-A "‘=*-“"‘-‘*‘ ° ‘Tw . . t‘-or ‘ ' ...__. ,__,_‘_ ____ lfioicl Iyunchtom Dinntrs _2 1 E. 1: 1. € .3 . _ , ‘.,._:- _ ..a. ._..x,.-‘,.*,- , (I ,_.__.,.' ._. ..,. ._.. ....¢_..A u.£....._w_.,..:..,.?.:_“__.w...3,_.s...h.fl ._. 1 .i. .I..t .... ......w|1l mi. . . gg... .- .— ... __ ; _ _, . . . 17...... —-«~ _ ..—..- ‘g ,. _A WARY PEDESTRIAN tops a.i1d-'sta.nd's‘ with her back against the 'wa.ll to a.l_low_ a. hea_.vily-_la.den foreign lorry to.pa.ss.- There have been. . {many accidents at':t1;i '__-point in recent months, The road is at its _na.rrowest here. ’ ‘= 5-‘ em. . - T - _ -I N ‘ . ‘ .‘ ‘ no -——-.1...’ ' 339: - _; .. ‘ - . ‘ - . I —:v.— ‘——w — 'Qc__tobern.L6, and gs; shag. ’ lat r. O S n G F Jul. 'qrmans THE BATTLE FOR BRIDCE E BY = . ; . ’'-‘ 7 ir'+-- ‘ 1|" :i l.':g ' —I I -I I I "U I.-.. '.-' I- I-- F—-"' __."-_|'.:_I'-" E . rm this... c.122 - T his... 1972 PS -4:‘. ‘ 5’.-_ __ To this...21st century The story of Bridge’s 14-year-long struggle to save the village from the danger and noise of ever-increasing traffic, leading to a victorious celebration in July 1976 INTRODUCTION he A2, the main route from Dover to London and based upon the road known as Watling Street, constructed by the Romans, had remained mostly unchanged for centuries. It meandered through towns and villages and throughout this time had served its purpose reasonably well. However, with the advent of motorised vehicles and their mass production, things began to change. After the Second World War, the number of vehicles on Britain’s roads increased ‘-- rapidly but little had been done to improve roads and the road system. The A2 still remained the main route from Dover to London and the towns and villages along it were suffering badly from the increased traffic, noise and pollution and the problems posed by the ever—larger lorries. Bridge was no exception with its narrow High Street and narrow pavements, tapering to nothing in places, making it extremely dangerous for pedestrians and road-users alike. The long descent into the village from both Canterbury and Dover made it even more hazardous. THE 19505 In the 195fls. Local Councillor, Alfred Ftoss. called fora bypass for Bridge but nothing came of it. In general, throughout the country. road building and improvements were failing to keep space with the ever-growing traffic problems and Bridge suffered its share of tral"fic accidents. THE 1960s During the early 1960s. John Purchase. printer, who lived on the High Street, was becoming increasingly concerned by the amount of traffic passing through Bridge and anticipated that the BRIDGE BY PASS situation would worsen once the M2, under construction at the time, was completed. He agreed with COULD SAVE Cllr. Ross that a bypass was needed and he urged villagers to write to the Ministry of Transport to ' request this. YOUR ]__[[:E I DECEM BER 1962 '‘‘'''....:'..'.:.'.Z'..‘':':.':_'‘'' -.*—fl'_-'_‘lI Oh the evening of 3tZIth December, Thomas ‘George’ Smith, a resident of The Close in Union Road, “H5 mm“ L", mf EINT home for the elderly and disabled, stepped into the main road in front of a van and was knocked . . . . . Pfl|L‘llIFl.'ii'l'lUaDi'l.ll.SPt-I;tJli1-lIif.'It. down. He later died from his injuries. -qF—j*-’h.r.I.fl—i'zu-E- wan‘: ‘no MR. cave room’ I ----.u. it--in--u -|--_-:- :1 The accident prompted John Purchase to begin a letter campaign, He wrote to Councillors. County Planners and local papers. He was soon joined by Brian Lewis, who also lived on the High Street, after he saw one of the letters in the local paper. A petition with 55-5 signatures was presented to the Minister of Transport. - EASTER SATUF:'DAY-— RUNAWAY LORRK BRIDGE HILL A lorry loaded with six tons of earth careered out of control after its brakes failed at the top of Bridge Hill. It ran into the back of another iorry, pushing it into a bus. A private car then collided with the bus. lvliraculously, no—one was iniured. The road remained blocked for some time while the earth was cleared and the lorries towed away. ‘villagers erected a banner: SLOW, PEOPLE Ll‘v'E HERE. JAN UARY 1984 Police set up a radar trap and caught five motorists speeding. FEBRUARY 1964 "MP doing nothing" - the accusation levelled against Sir Leslie Thomas, local Conservative MP, by the Canterbury constituency Liberal candidate, Ted Mess, with regard to Elridge’s traffic problems. Although the MP had apparently tal-ten up this issue with the Minister of Transport, Mr. Marples, and he continued to press for an extension of the M2 to Dover. MARCH 1964 — EASTER PROCESSION HIGHLIGHTS ElGHT VILLAGE FATALITJES A purp|e—covered cotlin was trundled slowly through Bridge High Street — a reminder to the Minister of Transport of the shocking statistic that since 1959 eight people had died and 49 had been injured in road accidents between Bridge Hill and Canterbury Hill. About 159 villagers otall ages formed a procession through the village, holding up about 1DD cars. The prospective Liberal and Labour Party candidates attended — but there was no sign of Conservative MP Sir Leslie Thomas. APRIL 1964 Meeting in the ‘village Hall to discuss the traffic problem. “A bloodbath before anything is done?" asked one villager. The meeting was attended by about4lIl villagers. On the platform — Liberal and Labour Parliamentarv candidates, Cllr_ Ross {representing Sir Leslie Thomas], John Purchese and JD. Smith {local Road Safety CJfficer]i_ There was also an ‘empty chair‘. placed there for the spokesman ofthe Ministry of Transport. who had declined an invitation to attend. Cllr. Ross said that, according to the Police, since the completion of the M2, traffic from Breniey Corner had increased 4T‘iii. He suggested the Bridge bypass campaign link up with the other villages along the A2. MAY 1964 — TRAP!’-TC CENSUS: 7, 000 l/EHlCl‘_ES A DAY ?,l.‘lT-it vehicles passed through the village in 24 hours. JULY 1964 Villagers march again. An effigy of Transport Minister. Ernest Marples. was disptayed in bed with the caption; ASLEEP TO OUR NEEDS. SEPTEMBER 1964 During eiectioneenng Sir Leslie Thomas MP dismissed protesters‘ demands, saying "they need a sense of proportion”. He also denounced the A2 Group as undemocratic and said a committee must be elected. It was. AUGUST 1965 — LORR‘:‘”S BRAKES FAIL ON BRIDGE HILL Filony crashed into a line of cars. cmshing one. smashing a second and shunting three more cars and a van into the rear of another heavy lorry. So: people were taken to the |<&C Hospital. two were detained. One woman had to he lifted through the windscreen of her car. .5i.'£ villages to The accident happened at lunchtime outside Lyhton Cottage — In t‘aI‘I*_t' out hundreds of holidaymakers heading towards or from Dover were .- _ . H delayed in massive queues. H" mm’ " thndt I 1H.lI'|-'|'i“tIr in PFIIII‘-i.I SEPTEMBER 1965 — AUGUST 1959 i Incredibly, major accidents ceased. Disitlusionment with the campaign began to set in. it tooi: another awful accident to wake villagers from their apathy. AUGUST 1969 — LORRY DRIVER KILLED AND FIVE OTHERS INJURED The accident happened at the Bishopshoume turning at the top of Bridge Hill. Two lorries and an East Kent bus were involved. Massive jams built Hiulil -lip» tiflrr -.:n|'|;.-. OCKAGES up as it was one of the busiest days on the A2 with holiday traffio mixed with ears heading for the cricket at Canterbury. Diverted traffic soon choked up the narrow lanes around the area. The accident prompted a renewal of the campaign. "village of Bridge is a nightmare" claimed Cllr. Alfred Ross. who threatened a sit-down on the A2 in protest “at the noise and great lorries roaring through the village street, practically non~stop — even if it results in arrests". — FOUR ARRESTED AT BRIDGE SIT-DOWN DEMO It was decided to halt the traffic on the A2 by having a sitvdown in the middle of the road in Bridge at 3pm on Sunday 24th August. Around ttifl people sat down and a further 150 watched. 20 policemen were on duty. After 10 minutes the police began to I:erryA2 demonstrators to the side of the road. Four refused to move and were arrested. Those gathered there then formed a prooession and marched through the village before dispersing. lvtany carried oak branches. a symbolic gesture of rebelliousness to remind people of the time they were carried by the Men ot Kent — when resisting the rule of William the Conqueror. SEPTEMBER 1969 — BYPASS PLANS ANNOUNCED Kent County Council reyealecl a 95.5 million improvement programme for the 15.2 from Brenley Corner to Boyer with by- passes for Boughton, Dunkirk, Upper Harbledowri, Harbledown, Bridge, Lydden and Temple Ewell. Howeyer, worlc was scheduled to start in it-3?'1 and targeted for final completion In 19?‘? The A2 Group branded this as ‘unacceptable. Brian Lewis said: “If traffic continues to increase at the rate it has over the past five years, we shall be in a terrible state." He continued: "This is the main road to and from the Continent. In Bridge it is only ‘E8 feet wide in one place and these massiye lorries either haye to stop to pass each other or. more frequently. mount the payernents as they roar through." THE 19705 The campaign went quiet again until i9T2, although minor accidents frequently occurred and the lorries got even larger. MAY 1972 — LORRY DRIVER KILLED, SHOPS AND HOUSES DAMAGED At around 3am on the morning of Friday 2‘i'th May, a 3D-ton meat lorry, heading for Switzerland. ploughed into a row of shops and houses in Bridge High Street. This was a terrible, tragic accident. The lorry driver from Dagenham, Essex. died instantly. The grocery shop and front room aboye. 15-year-old Angela Lewis's bedroom, were wrecked. Angela was in bed at the time and awelte te find herself leel-ting eut inte the High Street, her bedreem wall gene. Angela was injured but she was very lucky te escape with her life. DUES-it THIS HAVE" TO HA1’!-"I+1.‘~J AGAIN? ].‘é_|'I1'.|.‘_ ''r_. .I .'.I.;L'--u-:Ir. IIi'|..i-cl.-n_ _n_ a -l. Ia.'1-:r-nut-.r I."_-J-:-... L: ‘I. : -I‘-I I - -u .-. . - r.- .n. fll |-"*-.1""J'|_I'3f" . '. ' .. ... ' 1'..- -. .. ' , .. . . : _- . -.i- i . fl‘ — I 'I' NB. The Lewis family invefved‘ in this Incident were ne rararisn re El.-fan Lewis, bypass campaigner Again it was an accident that prempted further actien. After the crash Canterbury MP David Creuch described the read as the meat dangereus in his censtituency. if net in the ceuntry. Canterbury City Geuncil decided te send an all-party deputatien te the Minister ef Transpert Industries, lvlr. Jehn Peyten. te seek acceleratien ef the building ef the City's bypass. Elridge-Bleari Rural District Council {RUG} sent pretest telegrams in Mr. Peyten and te David Creuch. t3llr_ Lawrence Shirley put ferward a five-peint plan fer safety including an immediate ban an all heavy Ierries, in particular Centinental TIR lerries. and their re—reuting en te the A20. — GRAFFITI IN BRIDGE DEMANDS ACTION Twe feet high letters appeared en the bearded up shep in Bridge High Street. spelling eut villagers’ demands: BYPASS NOW. — HUNDREDS STA GE ANOTHER SIT-DOWN On 29th May, mere than 4iJiZl peeple gathered fer anether sit—dewn pretest eutside the wrecked shep. creating ieng traffic jams en beth sides ef the village. lasting fer nearly 50 minutes. "Terrer by day and terrer by night” declared Cllr. Ress. referring te the lives ef these villagers whese heuses were next te the read. He went eh: “When we jein the Gcmmen Market, I am teld that the weight ef these lerries will be increased." {Up te 40 tens.) He said that erigihally pretesters were teld the bypass weuld be cernpleted by ‘l9?2. Since then the date had been put back te was The Felice were generally sympathetic te the villagers and their demands but after 112} minutes _ warned the pretesters that they were ebstructing the highway and asked them te meve. The demenstraters refused and sheuted: "This is net a highway — it's a ceuntry lane!" After a secend warning. the Felice began fercibly meving peeple te the readside. The pretesters then termed anether precessien thrcugh the village. led by Jehn Purchese [pictured belewl. befere dispersing. JUNE 19?2 A Brian Lewis letter is published in the Kentish Gazette drawing attentien te the endeaveurs and actiens ef campaigners since 1961 and calling fer a re-fermatien ef the A2 Greup and whatever militant actien is necessary until the autherities take netice. - INCREASED INTERES T SHOWN IN PARLIAMENT David Creuch's demands fer an extensien ef the M2 te Eiever were turned dewn by the Department cf the Envirenment {DeE} but Graham Page. Minister respensible fer read develepment, teld him the A2 between Brenley Cerner and Dever weuld be impreved te medern dua|—carriageway standards by the mid-1El?[ls. Mr. Creuch was net satisfied. He claimed that it shewed that the Department ef the Envirenment centinued te underestimate the preblems ef the A2: “Whether they are drivers ef TIR lerries, teurists trailing caravans er Iecal meterists. they all have te experience the frustration and danger ef driving en an English ceuntry lane instead ef a medern meterway." — OVER ‘I ‘I4 LORFIIES — E VERY HOUR A survey carried out between 9.3i.'Iam and 5.30pm on 6th June reveaied that 915 lorries had passed through Bridge in that time — an average of more than 114 per hour. The A2 Group wrote to all the European Ambassadors, suggesting that their Commercial Attaches should ooritact the British authorities to urge early read improvements. The letter pointed out that, with Britain poised to join the Common lvlad-tet and with the possibility of 4D-ton tomes, the matter was of some conaEtC|kJenoe_ The letter proved effective in that the media in several European countries highlighted the dangers of their lon'y drivers travelling on Kent's antiquated roads. Genhany even sent a film crew to Bridge and several residents were interviewed, including lvlrs. Berta Lewis. a fluent German speaker, who had lost her home and business in the recent accident. — JUNE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING The meeting was attended by lvlr. Alan Eiulietl, Deputy County Surveyor. who produced a plan showing the provisional line of the new road, passing to the north of Bridge across Bifrons Paris: and PBtl'iiIibCLllT'iE Road and rejoining the A2 beyond Highland Court. He said that there would have to be a Public Inquiry and he did not think worit on the proposed bypass could begin before autumn 19".-"4. —.r‘-'lT WESTMINSTER David Crouch tabled 11 questions for the Government: seven related directly to the A2 and the bypass delays, particularly for Bridge, considering the line of the bypass had been provisionally decided. In response to his questions lvlr. Crouch was told that work on the new road would be unlikely to start before 19T4 due to a number of statutory procedures which needed following. Also the road would not be a motorway. just a duel-carriageway — considered adequate by the Government. — IN BRIDGE: ‘SLOGANS MUST GO’... Bridge-Blean REC issued an order proclaiming the slogans on the boarded-up shop and house constituted, in their view, “an unauthorised painted advertisement‘. A near disaster occurred on 14th June when a lorry's brakes overheated coming down Bridge Hill and it slewed across the road near the bottom. Campaigners demonstrated outside Bridge-Biean RDC. They arranged a meeting at the County Hotel, Canterbury. for 23rd June at 8pm. 23RD JUNE,1972 — COUNTY HOTEL MEETING The meeting was attended by over 300 people. The villagers urged ‘commando action’ over the A2 terror. A2 Group Chainnan. John Purchase. suggested two courses of action: 1.The official channel — getting more facts through a census and then pushing every avenue of approach. 2. The unofficial channel —— more sit-ins and marches including some at Dover's EEl5tEtTl DDGKS and On the Mirlifllfll‘ {If the Environment‘s dflflwrfillflp. He reported that Dover Harbour Board had recorded 2,052 freight iorries through the port in 19b2, 33,27?’ in ‘IQTIIII, with a prediction of 23iII.[iiJEl a year by 19T5. A Kent County Council spokesman tried to reassure those present that they wanted to ‘heip‘ people living along the A2. “Help us into a coffin!" cried out one ralherangrv and unimpressed woman. AUGUST 1972 On 5th August. 40 protesters marched through Dover to the harbour where the path of a large TlR lorrv and trailer was blocked as a token demonstration against the heavy traffic on the A2. Prior to the march. a letter went to 11 foreign consuls warning of the inadequacy of the A2 road and the dangers to drivers using it. John Purchese addressed the marchers. sailing: "We have told the political people about this road -— now we have to tell the commercial interests. You have got vehicles worth £12.i]l]iJ each and drivers’ lives are at stake.” — WAKE-UP CALL Around this time a contingent from the A2 Group travelled to London and carried out the long-promised threat to take their demands to the lvlinister of Transport’s doorstep. A bugler sounded “Reveille” in a bid to "Wake up the Ministry to the problem of the A2." SEPTEMBER 1972 — SECOND TRAFFIC CENSUS 16.494 vehicles used the road - one every fit} seconds. The road was 2.5 times overloaded. Further agitation ensued, resuiting in plans for another sit-down protest. Villagcn use i ‘commando action’? our .42 terror OCTOBER 1972 — FURTHER Ci"l/H. DISOBEDIENCE On 21st October. dyer 500 banner-waving demonstrators blocked the A2 at Bridge. More than ititil. calling for immediate safety measures to protect the people living along the A2. sat down outside Ftogers’ Garage. Locals and others bussed in from villages between Brenley Comer and Dover were joined by members of the Transport ii. General Workers‘ Union and the Trades Council. By now the media were using Bridge as atypical example of a traffic-battered village. The Police warned John Purchese and Brian Lewis that they may face prosecution for causing an obstruction. Chief Superintendent Johnson. in charge of the 5D police officers present. then warned the crowd they would all be arrested if they continued to block the road after his second warning. Fiye minutes later the the sit-down was called off and the demonstrators marched through the yillage to a rally in the car park ofBiidge Piece Country Gino. David Crouch liilP had not been prepared to take part in the demo because it was an "illegal act” but was happy to speak at the rally and turn a blind eye to the “law-breal-ting" because he was “sick and tired of the slowness of the Ministry to deal with the problems of this road". A resolution deploring the apathy of the DoE in its attitude to the safety of people using and living by the A2 was put to the rally and passed unanimously. A bowier—hatted 'Effigy of Dfficiatdom‘ was set on fire by John Purchese at the end of the meeting. NOVEMBER 1972 —AT LAST! THE BRIDGE BYPASS ROUTE IS Fi'XED After 10 years of agitation. tragedies. petitions, sit-down demos and marshes. the yillagers of Bridge were relieved to witness the offlciai publication of the proposed route for the yiliage bypass. DECEMBER 1972 A public meeting was held to allow the pubiic. farmers and landowners to put forward their yiews on the proposed road. JANUARY 1 973 Bridge residents were diyided over the siting of the bypass —— should it n.in north or nnuhr iii fund‘ W-..'-.=.'_= '-_- -- -.-~—-; ;.- Bflttth Elf the yillage? 35 Concerns about the size and number of lorries that continued to pass through Bridge :...""..f' - -*:-|'—"—f_;.-_..;_'__-‘I-ii, to and from Dover were not eased as Britain officially joined the Common Market. -'_'.'_'="'§‘ __: ‘- _-'4' FEBRUARY 1973 Sadly. Cllr_ Boss died and was thus deprived of seeing his ambition of a bypass for Bridge come to fruition. — PUBLIC INQUIRY NEEDED The Secretary of State for the Environment ordered Public inquiries into the Harbledown and Bridge bypass schemes. The one for Bridge was scheduled for May. It was ordered because of the strong feeling about its proposed route from V - ' _r V: am I In; residents in Conyngham Lane and Bridge Down, those who would be most affected by the northern option. MARCH 1973 1’ b}''[l3SS I-t4l'.Imph speed limit was placed on Bridge's two hills. _ _ Bridge was declared the winner by ‘Motoring Which?‘ — B dfll“ rluagfrj for having the highest level of traffic noise in the country! H . . APRIL 1973 "9" "fl" at Pelican Crossing was installed in the High Street [by the White Horse public house). MAY 1973 The Inquiry into the Etm scheme to bypass Bridge was held at Bridge Place Country Club by Mr. Frank Adams, an Environment Department Inspector. who would then report back to the Secretary of State. Nearly 30 people spoke at the Inquiry, which lasted two days. Brian Lewis and John Purchase tool-c along pieoes of metal and debris, which had fallen from heavy lorries passing through the High Street, to show the Inspector. A warning was issued that a change of the proposed route n.tnning to the north of the village in favour of one to the south would result in a further delay of at least two years. JUNE 1973 —ACCIDENT KILLS THREE SOLDIERS ONA2 mu .;,.m,,,. y,_.__. I-‘tdreadful crash occurred at Watersend Bridge on the A2 near Temple Ewell when a Belgian juggernaut cvertumed onto a car in which four soldiers were travelling. Three were killed outright. the fourth was taken to the KBC Hospital for treatment. In ndi Hg be 19 Til? Although net in Bridge, the incident was significant because the crash prompted renewed demands for an extension of the M2 to Dover. David Crouch MP called for the A2 to be brought up to modern ' European motorway standards. JULY 1973 — BRIDGE BYPASS SCHEME REPRIEVED Government spending cutbacks on road improvement schemes were announced in order to save £54 million. but the A2 bypasses between Brenley Comer and Dover were given the green light. — AT WESTMINSTER David Crouch and other Kent lvlPs forced an adjournment debate in the House of Commons to push for the A2 improvements to be speeded up. any huusee left David Crouch said: "it is an outrage to have monster vehicles pounding through these villages night and day.“ In response, Mr. Keith Speed. Under Secretary of State for the Environment said: ''...It is invidious to suggest that any one area is substantially worse than another but, if I have to single out one piece for extra special treatment, I mention the village of Bridge which I believe is well known to the entire House." Afterwards, John Purchase and Brian Lewis met with Mr. Speed in the lvlembers‘ Bar. They later believed more was achieved in that bar than ever before. — TELEGRAM FOR MINISTER “No houses left standing in Bridge by the time the village bypass is completed in ‘lEi?E” said angry villagers. after witnessing another crash involving a Dutch TIR lorry carrying tons of a highly inflammable chemical. It ploughed into a line ofcars in the narrow High Street after a brakes’ failure coming down Bridge Hill. A telegram was sent to the lvlinister of Transport Industries, lvlr. Peyton. It read: “Yet another serious accident occurred in Bridge this morning. We are having a smashing time. Wish you were here." On ‘tflth July yet another lorry crashed — the third one of the day « after its brakes failed on Bridge Hill. AUGUST 1973 — DECISION ON A2 BYPASS ROUTE The DoE announced that. following the Public lnguiry. it had decided to choose the route on the northern side of the village: also that yellow bar markings would be put in place on Bridge Hill over a length of 400 yards. at diminishing intervals, which would give drivers the sensation of increasing speed. Cllr. Lawrence Shirley commented: “This is absolutely marveiious. hlow all I hope is that they put the contract out to tender quickly and get on with the work as soon as possible." — THIRD TRAFFIC CENSUS 20.336 vehicles passed through Bridge in 24 hours. a 16% increase over the previous year. NOVEMBER 1973 _ . g . —MORE YELLOWBARS, PLEASE A39 WI" "0! III‘ Accidents ceased to happen following the installation of yellow bars on Bridge Hill. The A2 Group requested another set on Town Hill to slow traffic entering Bridge from b i - 1 r the Canterbury direction. ‘ ‘Pu 5 r I DECEMBER 1973 I Another round of public spending cuts posed a threat to the building of the Bridge ‘2 ! I I . .- t I 3 [:98 bypass. The A2 Group advised that there would be further public exhibitions of anger if there were to be any more delays. JAN UARY 1974 Bridge residents breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that the bypass was to go ahead as planned. AUGUST 1974 Work began on the bypass. John Purchase and Brian Lewis kept a close watch on its progress. During the construction, August “it-‘l?4 — June 19715. members of the Canterbury Archaeological Society unearthed a number of finds. including several Barton graves and an Iron Age settlement. For the first time since the Romans built a road from Dover to Canterbury. the village of Bridge would be bypassed. SUMMER 19T6 with the bypass nearing completion, the villagers decided to hold a massive celebration and a Bridge Bonanza committee was elected to organise events. John Purchase and Brian Lewis {pictured below] expressed their elation that the battle was finally over. The new road had taken 22 months to build and was finished twp months ahead of schedule. The Transport Minister, Dr. John G~i|bert. who came to declare the road officially open and travelled from London to Bridge along the old A2, arrived around 2!] minutes late! In his speech he admitted that he had not realised the country still had reads like it. He also reported that there had been 34 accidents in or near Bridge in the last three years alone - “a terrible and sobering thought”. 29TH JUNE, 1976 — OFFl‘Ci‘AL OPENING OF THE BRIDGE BYPASS AT 3PM Dr. Gilbert snipped the tape and officially opened the new road before an audience ofvillagers The ’v'lF's then drove off along the new road. To marl: the opening, Bridge Primary school children were given the day off. ?_a.-Ly.-.n*.-.rr1J_=r. r..-run - ' , Councillors, contractors and leading campaigners John Purchase, Brian Lewis [pictured right} and David Crouch lvtF'. 3RD JULY, 1976 — BRIDGE BONANZA This was the day the residents of Bridge had been waiting for, the day they could let their hair down and really go to town (so to speak}. They awoke to a lovely, sunny morning, eager not only to celebrate the opening of the new bypass but also to savour the prospect of the peace and tranquillity that nomtally comes with living in an English country village, a pleasure they had been denied for so long. A number of events had been organised for the afternoon and the High Street __ between the White Horse and the Plough .5. Harrow public houses was to be closed to gmnfig guggfln ' r--'--~ -— "' traffic from 2.15pm — 5pm. " ' ' ‘* Hundreds of villagers gathered along the High Street. decorated with bunting. ready for the procession from Conyngham Lane to the bridge in the High Street where the ' ' formalities were to take place. Morris lvlen and members of Ramsgate Foils: Dance " Club provided entertainment by dancing in the street. " ' At 2.15pm the church bells rang out and the procession moved off towards the bridge for the oflicial launching of the Bridge Bonanza, headed by David Crouch l'vlF', John _ _ - -- -- _ _l Purchase and E-irian Lewis in a pony and trap, followed by another carrying local . . _ _ _, . ' - - dignitaries. _ __ -.n._. A cavalcade of vintage cars and a brand new Rover 35=l.'ll'.l, supplied by Etarrelts, the only modern vehicle allowed in the parade. came next. Then the Band of the 5'“ Battalion, the Queen's Regiment, the majorettes and, finally, those in fancy dress. The marching display, the majorettes and the maypole dancing were all greatly enjoyed. The pram race proved hilarious and the entrants in both the aduit and children's fancy dress competitions were much admired and praised for their efforts. ' "'--'.=r-.-* Besides the organised events, there was an exhibition of ‘Bridge Through the Ages’ in the village Hall, a display by a village blacksmith, a potter at his wheel, an antiques‘ ;::_E;$'ii Lhagrall market and the opportunity to buy locally made jewellery and a selection of bypass ¢,.,,.,___ commemorative mugs. gum” mu mum Collages, made by the school children, decorated the High Street. Atombcla, w.',:.",.'flhw:.§':$f..",,.¢ side-shows. arts and crafts and retreshment stalls added to the enjoyment and the gfllflfimfiawlflfllfl Plough Sr Harrow pub stayed open all afternoon. In the evening, there was a barbecue and dance. it was a great and memorable day and a grand time was had by all. The next day a special interdenominational service of thanksgiving for the new road was held in St. l'-“eter’s Church, addressed by the Bishop of Dover. .3‘; futurr: [:|r1i:III.'u:|y o1'[hL‘ in Dr. t3iIbert*s words when he opened the bypass, Bridge could now "return to the i"‘?“flfi;:t;":"¢Lf“‘;‘:;”: . , , ,, ncc. , r .-.c peace and calm which It deserves — and used to enyoy . _r,,,__,,.,J-a,1,,,,,j fi,,,,.,,,E,,, I‘. _,-u- I —«-I-'rF_'i. '''E'...._::_...__ -I- With grateful thanks to: Peter Elgar Stave Fawkn llfla nryn Gulvin csrolino Kennett Audrey I'IoIII'u:rl'l' Jessie Iillullan Kevin lulullan Jinnle Tapely NU |'l-.: .-'i.|| im.a1.:-:5 an: 1.-Ilh-.:r scunnc-.l copics or‘ the orI_L'in'.Il I1.i:'.=. sprint pi.»a.'ltu'c5 that had uppcuricd an lhc K.l.‘l'l1.l5E'l (r'.'J.zc!.Lr: or ‘M.-rc kindly rluntrl-ct] [or rcprclnlticlron by pusl or cflhedral 45-|'Ch'i‘I'E'5 |'|FI.'*iI.‘ll.1 Bridg-: n:-.-iitlc-nts. "i'|-'-::1I1:i.nk l'riJ!iII I"-t1r1l1v:1'r |'|I.'.TIll-l.'i1ll‘Il'I1'I| I.lr'1'I.' thcni 1'nr this In-call Iris!-::Iry pr-uj-c'I.'l ['i.'-:1:-irtri upIt|'.»il:.'r.l -'tpri| Em 31. Arlwrirk lili: i-i I1-:1-:3 Iv} Ihc M.1lHi!ll1 |".nIIiI[i.-.] Hentlash Galefle Pm; 29-9AI9é.Z BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN M.D.'I'. nan-. HGP-I4-42-OBS ‘Roscban1:', High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Budge 435 BRIDGE BY PASS COUL SAVE YQUR me: Please support the movement by writing your comments to: Mr. G. DAVIS, THE MINISTRY TRANSPORT, St. Christopher House, Southwark St., London, S.E.I. PLEASE FOLLOW UP THE KENT POLICE ETRST RADAR SPEED CHECK. Nearly 30 motorists were caught at 30 n1.p.l1. plus last Tuesday. WRITE TO MR. DAVIS TODAY I !'nlali-.lu:4l by john 1'IIJ'c]1u5u, High St. Ii:-inlun-, Kent. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, LONDON S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry London Teiex Telephone: WATer1o0 7999, ext. Oar referencm A fine-urember, 1962 . Your reference: Dear Mr. Purchase, Mr. Davis who is a senior member in m branch has shewn me your personal letter to him of 17th November. I wonder if I might try to clear up the doubts you seem to have about where responsibility lies for dealing with Hridge'e road affairs?_ As I am sure you will have appreciated it is the Minister who has been given certain powers and responsibilities for roads. In turn, the Minister answers to Parliament. It is the duty of officials to advise the Minister as he may require, and that advice must be put together with many considerations in mind, and it must often include the specialist advice of engineers and others. It was therefore quite inaccurate for you to have described Mr. Davis as "the official in charge of Bridge's traffic difficulties", or to have led people to believe that he was the person to be persuaded to build a by—pass. He was; in fact the official who on some occasions was deputed to reply to your letters. On other occasions, others had that responsibility. Should you wish to write to the Ministry further the correct way to address your correspondence would be to "The Secretary, Ministry of Transport", and to quote the reference HGP 1h/k2/068. The matter can then be dealt with appropriately. I hope that you will accept this as an effort to clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen. I would not of course, wish to imply that you intend writing further to the Ministry in the pursuance of your views especially as the Minister has only recently written fully to Mr. Thomas on the subject. It would be quite out of order for me to seek to influence you in any way in this regard. But if you should write to the Ministry I would like to explain that after your letter has been fully considered the final reply will be signed by the appropriate official who might or might not on that particular occasion be Mr. Davis. Yours sincerely, &mMw R. A. PEARSON John Purchase Eeq., "Rosebank", ' '_. ' -~ q»J-. High St., ' ; ' -_ Bridge,‘ . - I Canterbury, Kent. One civil servant was upset- Hivhcc I ‘ ‘A |:‘'';--‘-‘ n ‘ Tm; paper I: .rm’raba'a for pyallrra _I_’hotaca.nyf.-:,g ‘ . ' “\ 1' ‘ \l‘‘ ‘ 2 __ = * 4—1nu-nuIInulillfiiliiIIIIIII loco -uuul IIIII IIIII Ilill IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII -nun: IIIII IIIII CUIII unuuu IIIII IIIII IIIII Infill Innu- IIUII IIIII ---II IIIII IIIII IIIII -111: pound DIIII IIIII DIIII Illll IIIII nann- IIIII nann- IIIII n-III IIIII IIIII Iluul IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII lnlnu IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII an-II -IICI IIIII UIIII IIIII IIIII IUIOC IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII Innu- nuns- lllll IIIII CIIII IIIII IDIII IIIII UUIII Inn-n IIIII llull IIIII Ilnln Illll Illll lloll I I ll IIIII II The letters ‘M2’ are the Ministry of Transportis designation for the new Medway Towns by-pass Motorway, opening next year. You have experienced already the heavy traffic through this village, but M2 will mean a ceaseless Hood. With possible Common Marketllinlcs, the Dover Road will assume a national importance. Vehicles will roar past day and’ night. The Ministry refuse to see any danger. They have said so repeatedly, in writing. Our children and elderly folk must be protected from a ‘Race—track High Street’! DON’T YOU AGREE ? Please become a supporter for Blilocf BY-PASS 1 PUBLIIFIID BY JOHN PUHCI-III‘: ‘HOBE.BANK'. MIG!-I ITIIIET. IIIIDGI. KIr.‘Nr. ;DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. Support the movement to reduce the traffic menace in Bridge by writing I I iiyour comments to: MR. G. DAVIS, THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT, at He is the Official in charge of Bridge’s traffic difficulties. PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD 1 puausuco in JOHN N.-ncnrsr. HlF.I4 SY. nmamz. -or-41 -—'.v.u¢.1 2.; (.22. ,, -,..___c,. ;1_q,?.¢',_;__‘ iN STARTED 1962 :St. Christopher House, Southwark St., London, S.E.I. - Ref. HGP]14/42]o68. f Bridge By-Pass volume of doing "seeds and is usually - the.;'_|__, e volume which can-I tinm-_'i rm Sllmlny, il*-'\||'|r: u'.'I:'- ri|vI'ricd |l|TUl!HII nnrrnw nunlry ltmr-:1 and rum- ravnfllv w :- nrn~s~-h-:l n.-: Pullm- hrrllrl up lhr-.-ail.41|Iwn in lip; iilr:h S1i'c‘l'1_ .r‘\’i" Bt)iiG!ITUl\i nn \Vr-rim--‘.4 tiny ~ ¢,‘:In(r'rlu:r-_\.":r mnrlu-L clay — alum: mu [:ll'II|!|(‘ am, down In Ihn nm'rm.-.- nmln ruin-r-I. Pnlicn, who hurl hm-n wrimml \'.‘lu‘Ii. in n-xrmcl, rlivmlcd tmliin from !5l'l'l\1l.‘_\' T.‘01'nc'I‘ n I unp; lin- "i‘i1:\nm. Why in Whit.-«tni:Iu nnd lsnnlr In 1'1-jnin lhu :\'.‘. nl CnniI:r— Imry. L‘.n1h d1'lIH.lrl.'\U‘.'1lll‘I[l."- were ur- ugznninm by Ilm A2 Group --- '-'In:l more isrwr: horn iilrcniennti innit-nn ihu M|nlr'.I:,~r nl‘ "I:‘1-rm-zport " lip:-I-‘Ila: imp|'u\'umnnl.e. In llw i lanai. (Ti-nlml li:;m'o M. imlh rlr\mnn- firnlionn \*m:: C111‘. Mfrr.-cl l‘ or Bnrhr-.:n. n. Ell‘--_\.‘r*rt'r-nltl furnit- and mcmlmr uf Ki-nl Curmiy Vollncil. who hurt llL‘I“1‘l cum- ylnignlnpr for improvements in . the road for yours. I-Io ti':i:l“1lnr- Bnmrhtou m«:c.-l- §inr;.' "E-ilicir 1n;;r-Llu-r ~ we will 1'-_-cp cm nnlll wv not tl|1n;.::: pul night." i A1111 2-ir_ finhrlrrl Llllrlm-'. 071': ,_ _.1.1—.....:.-..—...._ . . __--.-...-ac: mzssiu. nl‘ (ho [Ir'l:1lnL‘H"l'.': U! l -‘ !'ln\|g||i.()u |Ilulv‘. . -'!l'll‘i'||'ll("i‘d rim: hn hml just heard from ' M:-_ 'I‘m‘r}- I31),-.|nn, I-'r|\'(:I‘rihnn1‘.-‘. i.;Il\ Lt."- Giiiiii army 2 i, &e1nons‘i:mi@rs ; Faun‘ arrcstc.¢i at iiriiigre i E_EliA\"l' lI':ll|h.' on the A2 hmi been Liisrllptccl twicu mi. wuui: i‘.I.P., lhni hr would rnim: I11-2 - qm_-nrlnn ur nu: A2 in lhn Ilousu ,¢.r Cumnmnsr. Mr. Bnrlow niuo finitl Ulnt hi‘ I hrul nalz-'1'. Eh»: .\ilnis‘-Ix)‘ nf ‘Fran- :upmI_ tn [rrovirlc n 1vut.iI:nl.I-inn ‘:1uflHl“;: in I'|u- \:il|nF{|' “fill “ml 1u_'(:I'| lulrl Ihnr Lim Ii-ilninti-y con- :1id|'.'l‘l‘i'.I rm-re wnn In: need {ur mm. "ll. in only by singing :1 pru- lrml lhni war r‘:In nut. nr|Yli\1ni'. ulunu." he mill. Thunder through L Villnrmrn, who my Ill:-3' tmr for their ilvn,-:1 an hunt: Coll- mmnuu lnrrlx-;\ tlmrulvr Ihruumr ‘ ‘P.uum1Lnn. curxlv.-cl bnnnvru cull- g ins: for action. (Jnu C|'||'rI!.‘lJ by n liltlq [;iI‘l. 'I'i|er'L-M1 .H‘|«-wnsl. mild: "I Wnq I1 Lmm! virlim tlmnlt ('-Oil ill! I .-“rill r-In-.-" i‘ Anullmr tzunlmml up M0111 05 nu; '\-llingi-:':1' fmsllnpznl. Ii Ftliti "I'|Iorc rm: lwu uhu.-Anus: in HIL- '\-Illugo A ihn mrluir nntl tllu dnrui!" and Iinuginun 2."-.u duwn in sin: mm! n:~ rt protc.-'-I I0 lih.‘ Ministry of 'i'r:1r1.~‘.1mrI: uvur lruiiic can- ;1 “iic:11l1 trap." tfllr. l‘.n:-‘I hm! Inld. liw limlsgu nlu-"tin;-,' liml lrnru.-y inr‘r'|+-n,1'rnIn Ilu Inr !l‘.'.'ElV 41:: l’ivr:4in. ‘.\'r‘l'l: mu.-=!:i:: Illl'll|.'i nmi lJi'iii_t;M in |I!I'=1ic up nrul rrrallnpmz hut warn lllll l‘l\_\»'ln|: fl iiunny Lowu|i]_-g the rziailllr-unnw I.-uulu. Dl‘il'lnlI£'Ill‘f|l.(r:‘:l I;-lit:-::t‘¢':I hh re.-iuluilon cl:-mnmlinr: that the Iiilnltiiry mnim lhu mnul sure for lrscni pvnyule In n.==:\_ ‘ ['|lr. ‘:n:::i ind tl1(‘.=\ii.-down nnrl, '\'lw.'1 i'aiic n]up:>n|m| to |l1a_- Ilr:r\mn'e1r:1inr.-: to mow) nn, I'|lr. Elam .-=wnl|0wL-Ll :1 pill Whicll in- rmid ho had to mice for Illa hunrl vnnrillion, ‘'I must not he ilhrlm-iiccl for In mlnnlcn." hr.- IlTll1UIIl1(‘. But I: Tn.-1 rrvnlly ('m'1'iur1 in Um 1\n'.'cnmnt hy two police- men. "i'vo imun protesting: con- salltlltlunnily fur six yunrn nml lmvn not nn-.\.'hcrn." lm ".:\i(l. "Now I have lo.-IL my pniirrlcu iuul they can arrest me it may l‘ILL'." 'i‘v.-rsniy |l01i{!Cl'llcl'i were 1mm] in cionr the mud nt R:-lure. Chit.-l’ Supt. Albert ]‘IDpl(Ih'.l an :1: "W0 were irnpnrml ro nilnw them n 10-rntnulre tolmn prnl-mi nml r.-0 only IDDII: rrciion when 1110}: rr-fnncil tn muvo nflur Hint." lflnnncrs waved .‘ Pulicc reinforccmeniei wt-re ‘called in nu dnninnnlrulorn ‘mayor! in Bridge High Streol. wru.-imp: tlfcir lmmn.-ru at earn nnd contain-n {lint lncin.-r.! r.hro1.1J:h ihu crowrl. - ' But the I00 people who hntl nut clown. and (hr: 150 who hrul I.\'nlci1ml_ i'nrn1o(i up for n prov lr::Il mnrch Iln-mzgh lhu vI|hI;',i- uni the-n dI:\;:crr:u:l without fnrtlmr‘ in-.' lent. Mnny cruriud ouir hrnnciwsl whir'I1 \\'m‘1! c[In'lL'r| by lhl‘ men of Kent who cimlicnmerl Wllilnm lhur (Jonuncrnr - Said Cllr. Roan: "W'o curry .hIm1 now M n irndilionni uniinlr -slim or uel.'lnncL- and ,0 show lhnt we will nul. lm i'|]|1|'|_':1nI_|Ll Iw overnnlul Civil I-‘I'\'nnln ni ilw !\I|nIulr_\' M ‘r n 1: ti'r.J.sa|.u'_ aid .,.-; .. , \ nqliiaqé-'1. <2“ ' cn1o‘rs§sl,r11llon"VI'nn""‘='- inirlm: ‘ linen’ at '130l|[‘:llKI’JlI. ' irigr.-43¢.-rr.n Ruml Tllnlrici. unuii. wna conulduring n nuon luv Councillor Rcwnt 'T'lu-it this ‘Council l.|l'I:0I'l lhr: ‘- fllnlntry nf Trrinuporl tn rnnlm 11" A2 ruml auto for vchiclgn‘ AL bull: protuntn were plncnrdfl I !l.'.'l?i,iT1"°1i?f'li’ll‘“”i\“11"sliH’l"“1lfifi"‘ill‘i1“ llw prnblmn —— no llrl "we." Arlnr UH: villnfierrx luul lac:-n -nilllnsx down {or 5 rninuturl. 3 |nu||c(}n](|11 ml by Chit.-I’ Eupxicnr. Ilurm. which .-mid: ind pcdcnu-lanai" ‘ ‘ ‘\ _._;_ V - . ...\‘ .. .-mic in walk Ciir. Fl. Mum m L-ry. 1' Fl‘! |'I'l ,\.|§ghnm_ r'['|'|(] n nlui.en|I\nl. frtsln "Si.-uy H . H ;“m_ of Sllun ->yom'n. nrvn ii wrm flute-lo wnllt I!'l¥l'T‘rI2i"'}lt5I“D""l‘|I’\1TII:I""I‘IEkl|'!\' ' 4-rn'r5'|ns: -lmnnnrltmlum in the u i pnvurrlonln. 3‘ Urns 1r}licvmnn'n hnimr,-i wnn |' hnucirr 011' but liwrn wore new i} wx-I'u J1"1fl'|.1 i M l'i:‘|dnr~. ilowuvcr. fnur poo xiv _\'.'r!rr.- l'IlT[:llll!Il run Pnlicu trunl In cit,-nu‘ lhr‘ rnrul Imt In!I!l' hllfi Ilrlnn l.:iwi:=. nvcrc-tnr_\' oi iim l'..l\2 Iirnllp. rrrrhl mmI- or tin-ir If rriNnl:N'rr wrln nrrmilcll. I "1 Imzluaillnri-I lh-':_*.' wr-rn. nur- ::I|1|. , rrrml Cnnlcrlniry mu! ‘IULl\iI‘T i'.'h0 LII'CIl1|?Ll lu Jam in," ( if no an :1. llllu Inutiun . Lip lhlrl High Street or Briclsw in I(v:nl:‘ now It in not. "A by-puns hon horn |II'nI'I1|"fl" _ror the mat zu 3'c:nT‘I¢: II M ‘(loam-ruleiy needed if l1U'?i|i""l5‘ n-aluuu lucid.-nu: mu] no flI'I'£'.."|lflF“r(I m- In; rr-iluvvtl null :IlH||'i- (mm lhi.-i )ru'lnh ‘lilo whole (13 lhu IV.‘ mm: 5; m in: ninth! HM!‘- '[‘hr.' M|.nl.=:1.r_\' of '|'I'lH1-“i‘U'l- rmhl liw uintt-mt-nl. iillll KN ”" lnrllu-r rhurl I.'|\'|||l: llw iu'lmnu- an n-1':~ru~n1-rr uumh:-r nml "11|I|.“* 111- [hut in nil \\'l' t:nn -~!cl“‘l" " Pmnn.-:n-d lay Cllr. l\‘.ummu1_\'. wrus m-cmulml h_\' _ ._1,.“.hl:i~I.- frnm I - '|‘|u- muillln in in In.‘ I‘ tn Hm Cmnu'.|i'rI Liuihilm-, null iplunnlng UuInInIlI._e:-. -'Eslai:a|ished I792 ' -ma EQENTISH CHRO WEDN ESE Registered at rt-Ia Gmcrai P MORE dcnlonstrnlinns like the sit-dow Sundny———\i'hcn 100 people coliipiuicly hi bcing Ihrcnicnud unless the Minister of action In impmvc the "cicmli Imp" road Police are nlre:\d_v preparing for big Lruuble today (WctJ.nen- day) vwhen nnoiher all-llown in due to he -held ul. Boixnliion, wlicra dcrrmnntmmm nlm in b'i‘1ifiIP,‘ the A2 u-nmc to n stami- Ii . Police allowed the A2 Grmm u 1.0-minulc token p1'ntr-st in Bridge I-ligheslreet on Snminf nftcrnoun nml _uurn 20 police- mt‘-n III: an cnrrylng rio.monnLr.'1- turn to I. I3 imvcml.-plzu. Some irrrniodintciy uni. (Em-an in the 'l'0l'\li ugnln nml Emir pm It! were !l.'l:‘1'L':llE'{L Pnliro srihl on londnt' lhni tin-y would he rIer\.'u(l \\‘ til r:umn1nn:Ir-.t'.-—-lull dr.-cllnocl in N15’ whnl ofiarncc-:1 were Delhi: nllcsrrxl. Mr‘. Brian Lrrwi.-z. «mo of lhn argnnlsm-n oi’ tin: prnir.-Ii. .-mid inter: "Tlioae who wan‘-: l'll'l'l.'EllI.‘Ii were not mnnrint-m of the :\'.E (Irons. I unrhustnnd Hwy Wl‘|’(‘ main! I.‘!‘!|‘~fI"O1\l L‘rmtt:rbm-_~.' nmi Duver—wl1o tleuidunl to win in?‘ And ht‘ rII‘0r1'\|!n.‘('l fllrlllnar nation hy the Group Imill lhn Mininlr-_v hr-r.-Inu In lru-kin im- .-\2 pmlslem. "'[‘h:-ru will In- ruurn ll 0 m cl H Lei I'll! in l\ in ," lu- wurncct "‘.‘\r'L~ (la rust imumi in I‘:'1Il:" h‘n\\‘." 'EiL1r1Ll:\_v':a pruir-all itnl ulT wilh n lmrII1~—nn twn turn rulihiu--I ill llifl ,IlIn:‘t|Im nf $‘nll'ix|~mu'u-‘ Lnnn nml. the r\'..‘ _in:II In-l‘urn lln_- 11rnl0.‘|l. was «luv to .-aluri. "'I‘lun lmminun mvzy rln\.'," .-mill (mu villup-_ur wim u-rwriml l.| |IlIl1I\E‘l‘ zsnylm: "'i‘!u- .\'.l in :1 1'lt‘IlllvIrnp_" Tim‘ |n|'oli-vii \\-nu lmi luv rhi- }'|‘l\|"l3|-ll (‘lir. 1\1!'I'\-ti. “l“i.'|. n furnicr l of Iinnr "For prolmill I lm\'L- hn.\'o lor- nrrzlat n :19 he rm Lhu mm i.-'\l.1nu1. children pmillnn umi uno Uuiiw: Runs .--.n liu.‘ uhl w.!\_ "'1-6' I‘1L|—j lI'S t . l rtdge :cd twice thlrs week It sat down in the 1-: over rrnflu; unn- .. md told the Britlgu NOTIFY Illrrlcli, l'rnm ' on Pt-nlln, wort,- In nml briulgea to l collapse but were penny townrdn {ho ccmtn. ;or:1 cheered his amnmllng that the lm_ the mud ante ple lo UNI, ed the nlt-down zmil, nppnnlud In the :1 to move on, Cllr. "ed a pm which he ta tnhu for hln an, "I must not he .- 10 minutes." he 1 xonlly rnrrlcd to It by two potluc- zun in-otcstlng con- fur six years nntl nwhere," he mid. 2 lost my pntlnnce nrrmst mo ll’ they Ilcemen were lured - mad at Brit] 1:. llmrt Hophlms an :1: wropnred to nllnw mite tolten protcnt tool: actldn when to move after ed nroreement.-I were no dnninnntrnturn .-ldge HI;-;h ;Sl.rent. ' banners at enru hat lnched through 0 people who lint] :l the 150 who llnd ned up for n ro- hmugh the vll ngu dlsper.-zed without mt. led oak In-nncht-21 mrrled by um men chnllemzetl Wllllnrn I‘ Roan: "We curl? ml n trndltlonnl not defiance and t ‘we will not. ho ove-_rrIal(t Clvll lllo Mlnlnlry or #:.'.;°.ll§*.'- nasa- en’ at'*'H‘IBoufl1tori. Rurnl Dla rlcl. ems, eonuldorin n Cmmclllnr ' oar: Zounell urlzca tho Prnnsport to make safe for veh:lcln:.'s_. l .-.3?/J n" .‘ I.__ ,‘ ummury. from I It ntntemom. {Him which nnltl: "Slxty wrut ante-to wullc agpcet or I3:-logo r it In not. I‘ Ivan been rlrornlnurl 20 yearn: it neded ‘If ucclglentn educed and ul>IlI't rlnh the whole at go [no rnnde nnfe.' -. or 'l'rnnnrmrt. amcnt, had not no giving; the schema nurnhtrr M111 flllv" wu cnn ezprc y Cllr. Mumvnvry. wag pr,-cnntled by vey. from Ends!"- In to In: ra-l‘u:rrI.-ll ctr: Bulldlmr nntl Imltlen. n_'g'\l\].-‘ 5 A 1 . .'Es+al_aIished I792‘ ‘ No.’ 12,836 d, M - THE K_ENTl5H Cl-lRONlCL_E and EAST KENT INDEPENDENT . ' WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27. I96‘? 7 Registered at the General Post Omen as : newspaper. Inland Postage 4d." THREEPENCE MORE dczuorlstrmions like the sit-down protest :1: Bridge on Sunduy—wl1cn I00 people completely hlockcdtllr: :\2—:lrc now being threatened unless the Minister of 'I‘rrmsport mkrs rapid nation to.improvc the “death trap" rond. Pollco are nlrendy-preparing tor blg trouble todny (Wednes- day) when another alt-down Is due to lit: ‘held at Bonghton. where demon.-atrntorn rum to btrlwg the All tmrllc to n mund- n l 0 Fallen allowed the A2 Group 11 10-rnlnuto tulmn protest In Brldge High-Street on Sundny afternoon ‘and -,Uu2n 20 pol|cc- men he nn cnrljrlrlg demonstra- rom to. o ptwcmv.-pin. some lmmedlutuly not down in the mud ngnln nnd tour ‘pco lc were urrostctl. I-"olleo nnitl on londur that they would be served wlll summom4en—lmt dcclinctl .to any wlmt plfunceu were belhx alleged. Mr. Brlnn Lewln, one of tho I nrgnnlaers or the protest, amid . lo er: "Thane who were nrrcnted |' were not members or tl1e A2 . Gran . I understand they were ; auutl om_—from Cnnterbury and |_ Ilo\.'er—wl:a decided to join in." | And_ he promised furllmr | netlon by the Group nntll the Mlnlntry heglnu to lnel-ale‘ the A2 problem. "t'T'horol wlll lu- morn: omens rnt one." 1(- -wnrnfid. "'We.du not lntenrl to rentl ow." ‘ . f 5Slindl'l.y'n protest gel. 011' wlll: [ n bflll‘|Z~nlli two fcnrig rfollllrllml M the uncl on o n rx murno Lane and the A2 just hefore the ; protest wnn due to alert. . ' "'l‘lmt happens every day.’ fluid one vlllnnor who carried ll l1umu|er nnyinp; "Tlm A2 In It 4 out vtrrnp." I Tim‘ Irolmll. wm: lull hy GI]- ' your-ol ‘Cllr. Alfred Rorm, :1 runner nt Bnrhrtm nnd ‘member of Kent County CDll.hI.'l . "I-‘or nix yours 1 have been prolerttlng couutltutlonnlly and I hI1ve' nnt noxvllnru. Now h|'I.\'tl loat pntlencu and they run arrest me ll their llhe," ho fiIl[Ll'. nu he not down n the centre of the mud. ‘ ' .Al:out 100 men, women um! r-.l1ll1lrun jolned hlrn on tur- prtullnn npruntl ucrolm the mud, rmd unother lfill rltood wnteltlnn. Ufilflf: u lnndnnenker. Cllr. Rum nnltl. "We urn slttlng on the old Romrm brldgu thnt gnva Cllr. llnnn null] tllnt he \\'l'lEI Ilxlmcllng the Rector of Ilnrhnm to nrrlvo to hold a short nor- vlea and ruzlmd those nltllnlr (town to may where they were. But. then Iotm. Charles Bald- win, with :1 loud h:Ll_lcr. on- nauncod: "You hnvo been all- tln down (or ‘ID mlnulcn; The Po cu now request you to clear the rand. or ll wlll be necessary lo tnku name nctlon." . - ' Nobo:ly»mm-rd uxeupt rt group‘ or .20_ pnlloemon and J:ollce~ ugamnn. who‘u.-ere grcete wlth learn and crlon‘of "Here come the l3-Slanelnlu." _ Cllr. u.-tn'a.nnotmcct1:"'1' how: to trtko J1 ll! l)eel1u:1a Df my l1er|rL com! tlon. I um tnhlnpr the pill now nnd I'mtmt not be dinturbed for 10 mlnuteu." ' G()UPc'TIl.Y LANES ' Police had heen opcrntlnr: Lrufllc tllvurnlonn lhrou l1 coun- try lnnen .wlIl|u they 11 lowed a. 10-minute protcnl. but an cum tm M1‘ to loch tholr wny Into the wt use. thn'Pollco be an curry- ln nmonutrntom o the rand. ‘hie! Supt. Albert I-lophlnn, In charge of tho Cnntorbunr Dlvl- lslon. ruld: "Wu were prepared lo rtllow_lhem :1 JD-mlnttto ult- down nnd only molt. action when they re uueal to move after that.‘ . An llm lm.nnur-wuvlm: crowd rulllc-d.nrauml lhu 1-Iluh Street. . n.u.nmI])ulnnco nrrlved with blue llght luuhlng to ofl‘m- guuulntnncu ln Cllr. Rona. Cllr. Roan stud he ltm-w nolllinyr nhuut rm llI'I'|lJ\l- lance nnd‘rulunctl tu p;I!1. lnnlde --und lt drovtvtuvny. C Demonntrnlorn clnlmetl tho amhulnnuu hml huen culled by lhn Pullco uu Ill! can wn. nf I‘l"l'l'lt.'lV|l'll-{ Cllr. Ilnau gut Clnlot Supt. llopltlnu deulml thin. Mnny at tho plncnnln cnrrlml lay demnnntrnturn nuhl: "M|n.|... try nltn on tho ll"1Jl)II.'Ill—llIfI do wa." nml the nnninrlty of puoplu lultlnn pnrt rnrr ed Ollll lwhgn. lCI'1N'l'I.‘lll SKIN | n the village .*.2.=-?‘Jf'..§i...."°"s .""“Z“‘ I carried lay li.'l‘fln$lId: mghnllsnxcd ‘William * 1'. Rant‘ "Wc-- ear ' r.....'.*.. :....‘a'.:.'.''''.‘:.. hair; ..'..*«ut ...'.t he .- lav-0 ‘.r.‘nnld. ca i I--nl If‘ trio 5:, at . ‘nil:-ihio:i."Iv'l u:‘Rural Dis rlct \f"""(_-':'.g'.6-1I§|%i1fiiil?“?1I‘:*|1.Bl3B|‘Is|i' 3.‘ an ‘- rs-ms t . .i!.!"£‘rsn:poriu to-mung; ,. -ed sate !or'vcl:.lci .. we-':i sik ' ' ' " ' Hummer-y. from read a. tatcmont from . which .ss|d: “Sixty. it won ni.'e~to -walk Iigh Street of Bridge new it is not-. - is: has been promised Inst 20 -years: ii. ii if needed ‘it ncci onto 1 reduced and art. arish the whole of a to be made safe." nintry of Transport. Iintement. had xot no an giving the scheme :1: number and "may- nli we can expect." 1 by Glir. Mummery. II'l was seconded by hiricy. from Bridae. lion in to he referred ouneii'a Building and Committee. .QZ*lZ? '9' -‘-""""' for _ where. demonstrators aim to '-warned. "We.do. not‘ i_nt‘cncl to ‘the Junction or Patrixhourne Lnn I‘.--..-.; Vavnosu-VI nu. nnu—un. nun . . . .i:feinfi_'th'rentehcd units?‘-the.-iiiit nistttr of ‘I‘ransport"tniurr:g-' ._H‘ri(.'t'ti? MEARS commenced this two-year Contract in August, 1974. Now, in spite of the set- backs brought about by the first wet winter, they have completed the 3.6km. by-pass PLUS a 2.01-rm. extension at the eastern end {total value exceeding £3Ml. two months ahead of the original Contract completion date. This has involved the excavation of about 1,000,000 cubic metres of earth, the con- struction of {ive major bridges, and other tcilliarv structures. .25,0D0 tonnes of road construction mater‘ tals have been imported to form the twin lane, dual carriageway to carry the HGEIW Continental traffic around the village ol BRIDGE. in order to limit the amount of dI5ruDl|0f'I 10 village life during the Contract, no construc- tion traffic has used the lanes connecting these surrounding villages. The completed work has been designed to blend into the surrounding coUnlrY5ld9- Th“ is particularly noticeable in the Bilrons Park area where surplus excavated material has been used to disguise the embankment on which the road has been built. In the area adiacent to :he Highland Court Hospital the road is built In acutting and tiallic will pass virtually unnoticed. One of the leatures which has enabled the increased volume or work 10 be completed at this early date has been the spirit of co- operation between K.C.C. and |\i'IEARS' site stall producing an atmosphere ol real team- work The contract was for the Kent C.C. (County Surveyor Mi. Allen Smith), acting as Agents for the D.O.E. With the tpening of BRIDGE BY-PASS. MEARS have, during the last three years, provided 174m. of dual carriageway between the eastern end of the M2 and the Channel ports, a rmior contribution to the trunk road system in Kent, and relief for the vtllages pretiouslv choked with Continental traffic. at.....-.._.. t 4.30pm on Inn: 29, 1916, Mo: Angela Bartlett led her Shetland pony Dandy down the steep hill, put the church and into the village high street of Bridge in Kent. It was a symbolic gesture - two houn previously it would have been suicidal. To understand why, one only had to read the httttd-written placard tied to the pony’: tail! ‘Farewell '1‘IRn' it said. But then it was a day for sym- bolic gesturm for the 1500 residents of Bridge. After lrl years of campaign- ing they had finally got rid of the big trucks which had brought death, dcatrttction and disruption in in- creasing doses over the past. 20 years. New Bridge has its by-pass to take the ntnin A2 — London to Dover- inter- national long-haul trallic away from the housc, shops and the narrow High Street. It had never been designed to cope with the strain of carrying a heavy TIR, let alone the two—tt-minute average, day and night, which increasing trade with Europe had brought. For Angela Bartlett the by—pnss meant that the village was now safe for her seven-year-old daughter to ride through, iust. as she had done at the same age. For 65-year-old Harry I-lawltins it meant that the village would once again bear some resem- blance to the sepia posttztrd in his photo album showing his news- ttgc.nt’ael1opnndjnat one 1920: tar in an otherwise deserted main street. For Mrs Freshman it meant that she could once again, trundle her splendidly vintage electric betltelutir down Bridge Hill to visit some friends. "Even after the war I tuned to eorne down in It pony and cart but it's years since I've been down to Bridge on my own — this thing would have been squashed in no time." It was the death oft: 66-year-old loud perutioner, George Smith, in January 1962 that started the Bridge By-Pass Campaign. Smith, a patient from the local geriatric hospital, had walked to the village to buy sweets and cigarettes for the bedridden old folk. Just as he stepped out of I-lnwltins‘s shop hewnsknoclted down by :t van and killed. Such things happen. But it higltlighte-cl the increas- ing traffic danger for all residents who were not no nimble on their pins. Geogrnphicttlly Bridge was an inevitable disaster area. When the Romans oonstructed Wading Street tut the principal link between London and their main supply port of Dover they laid it out in a straight line. Three miles south of Canterbury the road drops down into a valley to cross the Nail Boutne before climb- ing again to Bttrltnm Downs. The bridge at the river crossing gave its name to the small community which over the year‘; stntddled the track- tvny through the valley bed, one of those comforting blends" of medi- tteval, Georgian and Victorian housts and cottages which nutnrtged to avoid being overtaken by bungalow- mania. Bridge prospered: before the last war 3-1 small butincsscs tltrivcd there. Of all the surrounding vil- lages, Bridge war: easy to get to and avoided the e.'rtr.'.l trele into Canter- bury. There isn't a main road in the country that hnsn’t seen an increase in trallic How ever the past 20 years. Bridge‘: problem wrmft so much the volume of ttrtllie but the weight. Increased trade with the Common Market and new ferry and harbour facilities in the Kent ports had brought sharp increase in heavy lorries to the A2 route and its towns rtntl vilhtgen. During llte late Sixties, TIR Lrnflie through the Channel porn; tvztt growing at the rate of almost 40 per cent. It year until in 1975 2l32,0Cl(l TIE! passed through Dover and liulltestune, 90 per cent. of which were using the AZIMZ linlt to htndon. 1lridge'tt problem-t were three- lbltl. Trtt|T:t: entering the village from either direction had to descend a steep Itill with a heavier than not- nml risk of brake failure or Inn of cotttml. Any lntclt driver who knew the road would also know that he'd have u steep climb out of the villngt: and woultl want to stt-ttaitt :t1ntuen- tum. littrtltenttnte. tl)',l|l in the centre of the village the road nnrmwcnl to It tnnrdnuutt of l‘l‘l't. (tin. — I“? insufficient for two 't'IRs t without mounting the pnveme The vilhtget-.t have always little sensitive about their problems. Ilnrry llnwltins 1' bus complaints about the t horses in Edwttrdittn times. 1 the Twenties the villagers had [end with an eccentric locztl. Zbomwslzi, and his success monster ‘Chitty Chitty Bang mrs whiclt friglttcrted their The idea of :t by-p-.ms II.":I mooted In the late liil'lit."t b councillor .t\lft't.'d R055, but Smith‘: death to produce cu: action. John l"ur\‘_lJese'5 house 5:! on the A2, across the road fr Smith necitlcnt. lie \vu.~‘._ at: worried: "At the time '1 l1: young children and it btnuglt to me the drusgrrs of the tr both young and old — we lm-c the highest proportion: of 0 Kent." Purchcse wrutc lette wrote tu coundllurst. count; uers, lt\t.';tl tmpen. lie wtul Cfll'lL‘CTl'lE\i. rt.-aitleut. tukittg could be done. lltiatt Lcwta 5 of the letters in tltt: loud pa] nuttle contract with l‘un.'he.\c his help. “lt wet the brgit‘ [IE insufficient for two TIRs to pass without mounting the pavement. The villagers have always been a little "sensitive about their traffic . problems. Harry Hawkins remem- bers complaints about the trotting horses in Edwardian times. Then in the Twenties the villagers had to con- tend with an eccentric local, Count Zborowski, and his succession of monster ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ cars which frightened their horses. The idea of a by-pass was first mooted in the late Fifties by local councillor Alfred Ross, but it took Smith’s death to produce concerted action. John Pm-c.hese’s house sat right on the A2, across the road from the Smith accident. He was naturally worried: “At the time I had five young children and it brought home to me the dangers of the trafiic to both young and old — we have one of the highest proportions of OAPs in Kent.” Purchese wrote letters. He wrote to councillors, county plan- ners, local papers. He wrote as a concerned resident, asking what could be done. Brian Lewis saw one of the letters in the local paper and made Contact with Purchese to offer his help. “It was the beginning,” HOW THE BATTLE WAS WON p 1962 January: pensioner George Smith is killed by a van. John Purchase starts letter campaign. Brian Lewis joins forces. 564 sign peti- tion to Minister of Transport. 1963 April: two lorries hit East Kent bus. Villagers erect banner: ‘SLOW, PEOPLE LIVE HERE’. They also died there: since 1959 eight people had died, 49 had been injured between Bridge Hill and Town Hill. Demonstrators from local youth club distribute leaflets to motorists. 1964 . March: 150 villagers block Easter trafiic. June: a carnage carnival includes coffins and an efligy 01 Transport Minister llllarples-fast asleep. Bridge By-pass campaign enlarges to become A2 Group. sharp lesson, as canterbury lll.P. sir Leslie Thomas denounces Group as undemocratic. commit- tee must be elected. it is. 1965 August: lorry's brakes tail: ten‘ vehicles are shunted,- six people injured. lllinishy will spend £§m widening A2, but no mention ct by-pass. Major accidents miracu- lously cease. Apathy sets in. 1969 August: 100 people stage first sit-down; tour arrested. Another village follows suit. campaign appears to be marking time, waiting for fresh impetus. 1972 May: meat truck demolishes a Bridge shop. Driver dies. 300 protesters block traflic. New ll!.P. David crouch meets Kent plan- ners. Demonstrators lobby Minis- try. August: traflic census shows Bridge High Street is 2} times overloaded. In October. a thou- . sand people block A2 for an hour. Government announces intention to by-pass Bridge. ~ 1973 lllareh: 40 mph limit placed on Bridge’s two hills. Motoring Which survey pronounces Bridge the winner-tor traflic noise. close by village, juggernaut kills three soldiers. l'll.P. Grouch forces adjournment debate on A2 chaos. Lewis and Purchese meet Under- secretary in commons bar, which works wonders. By year's end, work on scheduled by-pass is underway. 1976 June: by-pass opens. There’: dancing in the—empty- streets. REALITY says Lewis, “of a 14-year Tweedle- dum and Tweedledee act." Certainly it looked an unlikely alliance: Lewis was 18, living where he’d been born, right by the A2, while Purchase was a relative newcomer, a local printer and 37-year-old family man. Fourteen years is a long time in anyone’s life but in protest group terms it's about seven times the going average. “Most groups," says Lewis, “manage only two years before apathy or political or personal dis- sent creeps in. We’ve sustained this campaign through sheer grass-roots love of the village. I was born here. My mother still lives on the main road. I love this place—and I was prepared to fight for it.” Neither Purchase nor Lewis now Lives on the A2. Purchese, now into his early fifties, leads a quieter exist- ence in nearby Bekesbourne. Lewis, now married and a quantity surveyor, has a new bungalow off the main road at the top of the notorious hill. But, despite the international pub- licity which the cause has attracted, it’s always been strictly a local pm- test, succeeding without the help of the semi-professional environmental heavies. You can learn a lot, too, in 14 years. “If we knew then what we I into their ‘a: set next to :1 i o.t‘Bri.;ige I-‘.-L : bend. .-L._ ...- . 1-.-.... nto their brick and timber cottage, 4 .-met rn 9-1-no r~l1nrrl1 at the hnttnm know now we could have done it in half the time,” claims Lewis. “We just started out as angry residents - we'd no idea which channels to take." They quickly learnt that their initial polite written requests for in- formation were easily brushed off: “When you're dealing with bloody- minded county or minisuy officials you’ve got to be equally bloody- " You've got to demand, not ask.” Asthetwoprimetnoversinthe oiunpaign, Lewis and Purchese also atnfacted the mistrust and disappro- val that often accompanies anyone who stands up and makes demands or expresses an opinion. Much of the village was openly hostile to their early eflorts. A petition in 1962, expressing alarm to the Minister of Transport, produced only 564 people who were willing to be counted. It had negligible efiect. However, the campaign organisers were learning that they needed impact to back their .argument and to apply pressure. In 1963 the demonstrations started, beginning with a protest march by 50 youth club members to drive home the accident statistics of the previous four years. By this time, it was eight killed and 49 injured in the village. ‘i’/[4/«‘ . .4 — is ’/awe/zit’/A : it it I carnage carnival: part _’ I a19 demote k J‘-"U-3 U1 P-IULCSI.-5, E1 Dy-pass W35 OPCIIECI. IVIZCHCZEI IIIH {C113 HOW U15 V1U.i:15CI.'?.i El.-lal..’a..l.I..I.C..a...t . ." i_. 1 -6" ' § _ _ _ - _‘ —'-if r--. eep death of! the High Stree The following Easter, 150 marching villagers blocked holiday traflic. Among them were symbolic horses ’h.I1Cl coffins, and Mrs Rose Wonfor, now 75 and a Bridge resident for 50 years: “I pushed my young grandson in a pushchair to stop the u-aflic," she says, “and I’ve carried banners and sat down in the road. Must have had "some effect, mustn’t it? When I moved here you could here a pin drop in the High Street. All dilferent now, my dear. It’s like being in another world with these big trucks. A wonder we haven’: all been killed,” Mrs Wonfor says. However emotive demonstrations may be, however poignant the ges- tures (there was an effigy of the Transport Minister in bed ‘asleep to the needs of Bridge’), direct action is onlyeflhctiveifitmnbeusedto apply pressure where it can gain most support In Bridge’s case it was clear that any decision alfecting village would be part of a much wider assessment of road needs along the whole non-motorway section of i the A2. So the Bridge By-pass Cam- paign bemme the A2 Group with the declared aim of making the road ‘fit to take the type of traflic it is going to have to take in the future’. With 1600 houses facing directly on to the A2 the newgroup oould call on wider support. It also attrac- ted stronger opponents: the local M.P., the late Sir Leslie Thomas, publicly deuounoed the group as undemocratic — no-one had bothered to formally elect a committee or ofiicers and it was easy to imply that Purchese and Lewis were a couple of unlawful nuts. The group persevered, grafting away to produce every little scrap of publicity fi:om every accident or official statement. And there were plenty of accidents. In August 1965 a truck’s brakes failed on Bridge Hill carrying 10 vehicles with it and in- iuring six people. That was the yur Bill and Joyce Rose moved D-+ left of the into the gutted rubble of the shot). i bedroom spilling down with placing an illegal advertisement. I'm not Droud of that — but I‘d do it : . deluged with requests for help from ‘ residents all nvrr the nnnnrrv an.:--rv l...I.J\-LL \r(olnI.I-Ar-VII-la-9’ II hm Mkllsible elfect. However, the nmlflifll Ofxinisul were learning 11-1! may needed impact in back their -'1'E||1'-nth! Ind to apply pressure. In 1963 the demonstrations started, beainningwitr. a protestmarchbyfill youth club tnernbera to drive home the accident statistics of the previous 7°‘-'1' l?W-'|- 3? this I:'u:ne, it was eight killed and 49 injured in the village. The following Banter, 150 matching villagers blocked holiday tralfic. 1'l-mung then: were symbolic horses ind 0055113: and Mrs Rose Woofer, now ‘I5 and a Bridge resident for 50 years: "I pushed my young grandson in a pushchair to stop the indie," she says, "and I've carried banners and Ill’ down in the road. Must have had some elfect, mustn't it? When I moved here you could here a pin drop in me High Street. All tlilTerent now, my dear. It's like being in another world with these big, trucks. A wondtr we haven't all been killed," Mr! Wonfor says. However emotive demonstrations may be, however poignant the ges- tttres (there was an elligy of the Transport Minister in bed ‘asleep to into their brick and timber cottage, set next to the church at the bottom ol“.Brldge Hill on a barely perceptible bend. They went there because they loved the cottage with its long garden overspilling with hollyhoelrs, del- pltlniutns and London Pride. But _ they reckoned without the trucks. In ll years the Roses‘ cottage has been hit 10 times. They've been hit by trucks, cars, caravans-Bill Rose once chased ll lorry all the way no . Canterbury to retrieve his guttcring from its lead. Now they have a red and yellow striped siguboard to mark the most vulnerable corner of the un- prepossessing grey cottage (well, it looks grey, but the last time it was painted it was cream). Outside the oottage the pavement narrows to 15 inches wide. Accidents were becorrting corn- tnonplaoe ln Bridge and, ironically, the more there were, the more the campaign’: impetus flagged. "At one time a couple of accidenbdamagcd cars would provoke press comment and pictures," says Lewis. "Gradu- ally the shock value diminished and people inst accepted it as one nfthusc things." The sis: years from l966 to 1972 would have deterred less dogged tntmpttigncn than Lewis, Purebcsc and their supporters. After the early rabble-rousing, there was an almost total lack of ollicial action to show for it. A hundred people sat down in the road in 1969-four were even at-rt-.-.ted for the cause. But despite the gottding and the posturing, 5 nothing positive resulted. Lewis admits that even the vil- : lagers were prepared to give up on . him at this time. "Many people thought we were crying for the moon when they saw nothing was happen- ing." It was this limbo period which I the protesters feel they could, with hindsight, have reduced; they were learning about diplomacy and finding their way around tlte corridors of power in the Kent County Council offices and at Westminster. Most important, they had won their new M.P. round to their demands. But they needed I fresh stimulus to dmm . up support and entttusiasm. in May , 1912 they got it. On the night of May . 26 9. Swiss-hound meat truckcareerctl through the front ofa general store in Bridge High Street, killing the driver. The shop owner's daughter, Angel a. was sleeping in the front bed- room ovcr the shop and woke up sandwiched hatdbetwccn thcwrccltati ‘ truck and the wall, with what was left of the bedroom spilling down into the gutted rubble of the shop. This was the emotive trigger that the A2 Group needed. On the some day villagers received printed leaflets with photographs of the crash. Two days later, 300 Bridge resident: sat down to block the A2. In the same month, an emergency meeting was held between the new M.P. David Crouch and the Kent planners. As they met demonstrators protested. Another demo took place at the Ministry of Transport. And yet another in Dover, backed by letters to the transport ministers ofall EEC countries warning them of the danger to foreign nationals using the Bridge route. By now M.P. Crouch was heavily backing the by-pass eampa.ign,thoug,h not condoning the civil disobedience. As a result the Transport Ministry sent an envoy down in September to report on the A2. Lewis and Pur- dtcsc sustained the pressure on Crouch by demonstrating the weight of support for their cause amongst his constituents. Croudi may not have liked their metltot.ls—hut he couldn't ignore the villagers‘ rnssagc. In the same month Lewis and Purchcse placed ntlvertistsmcnta in the local paper on support for another demonstration — another sit- down to block the traffic. The demo was peaceful but purposeful. "We told the police we were going to block the road," Lewis says. "We've had very good support from our police, even when we've been break- ing the law. Many of there are local lad.s—a.nd it's they who've had to come and clear up the mess when there was an accident." To turn their point home, the A2 Group called another sit-down in October I972. This time over 1000 villagers sat down and blocked the A2 for an hour. Village old timers like Harry Hawkins ibined in: “I was fighting for my home, my life, my everything," he says. Five-year-old Nicholas Millyard sat down holding a placard. Nice, mlddlrrclass parents, whose protesting voice normally ex- tended no fttrther than n pained blcnt about increased school fees, sat down too; Bridge had made its poi.nt. "The demo! and the sit-downs were necessary," Lewis clnints; “they were necessary to apply the pressure. Some ofus have u'lI11lt1|llI'I:O0l't.l.I in result--I was charged with conspir- ing to incite menztbcn of the commu- oily, with ottstmction and -I—)- with plating on illegal advertisement. I'm not proud of that — but I'd do it again." , David Crouclvnow concedes the itnportancr: of the den-tnnsuations. "An M.P. can make as much noise as he likes in Pnrliarncnt, but he must be able to show that his constituents are concerned and angry, too. Here we had a responsible pressure group prepared to stand up for its rights." It cannot be wholly coincidence that the tough talking of October _ 1972 was followed within weeks by the nrtnouttcetncnt of a provisional ' Bridge by-pass route. But as many ' protest groups know to their cost, rt statement of intent can be years _ away from reality and for the A2 Group, 1973 was a year for turning wordsjnto action. "We couldn't have done it without our M.l".," Lewis admits. "An M.l". can put down parliamentary questions in the House -and these cannot be ignored. David Crouch put down question after question, rlehte after debate, on our behalf. That's what gets results-private individuals writing letters to nameless olficials can't get ruultt in that way." In July '73 Crouch forced on ndiottrnment debate on the A2 prob- lem and brought Lewis and Pur- chetc to the Commons to meet Keith Speed, then Under-Secretary of State for the Envirocttncnt over in- formal drinks in the members’ bar. "We probably achieved more at that meeting than through any other action in our campaign," says Lewis. The following trtontlt l.ltc by-pass route was fixed. Less than three years later elated villagers outside the Plough and Harrow were handing it pint of real English beer to the driver oft: Polish refrigerator t:ruck- the lust TIR in Bridge. Four days later the entire village street was closed for n By-Pass Bonanza, a festival to mark the and of the danger, the noise and the dirt, and the return of village life. "Bridge would have got its by-pass without us," say Purcltese and Lewis, prag- maticnlly. "But when? Thousands of road schemes have been planned, re-planned and then shelved. What we have done is to get our by-pass on schedule; without the pressure it could have been years away. Our fight hasn't been against the truclts or the truck drivers, but against the authorities who have failed to provide the roads for them to travel on." M I.ewisandl’\trcl1escarcnutvD'*}- l 1 . unlawful nuts. The group persevered, grafting away to produt: every little scrap of publicity from every accident or oillcial statement. And there were plenty of accidents. In Augtnt 1965 a truck‘: brakes failed on Bridge Hill carrying to vehicles with it and at. juring six people. That was the year Bill and Joyce Rose moved I-> deluged with requests for help from residents all over the country angry over similar problems. They aren't interested in becoming a kind of John Tyme double act, popping up at enqttiries in all manner of protests. - But they are happy to pass on their gttidclinu for suite-ssfitlprutrst. I "First you must have an elected comtuittcc- otherwise oppo- ncnts will say you aren't representa- live. I "Then you'll need rt printer on the committee for the paperwork, or at least know of one sympathetic to the cause. 0 "You'll need some funds - we raised money from door to door and street collections. But play it straight and get pertnisaion from the police. We've never added up what we've spent personally. but our individual ‘phone bills have been £30-40 a mouth! 0 "You must begin by getting your M.P. on your side-but keep polltit: out of it. We've made sure that the :12 Group has represented all Parties - it’s important that you're speaking as concerned rtsidenut or constituents,‘ not following a Party line. Anything you do should put pressure on him to work on your behalf. 0 "Be positive: never take no for an nnswcr— and never let up, other- wise support will fizzle out." Lewis and Purchase admit to a sense ofunreality new that the l-I years of elfort are finished. "When I walked into Bridge the day till: trallic was switched away, it was like Alice and the other side of the look- ing glass," says Purchesc. Lewis just felt completely Hat. ''I couldn't believe that we'd actually done it. Even a fortnight later my wife said, ‘You're still planning that wretched road‘. And it was true . . ." _' ‘k * ‘Ir * air Five months after the by-pass opening, Bridge is a diiferent platz. It may not yet resemble that sepia- dntcd Twenties‘ postcard, but the Kransfomtation is tangible. Next to the church the Roses‘ cottage shines with new Snnwcertt. Hawkins‘: news- agents has its long promised face-lift. so have the two hairdressers‘ shops and a culturing of little cottages closest to the uanow section of the village. And was it lust ll diplomatic gu- ntre on sornebody's part that Bridge has just received an award for the best kept large village in Kentii - -.. .:i.,-;:.;;:i_z;.-t.i‘:é i . J - - _ . I .. . QASS Bo . I I F‘ A ‘It B4 B R I n GE A cel'ebratIng_the re"r'rIov'D].|_ of heavy: tr.'Af.‘I'.i.'¢-‘i=?'?1‘.'f‘7J:i"I1"7_Bi'.?l:‘-|9«:B:g i . - ‘ 1.45 — 2.30 MORRIS DANCING THE WANTSUM.M0FIR-l_SM)EAN- I_ k_ t.___ FOLK DANCING THE‘ RAMSGA'TE‘.FO'|,"_K DANCE?-c:i;L%JI3' . 2.15 CHURCH BELLS PEAL ' '”' ' . * 2.20 _ CARNIVAL PARADE moves off from Conyngham~_Lane..; 2.30 OFFICIAL OPENING by DAVID GFIOUCH, 'M.P. ‘ Master of Ceremonies: MALCOLM MITCHELL. The OPENING takes place bythe Bridge. % A 3.00 TEA PARTY In Vicarage Grounds for Senior Citizens. ' ‘ PARTY in Green Court for Primary School Children. "i 3.15 DECOFIATED PFIAM RACE: Start by the Plough and I Harrow; route, High Street, Western_Avenue, the Ford 1, _ 'i Brewery Lane, finishing at the Bridge In the High Street. 3.30 I MARCHING DISPLAY in the High Street by the Band of ' 5th Battalion, THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT (T.A.V.FI.) I 4.00 MAYPOLE DANcIN_G in the High street. 3 4.30 MAJORETTE DISPLAY In the High Street by the CAFIOUSSELS. . I 5.00 RAFFLE RESULTS, corner of Western Avenue and the 3 High Street. DUST BIN RACE. MANY STALLS AND SIDESHOWS MAJOR ATTRACTIONS ‘BRIDGE THROUGH THE AGES’ Exhibition in the Village Hall. VILLAGE BLACKSMITH A POTTER AT HIS WHEEL ANTIQUES MARKET LOCALLY MADE JEWELLERY BY-PASS COMMEMORATIVE MUGS STRAWBEFIRIES (subject to avaiiabitity) lCE-CREAM RAFFLE AND TOMBOLA 0 Information and announcements centre by the Bridge. See the map on the back.............. 4 ‘Z 'n Brldge ,‘a.., _ . ifJ'\'F;“'lV.|5-;.;J'l|.;5"] - .. ,:. ...-- s_'...'. I ‘ .’ J: ‘gr-1 \:\.\frI And a picture which sums up all that had been achieved — a quiet village street where groups can safely walk and talk. with the church of St. Peter's. Bridge. celebrating its Patronal Festival in the background. Let us remember that the Archbishop of Canterbury. Dr. Donald Co gan. wrote to us at the beginning of the year SEIYIFIQ he knew how pleased and thankful we would e when the by-pass we-:; opened, and hoping it wou cl act as a stimulus to rediscovering a sense oi community- 10 On Saturday July 3rd the Bonanza celebrations were opened by the NLP. Mr. David Crouch. who came over specially to the village to join the crowds out to enjoy themselves. He said that the village should be proud of its achievement in gaining the by-pass, and having enjoyed itself at the Bonanza should try to re-establish the village cornmunity. This last comment was echoed by the Bishop of Dover, the Fit. Flev. Anthony Tremlett, at the special service of thanks ivina held the following evening at St. Peter's Church. He said that we lived in a divided worlg, an Bridge well knew what that meant in the past. Now was the chance to build a really happy united community. The village was lull 01 people of good will. ‘Rise to the challenge’ he concluded ‘because you cant’. The pram race was won by a team from Very many of the older villagers had at Canterbury Ru by Club. The pusher who tea party which was set up under an did all the wor was Hugh Bothweli. awning along the Vicarage dr|Ve_ BRIDGE-COMMUNITY JOY AT THE OPENING OF THE BY-PASS ON JUNE 29th, AND THE BONANZA HELD ON JULY 3rd The Vicar, Canon Colin Perry, leads the prayers for all who use the new by-pass. Hm Minissier also cu! :1 cake whlch was D“ Joh" G"b0H. Hm Ministnr. with his in Hue .'sh:uJr: of [he vl_|l::_r;e and H10 road. hands full _ ;. r(}C;]|,(;i[r_1n[ mm“ mum It -Nu!-. m:;rJr_: by Mrs. i;IIz:1Im1h Purchrssa and n pnlr oi scissors — UH1Ci.\H\,r opens and her rnothnr Mrs. /\vr:r‘1| Norton. [he new road W.‘1lt".h0(I by tho v|1l.u_|nIs. ii .3.“