byapaes 3 Hee would ten generated commorcial traffic to continue going th Inspector finds this modi * adopted. 6 moditiontion @onerably 1?. 133 eee considercd the Department's ' representations, the Inspector recommends tines Serna orders be made subject to af he proposed modification at the eastorn end of the by-pass and to any other” ts arising out of further consideration of the other points mentioned , io By; 5 sm re 36 eae ia apayesian ee Oe ng carefully considered the Inspector's report and his suggested Ame tions, together with all the evidence and opinions made available, the of State agrees with his recommendations. In particular he has taken iB count the effect of any delay in providing speedy relief from heavy = b traffic for the residents of the village and the Inspector's conclusions that the published line of the by-pass is the best one. Whilst very mch regretting the adverse effects the by-pass may have on certain properties, he considers the | fits it would provide for the general public outweigh the inconvenience to a duals and that it is necessary to have greater regard to the general public * The Secretary of State has therefore decided to make the three Orders modified at the eastern end of the by-pass as outlined in paragraph 12 above. A draft supplementary Compulsory Purchase Order will be published to cover Sition of the extra land involved. @ amendment suggested by the Inspector to meet the o bjection of the East Road Car Company has been closely examined but has not been accepted by the ecretary of State because the provision of facilities for buses to make right id turns would create a hazard and might defeat the main object of keeping traffic out of Bridge. The situation will be reconsidered when detailed als for a Canterbury By-pass are being prepared. The Department will bear in mind the need to protect aural and visual amenity formating plans for landscaping and tree planting. 18. Formal public notice of the making of the Orders will be given shortly, at which time copies of the made Orders and their associated plans will be available r inspection at the offices named in paragraph 21 below for a period of six . Copies of the formal Public Notice will be sent to all outstanding tors and to their representatives. » Following the Secretary of State's decision the compensation to be paid for the land to be acquired falls to bo assessed under the statutory compensation code and is for negotiation between the partics concerned and the District Valuer who acts for the Secretary of State in these matters. If agreement cannot be ed the matter could be referred for detormination by the Lands Tribunal under provisions of the Lands Tribunal Act 1949 and the Land Compensation Act 1961. The Land Compensation Act 1973 has been enacted since the inquiry and gives ghway authorities wider powors to deal with roads in relation to their surroundings and to compensate for certain adverse effects which the road might have on nearby propertios. IT am to say that the provisions of the legislation about compensation will apply to the present scheme. PEI 6 n and Commonwealth Office — Telephone 01- Bekesbourne : Date 24 September 1973 ~~ _ Canterbury ; vi ss ely Your letter of 11 August concerning the road conditions on the 42 which you addressed to the Permanent Under-Secretary has been passed to me for reply. . We appreciate that there has been a considerable incresse in the volume of heavy goods traffic from the Continent entering the United Kingdom at Dover. However the drivers of these vehicles are experienced road users and are well used to reading international traffic signs and signals. We understand from the Department of the environment, whom we have consulted, that improvements on the Brenley Corner to Dover section of A2 are being pushed forward as quickly as possible and that safety measures on the A2 (sign-posting etc), . already considered adequate, are being further reviewed. t | P _ Mill Hill Cottage The question of the distribution of your multi-lingual leaflets at Calais is, of course, entirely a decision for the French authorities, and I am afraid it is not clear to me what kind of official consult- ation you consider should be undertaken with them. If the French authorities do not, perhaps, consider that the leaflets make a construc- tive contribution to road safety, this is a matter of their judgment and we should not wish to question it. I am afraid that it does not seem we can be of help to you in this matter. . 7 E A Urquhart | Marine and Transport Department Department of the Environment _ Regional Controller Roads and Transportation South Eastern __ 74 Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Tolex 86335 Telephone 0483 (Guildford) 71101 oxt 274 Your reference Our reference rd 200/09/72 34/020 7 September 1973 IDON—CANTERUBRY-DOVER TRUNK ROAD (A 2) LLOW BAR MARKINGS I refer to your letter dated 29 August, and am pleased to hear that, from your ervations of the Yellow Bar markings, the desired effect of reducing speed is being eved, Measurement of the actual reduction in speed is being made before the Town approach can be considered where, as you know, the situation is complicated by side road junctions, With regard to the last paragraph of your letter, your comments about the jliteration of the markings have been passed to the County Surveyor for investigation, ; Some deposit on newly laid plastic material is not uncommon and disappears quickly. “Thank you for your further interest in this matter, and you may rest assured that will continue to investigate every possible safety measure until the By-pass is ilable. faithfully . “4 " ( J FINBOW > Regional Controller - n L$ Queen Anne's Chambers ( London SW1H 9JU Tolophone 01-830 4300 oxt 476 be 4 an d aN eS an Chairman A2 Group Our reference DECESDOUIES NPleEa\so : Kent ag | \X September 1973 evan Dear Mr Purchese 1. Your letter of 8 August to our South East Re gional Controller (Roads ana Transportation) has been passed to this Division for reply. 2. The problem of noise from road traffic has been, and is, receiving considerable attention from the Government. In the past year several new measures have been introduced to combat it and reduce its effects. For example last January, this Department issued a circular (No 10/73 Planning and Noise) to loeal plaming authorities, giving detailed guidance on the exercise of planning powers to protect people from noise from road traffic and other sources. 3- More recently, in May of this year, the Land Compensation Act 1973 received Royal Assent. This Act includes provisions for better planning of new roads to minimise traffic noise disturbance and the installati on of noise ins ulation for existing property subjected to noise above a Specified level from new or improved roads. 4. The Department is also Sponsoring a programme of research into a range of quiet vehicles, including a quiet heavy vehicle 5+ With regard to the change in maximum permitted noise levels for s this was to meet our obligation uder EEC law to give effect to the EEC scheme of type approval of vehicles by allowing the import and use of vehicles which meet the EXC standards. When this System is fully de veloped, it will not only help British exports to Surope by removing barriers to trade which now exist, but will also make a contribution to improved road safety. ome heavy lorries, 6. Since the EEC has laid down general standards for noise levels which are more stringent for cars and light vans, the same for heavier vehicles, but more lenient for the most powerful category of commercial vehicles, we have had to alter our standards, to allow any vehicle which obtains EEC type approval (whether British or not) to be used in Britain. The change is not perhaps as drastic as it might at first seem. The maximum permitted noise level for vehicles 'in use’, which of course may not be reached all vehicles in the class, has, for the most powerful vehicles, been raised by 2 decibel Please reply to;- PLUS 31, Mill Lane, Harbledown, 28th. September 1973. Canterbury, Kent. CT2 8NE. e. Brian Lewis Esq., 60, Bridge Down, Bridge, < rbury, Kent, “ Dear Brian, Further to our telephone conversation Carlier this week, I wish to co t we lock forward to receiving a talk on the function! A2 group and it’ successes, he The date most suitable to us is Wednesday 25th. Octdber, and I have already marked our programme of events fer your talk on this day. Our present meeting place is The Druid’s Head Public House, High Street Herne Bay. We congregate at about 8.15 pm., and activities start at 8.30 to 8.45. I would mention that there is a vague possibility of change of venue; should this occur, I will contact you at once, With kindest regards, Yours sincerely. John Copsey - Chairman, A Member of the National Federation of Eighteen Plus Groups of Great Britain. Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Brian. i 1 Hiek 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5bA, lst October 1973, John Copsey Esa., 31, Mill Lane, Harbledown Canterbury, Kent. C22 8NE. Dear John, Thank you for your letter dated 28th September together with information contained therein, I am pleased to reiterate my Willingness to t to your Group on Wednesday 25th October, and would like to take + 3 opportunity to thank you for your interest in our problem, May I suggest that you contact me nearer the proposed date to arrange transport to Herne Bay in one car? Thi will ensure that we arrive at the same time which might prove Advantageous to both parties. Yours sincerely, Beh es ST rs Ripley, Derby, DE5 3BE. 1st October, 1973 Mr. B.A. Lewis, Secretary, The a2 Group, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 53x. Dear Ur, Lewis, Thank you very much for your most helpful and detailed letter. I am sure there are many suggestions in it which will be of assistance to us. Our campaign is to try to persuade the Transport Minister to reverse his decision to defer our by-pass until 1976 or later. This decision was reached because of the present state of finances. However, we have been promised this by-pass for many years now, indeed it is long overdue and the present decision is a bitter blow to the people of Ripley. With regard to your point about establishing good relations with our M.P., this does not apply in our case as our M.P. is as concerned aswe are and is helping in every way he can — he has atteniled meetings etc. but I do agree this is most important. We are currently engaged on seeking the ’ sympathy of the M.P's of neighbouring constituencies, Our Group is still in its infancy, only being formed after a public meeting in Ripley at the beginning of August but already we have held two protest marches through the town and teo processions of motorcars which necessitated diverting all the traffic from the town. These are active demonstrations and Members of the Group have been engaged in bringing our cause to notice by concentrated letter writing etc. The above is just a brief outline of what we have been doing since our formation and if I can be of any help to you in any way in your endeavours, please do not hesitate to contact | eis : @very success Cha Coane Hon, ory/ Treasurer: Wis, Bris ta vege T Békesbourn e, thi ct, Bridge, Canterbury, ‘Ken Rie Cantd, Kent Sh Please reply to: High TERE eee Santerniey) Kent. 1 5JY. | llth October 1973 Mrs. June Caulton, Secretary, A61 Action Group, 2A, Dannah Crescent, Ripley, iii Derby. DE5 3BE. Dear Mrse Caulton, Thank you for your letter dated 8th Octr. I more than appreciate your trouble in writing to me again, We have now won part of our battle witlficialdom as you have seen from the national press, but we stillfe a long way to go before our campaign will come to an end. The Brigge by-pass is due to be started late May/ early June of next year, but completion will be in mid?6-a long time off still. Judging by the latest figures just reldd by the 1 Dover Harbour Board, the next two years will be criticd0ver 15,000 TIRs passed through the port in September - an gage of over 500 per day. last year the daily average was only 300 Wday. This year over 200,000 are expected to pass through the dock If A2 Group can be of any further assispe in the running of your campaign, please do not hesitate to Good luck again, yours sincerely, A Pn A NSA RRL ne know. iss xr, A2 Group. « Your reference Our reference DSE/200/09/7R 34,/020 Date 5 October 1973 ~Mr Lewis ERBURY=DOVER TRUNK ROAD A.2 Y=PASS traffic figures which you have provided are, of course, useful as an don of the maximum volume of traffic which uses the A.2, but it is not r @ to critically compare these with the figures which are supplied by this ent. This is because, as you say, your figures relate to the maximum flow period of 24 hours whereas the Department's figures both present and ected relate to a period of 16 hours only and show the average flow during ugust. : 3 you know, the programme for the Construction of the Bridge By-pass has already rtened as much as possible and I regret that any further speeding up of this t possible, e a J FINBOW for Regional Controller ‘Tite Pager is suitable for Dyeline photocopying ee Sr tt s—‘“‘OSCsY Please reply to:- 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. C14 5BA. 6th October 1973, vid Crouch Esq.,lieP., nit se of Commons, | ndon S.Wel. “4 t For your information, the following article appe ared his weeks Dover Express under the heading “Five miles 0: ‘The port of Dover established a new record in #£; y traffic in September. In the month 15,010 lorries us ies sailing to and from the port. oe Busiest day was wednesday 26th September, 4 667 lorries used the port ~ enough to stretch bumper ti dock gates to Kearsney, se listed with their respective reductions are; Humber 24%, Newhaven 30%, Southampton 26% and Other ports 21 I trust that the above will be of use to you. Yours sincerely, From : 2A, Dannah Crescent, Ripley, Derby, DE5 3BE. Ockoha, Bth September, 1973 etary, The A2 Group, Street, e i'r Mr. Lewis, Following on from ny letter of lst October, I now undastand that fratulations are in order as it would appear from the National Press you have been partially successful in your attempts for a by-pass. _I do hope that this decision by the Ministry is at least some help your traffic problem and the Committee would like me to express © delight for your success, if only in part. gain, our sincere congratulations on your efforts. Yours sincerely, vue Jools. (Mag) eretary to the A61 Action Group. Please reply to;- 61, Bridge Down, Bridge, shea Canterbury, Kent. 10 9th October 1973. “ey David Crouch Esq.,M.P., r House of Commoné, 4 Ee London S.Wel. Mr. Crouch, I enclose for your information copies of a local Spaper report on the Bridge traffic problem, together with ; October edition of International Freighting Weekly. et Nothing unusual about the former, until you real that the article appeared in Harrison Springs, anadal Vancouver Province ’ Although it has to be confirmed, I understand that r Dover Harbour Board are proposing to print multi-lingual leaflets E for distribution to foreign TIR drivers, 4 the dangers which exist on the A2, and it is ironical that they should Pi have recently turned down our request to distribute similar leaflets inside the dock area,and take our idea, The purpose is to warn of 3 Finally, returning to articles, _ shortly to feature Bridge. I to hand, Womans Own is will forward a copy &8 soon as it is +4 py Yours sincerely, (i ? oy An al olewist Sec/freasurer, A2 Group. We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to» 1, High Street, Bridge, : Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. 10th October 1973. TT EP PSTSAS et) BA ment of the Environment, Epsom Roed, ord, Surrey. ar Mr. Finbow, se cletie a aa Thank you for your letter dated 5th October. Regarding paragraph 3, I appreciate efforts made to reduce the programme of construction, but this must be pruned still ; her regardless of statutory procedures. Obviously your hands are tied by law, but if necessary, special leglislation should be introduced in Bridge's case to enable a crash programme to be implemented. The roll-on roll-off freight flows through Dover during September again emphasise our problem. During the month yet another record was established, with over 15,000 TIRs passing through the port = over 500 per day. last year the daily average was only 300. The annual tally this year is likely to be in excess of 200,000 lorries. Again these staggering increases are clearly attributed to entry into the EEC - something which your Department has been far from ready for when considering a proper road to take such an increase in traffic. With reference to our correspondence concerning the Bar Markings on Town Hill Bridge, can you now advise me as to the results of your vehicle monitoring on Bridge Hill? The bars were laid on Wednesday 22nd August (6 weeks ago), and during that period I would estimate that something around 75,000 lorries of various types will have passed through the villages an adequate number I would have thought to 4), have arrived at a conclusion as to their effect, and time enough to 7 have solved the problem of the side roads. prebdiea. Yours sincerely, 6, (1am () loos — We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- J, High Street, Bridge, the attention of: Canterbury, Kent. CT4 5JY. J. Finbow Esq, 10th October 1973. ment of the Environment, Epsom Road, ord, Surrey. ear Mir. Finbow, Thank you for your letter dated 5th October. Regarding paragraph 3, I appreciate efforts made to reduce the programme of construction, but this must be pruned still her regardless of statutory procedures. Obviously your hands are ‘tied by law, but if necessary, special leglislation should be introduced in Bridge's case to enable a crash programme to be implemented. The roll-on roll-off freight flows through Dover during September again emphasise our problem, During the month yet another record was established, with over 15,000 TIRs passing through the port - over 500 per day. last year the daily average was only 300. The annual tally this year is likely to be in excess of 200,000 lorries. Again these staggering increases are clearly attributed to entry into the EEC - something which your Department has been far from ready for when considering a proper road to take such an increase in traffic. With reference to our correspondence concerning the Bar Markings on Town Hill Bridge, can you now advise me as to the results of your vehicle monitoring on Bridge Hill? The bars were laid on Wednesday 22nd August (6 weeks ago), and during that period I would estimate that something around 75,000 lorries of various types will have passed through the villages an adequate number I would have thought to +, have arrived at a conclusion as to their effect, and time enough to + have solved the problem of the side roads. prebien, ‘es cw y /Yours sincerely, s oF ie a THE CHAIRMAN ThE 2. G Roup mile Cofmce REKE spouranc’ Cr NTERRUGY ENT . Ol- SSO -COYSs a tt nnd Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: John Purchese Brian A. Lewis, F Mill Cottage, Bekesboure, _ High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to: 61, Bridge Down, Canterbury, Kent. 16th October 1973. ‘ou Write’, Dover Express & East Kent News Itd., 22, Castle Street, Dover, Kent. ar Sirs, Your correspondent Mrs. J. Burkimsher must have a . ery poor memory, for in last weeks 'You Write’ she stated, "I cant call anything at all which the A2 Group has achieved for lydden, v Temple Ewell or Dover for that matter." it 4 It so happens that we have an extensive record of + newspaper cuttings and letters going back to 1962 when the Bridge a, : by=pass campaign was formed, and therefore have a record of her observations from as long ago as 1964. Let us recall .esceee In April of that year a Kent unty Councillor advised us to spread our activities to the whole the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover. On this advise, we spent the following Bank Holiday distributing leaflets to every household on ‘the road appealing for support. ae On 10th September, in her capacity of Clerk to the # lydden Parish Council, Mrs. Burkimsher wrote to the A2 Group Chairman Jobn Purchese, "We have heard about your efforts to get some improvement in road conditions on the A2 trunk road from Canterbury to Dover, and whilst we appreciate that your concern for the people of Bridge is very real, we feel that your efforts as regards Lydden can do nothing but harm." ‘ouD. "The Ministry of Transport informs us that plans for & major improvement of the road from lydden to the Borough boundary are well in hand, and our member of parliament is quite capable of looking after our interests, We therefore do not need the help of Canterbury member, or for that matter the help of the A2 Group. najority of the people living on the A2 in Lydden are against oposed improvement." The letter concluded, "We wish you every success to whatever Bridge wants, but we feel we are capable of fighting our hn battles, and would appreciate it very much if you would confine our efforts to just that." John Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent The [A2) Group Chairman: Hon, ini Treasurer: We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Please reply to:- 2 The text of the letter made it apparent that this was the wish of her village and the door was firmly closed in our face. If on the other hand the residents of lydden were not being properly represented by their council spokeswoman, she surely has some answering to do. Concerning David Crouch, lets be quite clear as to the major part which he has played in the A2 campaign. He has not just “jumped on the bandwagon" as suggested although I daresay many will. I suggest that anyone wishing to query just what Mr. Crouch has done reads Hansard, little research is necessary to prove that it is the M.P. for Canterbury who has been Kent's leader at parliamentary level, also the number one allig of A2 Group. Yours faithfully, / Brian A. lewis: Sec/Treasurer, A2 Group. The (A2) Group Chairman: Hon. Secretary/Treasurer; hn Purchese, Brian A. Lewis, — ) Mal Cottage, Bekesbourne, 1 High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent Canterbury, Kent We care about the A2 Trunk road to Dover from the M2 Mill Cottage, Bekesbourne, Kent 22.10.1973 Please reply to:- se We understand that the alternatives shortly to be put to jal authorities give the northern start of the Canterbury By-Pass as her from the dual carriageway section of the Harbledown By-Pass at a it, the line going to the west of London Road Estate, or from the Kni junction with A2 at the top end of Rheims Way, Canterbury, May we point out at once that the second proposal is highly quate. It would be fed, as plans are, by a Single-carriageway section r" ‘the Usrbledown By-Pass; it would bring heavy traffic far too close to he iy, and would destroy the amenity value of the present playing fields to a6 west of Rheims Way as well as isolating London Road Estate. There appears in this proposal the same paucity of though hat made the M2 only a Medway Towns By-Pass in official eyes for s0 » Where the motoring public and transport industry saw it as a prim ate to the Channel Ports, , Taken in conjunction with the proposed Channel Tunnel, planned 16,000 vehicle parking spaces and the industrial blight tk round Cheriton, we can only view the future of Kent with alarn. ) Channel Tunnel because it is not a rail link but a funnel for road xt drawing vehicles to one of the least well-served areas in the coun | the plan been for a pure rail link with loading points near major pj » not in them as the White City terminal is planned, then we would % pily accepted the proposition of a Chamel Tunnel. ; As it is, with planned industrial development round Cheriton producing road traffic, the failure to anticipate large increases of traffic A2 o8 a result - despite any N20 that may be built - and the foot-drag h to the problem of Canterbury years ago to your predecessor that Yours faithfully, Divisional Road Engineer (South Eastern) “Edgeborough” Epsom Road Guildford Surrey Telephone Guildford 71101 ext Mr J Purchese Mill Cottage Bekesbourne CANTERBURY Kent #6 October 1973 Dear Mr Purchese CANTERBURY BY-PASS There is no truth whatsoever in the allegation that we shall be putting forward as an alternative, a line for the Canterbury By-Pass starting at or near the London Road Estate or Knight Avenue. I would have thought that you would have discredited this from your knowledge of the Harbledown schemes. , F Yours sincerely G H OVERSBY-POWELL“ —= Regional Controller