BRIDGE BY-PASS NOTES Y > FEAR STALKS BRIDGE, NEAR CANTERBURY — THE DO CENTURY FEAR cE DEATH ON THE ROAD FoR Tae CLd-WeRLD Kat STREET IS A ONE MILE STRETCH OCF THE Low bon - DoveR Aa. “ Rent Menenge, Torna TH (962, RUNG. 243 {ec Malae VIS pu: to Van his Commer. van cea: “Walked In r idence vers, of 13 Rutland Ngrahes ayes given ferbury, suddenly saw ssi } a man walk into the path of his van. He braked hard bi é @, who said thi ‘DWARD Smith, a sed ent.at an old folk’s hospi- tal, The Close. Bridge, near’ ‘Canterbury was Seriously ins) lay night while’ running —€rrands patients in the main street—! ‘which is part of the A.2. While crossing the road, he fwas in collision with a van driven.by Timothy Travers, of, 13, Rutland Close, Canterbury, and sustained fractures both legs and other injuries. Smith's messaze juest for safety. , the Ministry | of. replies that Bridge ohe day be by-passed, ere’ would then be no idor “special precautions. APPREHENSION alks Bridge) “near Canterdui y fear of death on the road For the Street is a one-mile stretch of the Lond eS villagers have = .Bcross the noad as. a protest: Said Mr. Taylor: ym Ministry~ of “Transport said that in view of wou:d not be justified; * parish ‘council raised the matter four times, the-by-pass it} | opinion, it. is * id folk have a -very|| ime. i= ie mer, Vehicles: on the Continent, and oming the other way. on-stop procession’ of fic both ways all the Ag day Beno ‘or Sunday ‘sého: “ts Nostootpaip ‘and when I// ‘We could set the wall and the Ministry sent down inspector, who’ stood the High “Street for half-an- hour when: there was an’ un-' .. hurried” flow’ of’ traffic, Later, fold “ there “was ‘no here. because of “the gi speed of cars going throu hands in Bridge, There to be a pedestrian crossi! said Miss Seath. “The pavements are danger- Ous and narrow, and we havel! 100 old people at’ The Close “(a —hespital), “More than 50 yards of pave 5 lent. in which two people abreast”, said the BY-PASS: WHEN? } lor, chairman. of think the sb would come ‘in ~ his Tif officer for Bri lights, a Pedestrian crossing, and black-spot signs, but: the Ministry will not move. ae S 14.1.1962 The Minister of Transport, : The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Berkeley House, Berkeley Square, London, Wel The proposed Bridge By-Pass. Dear Sir, The Village of Bridge lies three miles south east of Canterbury on the main A2 road from London to Dover. With the increase of traffic expected to pass through the village as a result of the Medway Towns By-Pass and the possible entry of Britain into the European Common Market, I am venturing to enquire what the current position is regarding a by-pass round this otherwise quiet little hamlet. Mr. ReP. Beddow, Head of the East Kent Road Car Company is reported as having recently said: "To my mind there is no doubt that the completion of the Medway Motorway ; is going to mean heavy additional traffic on the A2 road between London and Dover." There are particular and difficult hazards for the motorist and the pedestrian at Bridge. I would be pleased to go into detail in another letter, if you, Sir, would : pass this letter to the official whose responsibility encompasses 4 this problem, so that I can communicate directly. I should be grateful for an early reply, since events have a way of outstripping preparedness. Yours faithfully, \ John\ Purchese. 4 MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon'S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. 211 & \A" January, 1962 I write on behalf of the Minister to acknowledge your letter of lth January which is receiving attention. Yours faithfully, Ct — Bole Assistant Private Secretary John Purchase, Esq., "Rosebank", High Street Bri dge Canterbury, Kent. M MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. Our reference: HGP 11/42/068 Your reference: a Samay 1962 Dear Sir, Proposed Bridge By-Pass The Minister has asked me to reply to your letter of 1th January about a by-pass of Bridge. It is proposed to by-pass the village in due course, but I regret that I cannot at present say when this will be done. There are so many even more pressing schemes throughout the country which will absorb all the available funds for the next few years, Gat it is probable that this scheme will not be carried out for some considerable time. With regard to the safety aspect you will of course know that the road is speed restricted with 30 m.p.h. speed limit repeater signs provided at both approaches to the village which should warn drivers they are entering the centre of the village, and that they shouldtake special care. For northbound drivers the 'school! sign should serve as a further warning. John Purchese, Esq., Yours faithfully, 'Rosebank', High Street, Bridge, , a Canterbury, ae Kent G. DAVIS HGP/1 068. Appended notes: 1. 30.1.1962 (Please examine the enclosed small prints of photographs recently taken. These are lettered for identification. Large prints can be made available on request, quoting the identifying letter). The basic problem at Bridge is a psychological one. On either hill the approaching driver clearly sees the opposite hill and the road leading up it. (Arrowed). This invariably persuades e Griver to accelerate — to have maximum speed with which to tack the climb. The M.O.T. 30m.p.h. signs can be seen clearly, but this is at the moment that the opposing hill becomes visible, and the signs are repeatedly ignored. The Police have to maintain hours of patrol on this hill every summer day to slow traffic by their presence. ce et bf rs) The Church Entrance. Quotation from remarks by the Vicar of Bridge, printed in the Kent Messenger, 5.1.1962. ".eeThe local police regulate the traffic at service times and for Sunday School. There is no footpath from the village up that part of the hill which leads to the church." ".eeeVehicles have struck the churchyard wall and the cottage next door, and when I asked if we could set the wall back for a footpath, the Ministry of Transport said that in view of the by-pass it would not be justified." "The Parish Council has raised the matter four times and the Ministry sent fown an inspector, who stood in the High Street for half-an-hour when there was an unhurried flow of traffic. Later we were told there was no danger." ——_-—}— a em | al + er Wit 7 the same paper. a narrow...There is not more in which two people can walk is 43" wide (by the lorry) car being filled with night. You will note that the interior up the street better than the gas street be seen on the face of the buildings to the A Rerarephrad 22-1. 14h. 11-40 aun. (24/5) E. HGP/14/42/068. Appended notes. 2. 30.21.1962. This is the concealed entrance to Union Road where the old people's hospital is situated. It was recently the scene of a tal accident. ae Atte was taken with a shutter speed of 1/50th. second. Your mathematicians might care to compute the speed of the passing car which has clearly travelled nearly two feet during the exposure. None of these potographs was posed. Quotation from a report in the Kent Messenger on January 12th., 1962. "The gas-lit High Street at Bridge, near Canterbury, where lamps were said to show only pools of light underneath, with dark patches between, was described to the deputy Canterbury Coroner... on Friday". hidden behind foliage in the y even in January to cross clear view of the to obtain a Facts: There are $8% 897 people in Bridge. There are 90 children attending the Bridge Primary School, 80 yards from the High Street. There is a hospital and home for elderly men and women 100 yards from the High Street. There are over 100 inmates, many ambulant. There are nearly 300 old age pensioners, whose pensions are drawn at the village Post Office ~ in the High Street. Quotes: Mr. A. Teylor. (Chairman, the Parish Council). "I do not think that the by-pass will come in my lifetime." Miss 0. Seath. (Headmistress, Bridge Primary School). "You take your life in your hands in Bridge." Mr. J.D. Smith. (Road Safety Officer). " oe midnnel ie ¢4 5 ind We are continually fighting the Ministry and the whole bag of tricks, and we cannot get anywhere." $e F. PLATS prephed 22-1 Aer 5:10 pu: (208/w) ‘ROSEBANK’, HIGH ST., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. G. Ute replied: Zo-l- a lo-30 au. (204/s). TEL. BRIDGE 485 |, [ ey HGP/14/42/068 30.1.1962 G. Davis, Esq.-, The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 “Proposed Bridge By-pass". a a al Ca, ial ll Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter dated the 25th. of January, 1962, in which you replied on behalf of the Minister to my enquiries regarding the proposed by-pass of ao I have noted your remarks, but believe that it would help your Department assess the reality of the situation if its attention were drawn to certain aspects of safety on the road through the village. Some notes are appended to this letter. I should be grateful if you would, having read these, reaffirm your Department's satisfaction with the present Ts safeguards which you listed, namely the two sets of 30mep-h. | signs and the northbound school sign. I should also be most grateful for a direct comment on the remarks made by the Head of the East Kent Road Car Company, quoted in my. previous letter (14.1.1962). j The danger lies in the future growth of the already heavy traffic, and - as I ended before ~ events have a way of outstripping preparedness. eh a Yours faithfully, f Chairman: Bridge Primary School Parent-Teacher Assoc. Member? St. Peter's Parochial Church Council, ASSOCIATED WITH THE BRITISH ELECTRIC TRACTION ©o. LTD. AND BRITICN RAILWAYS BA4st KEN ET ROAD CAR COMPANY LTD HEAD OFFICE STATION ROAD WEST - CANTERBURY = KENT. TELEPHONE ers. our ker PWD/GN B.6. YOUR REF J. Purchase, Esq., Rose Bank, High Street, Bridge, Nr.Canterbury. 5th February,1962. Dear Sir, Referring to your recent telephone call to this office, we are interested to learn of your efforts to obtain a by-pass for Bridge. _We are, of course, vitally interested in traffic conditions at all congested places, but we normally make our own representations in such matters and should the occasion arise, will do so in this case. We should be grateful, however, if youwould be good enough to keep us informed on the progress of your caapeiien Yours faithfully, EAST KENT ROAD CAR CO.LTD., ies AM pOAGe et df _f (P.wenedge) Traffic Manager es Se See oe ‘ROSEBANK’, HIGH ST., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. TEL: BRIDGE 485 HGP/14/42/068 G. Davis, Hsq-, The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, S.H.1 12.3.21962 "Proposed Bridge By-Pass". Dear Sir, I wrote a detailed letter to you on the above subject on January 30th of this year. This was acknowledged by card from your Department the following day. Six weeks have elapsed from this date and I appear to have received no reply. Your answer will be most welcome not only to me but to the number of people who have interested themselves cia Ca EI are, as you know, waiting to hear your Department's reaffirmation in its satisfaction with the present road safety measures in the village - namely the two sets of 30 mph. signs and the northbound school sign you previously listed. A direct comment on the remarks made by the Head of the East Kent Road Car Company would also be reassuring. I realise that the quantity of material forwarded in my last letter may have delayed your reply somewhat, so in this and future letters I will restrict myself? to pointing out dangers only two at a time. Enclosed please find Addendum 1 to my previous notes. I shall quite understand if you delay comment on these two points until due consideration has been given them - but I would remind you as before, that events have away of outstripping preparedness. Yours faithfully, at John\ Purchese a a a cama cel 6d dad oe HGP/14/42/068. Appended notes, Addendum 1. 3. 12.3.1962 | K. netion of Patrixbourne Road with u will note that to see clearly fast is almost impossible. The photograph was drivers position. § is in the Patrixbourne Road. He This photograph shows the High Street i Y approachi Bre aprapheed QAu.2- 1462. o j Quotat January 5th., 1962, from remark h tr : "It is s ecau of the great speed of cars going er. Many don't observe the 30 mph. limit". the High Street. , with garages. and the speed of the car. remarks by Cae vs Pow E& =F TRAE ONES ee ae ON wa MR Sa a | ) AS’, Sak Ie PS ae plied ate 2 -ifbe ister Visits New Bridge _ arted in Canterbury during the weekend’on the first started in Canterbury of the A2 Diversion and Ring Road. The scheme oh evtogied> ag apiigulen Mapas sim ne Toad—whii start | jovel Devices ‘Then he: toured all. the work- |! ings, seeing a number of. struction devices being u: -the first time in Britain. They ; it interest - a} ineers. Gill . versham to re-joi Conferencestanding on a bench as “Thanet Way bee t in a workmen’s canteen. he motorway will’ cross the ote sag, ver Medway over a new bridge one : built near Rochester it was to this bridge that to assess the on, traffic using the roa “The Medway Bridge of which, engineerii The wide. central span was led to give clearance for the _ ‘ge traffic on the river—which Ray, Sate will be | feet below vehicles G _ crossing the bridge. cantilever arms, each bs 200 ft. long, are being built out Te" from the maim river piers and finaly, the 100 ft. suspended span to fill the centre gap will be Cast - and launched into position. * The bridge will car; dual 24 ft. a _ footpaths on either side of the motorway, 5 iy? aa “The viaduct approaches to the bridge also cross _two railway. _ lines—the main London-Dover line and the: Maidstone-Strood route, Ch early 5,500 tons of steel and te ibe ms of con¢re’ used in the pene 1 of re-stressing bar xo a ‘ROSEBANK’, HIGH ST., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. TEL: BRIDGE 485 HGP/14/42/068 The Minister of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, S.Hel 18.3.1962 "Proposed Brid —Pass" Dear Sir, I wrote on the above subject on January 14th. of this year, asking that my letter be passed to the Official whose responsibility encimpassed the problem. I said that there was a number of hazards for the pedestrian and motorist in the village of Bridge which I wished to detail in a further letter. Your Assistant Private Secretary (Mr. Carlin- Blake?) kindly passed the correspondence to Mr. G. Davis of St. Christopher House. Mir. Davis wrote to me on your behalf explaining the present position regarding a by-pass, and adding that the "30 mph. speed limit repeater signs provided at village...should warn drivers that the the village, and that they should take northbound drivers the ‘school! sign s. I replied with my both approaches to the y are entering the centre of special care (and) for hould serve as a further warning". thanks (30.1.1962), and enclosed a brief report with photographs showing some of the hazards present in the village. I invited Mr. then repeat his Department's satisfaction wi Davis to study the report and th the current safety measures of two 30 mph. signs and one school sign. My letter was acknowledged by card, and then six week's silence ensued. I wrote again a week ago (12.3.1962) repeating my invitation and adding two more hazards, again illustrated with photographs. This letter was ignored. I believe I can assume that your Ministry does not pay lip-service only to road safety and that my points will be discussed at least. Last weekend the 'Kentish Gagette’ lead story was headlined "M2 FINISHED BY NEXT SPRING — Traffic Will Flood Canterbury". I sincerely hope that Brig experts' attention for a few hours befo on the main A2 continuation of the M2, Yours faithfully, ge will occupy your re that date, for it lies London to Dover Road. — ff ink John chese. Chairman: Bridge School Parent/Teacher Assoc. Member: P.C.C. and L.0.F. Canterbury Hospital Group. SEF OORT SON EFT i hi I ay a SY aa La bi " "adil eae) aR Bee aaa gw MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. Qe March, 1962 Dear Sir, I write on behalf of the Minister to acknowledge your letter of 18th March. Yours faithfully, Asst. Private Secretary John Purchese, Esq., “Rosebank", High St. Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Sp = TALE NNR ERT AE A ARE I RIE J. Purchese, Esq., /So be "Rosebank"', ; I refer to your letters of 30th January and 12th and 18th March, 1962 about traffic conditions in Bridge and regret the delay in replying. As you correctly surmised the various points raised necéssitated careful examination. . : With regard to the speed limit signs it is noted that your concern is rather for the observance, by drivers, of the speed limit.. Enforcement of this is a matter for the police and does not fall within my Minister's jurisdiction. - The foliage can be cut back during the summer months to ensure that it does not obstruct the visibility of the "No Waiting" and "School" signs at the crossing ‘of the trunk road over the Nail Bourne. i Where lighting is concerned I should explain that the responsibility to light streets is vested in local authorities and that the manner in which they exercise this responsibility is not subject to the Minister's control:. He cen, however, contribute to the cost of lighting a trunk road, for which he is the highway authority. If-your local ‘lighting authority (presumably the Bridge Blean Rural District Council) considers that a section of trunk in its area should be lit for local safety and amenity purposes, the Minister will be prepared to consider contributing half of the cost of installation, and subsequent operation and maintenance, of a lighting system of a standard adequate for a traffic route. If the Council decides to apply for a contribution they would no doubt communicate with the Divisional Road Ingineer, South Eastern Division at the above address. We have no information about the recent fatal accident at the Union Road junction. The accident record for the three years July 1958 to June 1961 showed that three accidents occurred in the vicinity, none of which was attributable to the blind nature of the junction. Moreover the same record indicated that only one accident appears to have been due to excessive speed. The majority of accidents seem to have resulted from overtaking and in no instance did one result from road conditions. That is not however to imply that the existing road conditions are considered up to modern standards, the by pass concept would otherwise not arise. The Minister is prepared to make local improvements to the existing road wherever and whenever possible and the Divisional Road Engineer deals with such matters on his behalf. Any further points in this particular context you wish to bring to notice should therefore be addressed to the latter. I should also add that it is open to you if you so wish ae pursue any of road safety with the local authority Road Safety Committee at Canterbury. High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. SN on Ce Pere pis NPN NET 5 ee SS Road © Notorious r Accidents’ ae Move to Ban.Hazards the past eight years, the volume of traffic at Littlebourne Mie ieccasst ty ea The Canterbury-Sandwich road hazards should not be allowed. This was said by a Bridge-Blean Rural District Council official on Tuesday, when Dr. the Kent County Council’s re- fusal to allow him to build four houses on land at the rear of The Surgery, The Hill, Litde- bourne. Permission was refused be- cause it was ‘the develop- E. B. Mercer appealed against to find a lay-out that would hi onise, . ar: "Hinks said that it was proposed to develop two semi- detached houses. Mr. .Thackray replied that development in conjunction with the land adjoining it would be More satisfactory. Ses ay + Referring to the density, Mr. traffic on the main road and Hinks said that eight to an acre would form an “undesirable was'the normal density, and on backland development ” without ‘any proper relation to existing or future develonment. It would also be detrimental to the amenities of the locality. For Dr. Mercer, Mr. B. W. Hinks (Arthur Marchant and Son itd. Ash) said the develop-| Mr. Thackray replied that each ment of the site would be useful in providing a few additional homes and, with the limited pay eed would not é. —— any weciable. “In cil’s view,” he eras x ee id, “it id. be much better re y app. 30 main road There was elready access 108 from The Surgery. The objection of the grounds of “backland ” development was ill founded es such ‘development had already been effected in three instances in the Village. Littlebourne had been referred to 2s a bottie-neck, but this could considered to be at the €astern end of the High Street. Yet development was permitted for ee dwellings at that fee a Tae 22 close 1. @ppea2l si was some 1,100 feet from where the bottle- neck exi: 5 “Dr. Mercer, in making the application, had in mind that this land, now forming no useful Purpose, could be put to a good pue in Providing homes,” said Mr. inks. Additional Hazards | Mr. J. E. Bolton, Deputy Clerk of the Bridge-Blean Council, said that there would be additional Baearis on the eal Done: of the increased num} of vehicles that would use the access to The Surgery. : Mr, Hinks replied that it was not necessarily the case that if four dwelling houses were erected, as proposed, there would be four extra cars, Trades vehicles would park within the access and the men would walk the Test of the way to the houses, iving™ evidence for the Council, Mr, P. @e Thackray, Engineer and Surveyor, seid that the site was 200 feet long and 100 feet deep and comprised a disused tennis court “and part of 4 garden, a The provision of a number of & charact@r of the od and Would > € existing fo; ent. It wes de Hg OUld be outeof keep-/ p, housii development of 53 houses mn Littlebourne, density was 10 to an acre. He said that his clientthad not asked for a high den y, Which was one of the Council's objections to the development. plan for development was | consid on its own merits and theréswas no regulation elopment proposed by ieant ‘to be deferred Pending a possibility of. a com- prehensive scheme for develop- ment of the strip of land adjoin- ing the appeal site.” } Mr. Hinks said that this was] entirely problematical and the |land applied for had-a straight | line rear boundary and formed |no integral part of the othe: | tract. | _ Giving further evidence for the | Council, Mr P. w- Morrison- Godfrey. +3 senior assistant engineer, Said that the site was on the main Canterbury to Sand- wich road which carried a heavy | volume of traffic. EE In 1954 it was estimated that 2;227 vehicles passed a: Point two miles west of the appeal site each day. Now that number had | Increased by 60 per cent. le road. was notorious for accidents and any further hazards should not be permitted. The access to The Surgery was narrow and did not Pre@vide the required sight line of—410 feet along each side of the access and it would not be possible to make the sight line the required length without encroaching on other land: Mr. Hicks said that they were prepared to extend the access to 40 feet from 25 feet from the north-west side, but this would | only enlarge the frontage. Mr, Thackray said that the existing development in the area was detached or semi-detached houses standing in their own grounds; These houses would be ©verlooked by any new develop- Ment on the appeal site but this would be considerably lessened if bungete sg ement consisted of Swit a sc mn wattle fencing, : Tectiytor e People’s quiet en ent the, area should not. be cisturbed, and it would bed fficu! children — not safe yet —— i time before the -6f Bridge will be able ‘aifety of a village st.field in the village | was taken for building use last year, the children ‘have had: to make do. with the streets, ij Then the Earl Monnt Charles | offered the village four acres of the { Marquis of Coarng aia estate. | But access to the field is proving difficult. i The field is at the back of houses lining the High-st., and to the side i of the River Nailbourne, The council are contemplating building a concrete bridge across the riven. WERE a But: before: parents can v8tE back 4 knowing their children Play. in) safety, £500 will have to be raise’. RENTISA ExPRess. i eee A Simica&r PRERLCU. aa =P es “ROSEBANK’, HIGH ST. BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. TEL: BRIDGE 485 HGP/14/42/068 2.4.1962 G. Davis, Esq., The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, “Proposed Bridge By-pass". Dear Sir, London, S.E.1 Thank you.for your letter dated the 22nd. March, 1962, in which you answered my notes concerning safety in High Street, Bridge, Kent. If I may, I will summarise your reply. Speeding. The observance of the speed limit signs is the responsibility of the Police, who should be consulted. Lighting. The responsibility is that of the Local Authority, who should be consulted. Improvement. This is the responsibility of the Divisional Road Engineer upon consultation. Road Safety. This is the responsibility of the local Road Safety Committee, who should be consulted. Future needs. Only time can show what increase of traffic will result from 2. Sir, I am well aware what will happen to this correspondence if I write to all these other bodies. It will proliferate to no result. That is why I originally wrote to your Minister esking to be put in touch with the official whose responsibility encompassed this problem, so that I could communicate directly. You will agree, I am sure, that I should continue to lay my case before the Department which is in the position of Overall control. Your knowledge of the Situation is clearly invaluable. I have noted that you refer to the High Street, Bridge, firstly es a Trunk Road, (your para. 4), and say that the Hinistry does not imply that the existing road conditions are considered up to modern Standards, (your Para. 5). In these circumstances I appreciate your hesitance to reiterate your previous Statement (25.1.1962) that the two 30 mph. speed limit signs and the northbound school Sign are sufficient for road safety in the village. AS regards your comment on the report that traffic will saturate the Canterbury area, I would remind you that at Chartham to the west or the city, and Littlebourne to the east, as with Bridge to the south, there are movements afoot to bri ‘ROSEBANK’, HIGH Sr., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. TEL: BRIDGE 485 HGP/14/42/068. 2e Minister's notice our disquiet at the road safety position because of fast traffic, inadequate roads, and indifference. I enclose details of two further points concerning Bridge High Street, together with illustrative photographs, forming Addendum 2 to my previous notes. I shall quite understand if you delay comment on these two points until due consideration of outstripping preparedness; as before. Yours faithfully, 7 { Joan! Purchese Chairman} Bridge School Parent/Teacher Assoc. Member: P.C.¢. ‘and L.0.F. Canterbury Hospital Group. Enc. Addendum 2. Registered. HGP/14/42/068. Appended notes, Addendum 2. 4. 24.1962 Je K This photograph shows the junction of Brewery Lane with High Street, Bridge. You will note that Clearly to see fast approaching traffic is almost impossible. The photograph was taken forward of the driver's position. Quotation from the Kentish Express’, 30.3.1962 "BRIDGE CHILDREN NOT SAFE YET. It will be some time before the children of Bridge will be able to play in the safety of a village recreation ground. Since the last field in the village was taken for building use last year, the children have had to make do with the streets." & field which it is hoped will provide a recreation Space lies behind the buildings to the left of the phptograph. There is, as yet, no means of access. This plttograph shows Bridge Farm (arrowed) now derelict and due for rebuilding into a large housing scheme. This estate, in a year or two, will be adding its quota of cers to the street, and will have its own access problem because of the fast through traffic. Quotation from "The Kent Messenger", 5.1.1962. "Fear stalks Bridge, near Canterbury — the 20th. centary fear of death on the Toad. For the old-world High Street is a one-mile stretch of the London—Dover A2. For twenty years villagers have campaigned for special safety measures. They have seen adults and children killed, and once Parents formed a human barrier across the road as a protest against fast traffic. But the authorities have done very little to alleviate the ever-present danger," a sa a ee My letters of 25th January and i refer to your letter of 2nd April, 1962. i ¢ : 22nd March, 1962, explained the Minister's position with regard to the Bridge L HGP/14/42/068 Pepe By-Pass and the various other points raised. I am afraid that I am unable to add anything further to what I have already said regarding aoe ons such mS enforcement of speed limits and lighting which are not my Minister $ responsibi ° It would be a very grave matter were he to attempt to assume responsibilities eleeady vested in the authorities already mentioned and I am therefore to ask you to communicate with those authorities if you wish to pursue those matterse f G. Davis, Esq., The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, 3.E.1 "Proposed Bridge By-pass". Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter dated the 4th. April, 1962, in which you explained that the Divisional. Road Engineer would like to know of further points regarding the existing road conditions. I am preparing this material, but I wish to examine conditions over the Easter Holiday period, so possibly you will excuse my not going into detail rt in this letter. ! In conclusion I would add that the Divisional Road Engineer would like to | I understand that your Minister is not know of any further points you wish to bring to his notice affecting local road directly responsible for the enforcement of road speed limits matters within the Minister's competence so that he may be fully aware of and or lighting, but I would gather that the following point of [ consider them together withnthe overall perspective. Overall policy would come within his competence. I have been told by a senior official of a road organisation that no decision is’ intended by the Ministry regarding the development of the local A2 road until a decision has been made concerning the building of a Channel tunnel or a Channel bridge. This point has also been told me by the head of the local television station at Dover and by reporters of 2 Canterbury newspaper. In other words, this is a widely held belief in this part of Kent, and one calling - I believe - zor comment. : As stated in my letter of 22nd March the Minister is prepared to make local the existing road wherever and whenever possiblee As also stated, improvements to th : et the Divisional Road Engineer is the responsible and competent person who deals wi such matters on the Minister's behalf, and I have passed your letter to him to deal with and reply to. He is also aware of the points raised in your previous letters. The reference in my letter of 22nd March to existing road conditions not being up to modern standards related solely to engineering considerations, as the éllusion to the by-pass was intended to illustrate, and did not imply any opinion i as to the adequacy or otherwise of the number of traffic signs on the road. I therefore suggest it would be of advantage both to you and him were you to now let him have any remaining points you still wish to bring Upe } Yours faithfully, ' The fear concerning High Street, Bridge, I would repeat, is not primarily what traffic conditions are now} but what they will be when the M2 is completed and more European traffic is passing through the village as a result of the contemplated link with the Cortinent. We do not wish to be found unprepared. Yours faithfully, J. Purchese Esqes "Rosebank" | High Street, Bridge, i Canterbury, elt Kent. . : John} Purchese. a MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. HGP i 068 ee at wie) PORE 1962 Proposed Brid, —Pass I write on behalf of Mr. Davis to thank you for your letter of ith April. Yours faithfully, L. I. DURRANT John Purchese, Esq., "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent es Bridge Traffic Menace | No ope For Bridge i _the Clerk of .C: wrote that the Highway uthority would continue to, ress the Ministry So trraneport —_ r an early start on the Br: idge 7 ly wever, “pass, although it seemed un- unfortunate that there ely that. a decision would bi 0 or 70: Kent villa; es like given until.the outcome of the and it was di It to Channel Tunnel project was tiate between th oe: ‘known.: 'y as they were for Bridge, Consideration had also been hot possible to do given to the placing of “Black they got the M.2. |Spot” signs as an interim Cir. Taylor: And how long measure, but, despite the acci-| will that: be ? oP z dent rate in the village, it had} -Cllr.. Ross replied that it ‘been shown on ‘investigation | might not be very long if the that Bridge was not among the/Common Market 50 worst areas in the county | agreed with th and, in any event, doubt had | was not much been expressed that such signs / “Black Spot™ ould have much effect. In the | were stuck all circumstances, the K.C.C. had county nobody would take any decided that no further action | notice of them. could be taken, Cllr. Taylor said that on Sun- ‘aylor said he-was} day evenings, when. traffic was disappointed that the returning from the C. were not going to do motor - cycle “anything in the matter. For years and ‘years they had been h . trying to get something done at him, drivers came down the hill Bridge and now it did not look’ very quietly. A new road would ‘as if they would get anything | not, be necessary if Police were done any more than 20 years jomsdut “ag 0. pai. ER, Traffic through the village| that the B was now three times more than ‘a year or two ago and there the greatest difficulty in - Palmer suggested saat the Bridge Parish Council should find a number of Special Constables: Ig they ‘were on) ‘crossing thewoda. duty, it would help’ solve..the! He recalled that some years ones: : ; 1 (280 he resignéd from the Road aon th ayer, Once I offered to peaety igcommittee when the | 2°, the job apes sbue= they Pedestrian. crossing was re- ee 2 ae ae i the High Street and - t. Reid said conditions at Matters had’ ot ersden were also dangerous. Worse and worse. anes = a aan ae inet foo Sar Wie - eople — wen: roug] test” pee Ge eater ay pro"; Bridge too fast. He thought | e - they should approach the Police to ensure the strict enforcement ef Ene | speed mits That was That's what u ,;Cone at Hersden, which was not for and they precicae Av Shea nearly so dangerous. : | Cllr, A. Ross ‘said-he had|..22¢ ,Clerk. (Mr. I. Soilleux) me, Broatest sympathy with Clir. loath herons patrolling tno H ere was: > "s thing’ that’ could’ be cdgnennes ss Boe ne ; Suggestion that. Specials should be reériited. The Police could only'do. their best with the men they ‘had available. < ‘ “ROSEBANK', HIGH ST., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT, TEL: BRIDGE 485 HGP/14/42/068 28.4.1962 G. Davis, Esq., The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, "Proposed Bri pass". London, S.E.1 Dear Sir, I would like to thank Nr. L.I. Durrant for his acknowledgement on your behalf of my last letter. Enclosed please find Addendum 3 to ny original report. Possibly, having read this material, you would pass it to the Divisional Road Engineer for action. The 13 points now raised will suffice for the moment, and I shall be pleased to hear his particular comment on each hazard in due course. On the subject of the second paragraph in my letter dated 14.4.1962, you will be interested to hear that the Bridge-Blean Rural District Council discussed this matter at @ recent meeting. In the report of proceedings the following was printed:- (Kentish Gazette, 27.4.1962) "In regard to the traffic conditions at Bridge, the Clerk of the K.C.C. wrote that the Highway Authority would continue to press the Ministry of Transport for an early start on the Bridge by-pass although it seemed unlikely that a decision would be given until the outcome of the Channel Tunnel project was known. "eee Cllr. A. Taylor said that he was very disappointed that the K.C.C. were not going to do anything in the matter. For years and years they had been trying to get Something done at Bridge and now it did not look as if they would get anything done any more than 20 years ago. Traffic through the village was now three times more than a year or twox ago and there was the greatest difficulty in crossing the road. ".ee'l wish to register my protest," said Clir. Taylor. "They are waiting for people to get killed and then they will begin to play ball — but not before.'" The Clerk of the K.C.C. was also reported to have written:- "...Despite the accident rate in the village, it had been shown on investigation that Bridge was not among the 50 worst areas in the county." Presumably the Clerk spoke with Ministerial approval in these two reports. he ‘ROSEBANK’, HIGH ST., BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT. HGP/14/42/068. TEL: BRIDGE 485 te De On prima facie examination the official attitude would appear to be summed up as a) There will be no action until a Channel Tunnel or Channel Bridge has been chosen, b) There will be no action until the accident mortality rate puts Bridge into the category Tequiring action. If the latter point is correct and represents Ministerial policy, then it is an indictment of callous bureaucratic statistical ineptitude. I would be grateful if you could refute these two particular points as soon as possible. Events have a way of outstripping preparedness, and the M2 Medway Towns Motorway and the Canterbury By-Pass are both due for completion next year. Yours faithfully, Sth John Purchese Chairman: Bridge School Parent/Teacher Assoc. Member: P.C.C. and L.0.F. Canterbury Hospital Group. Enc. Addendum 3. HGP/14/42/068. Appended notes, Addendum 3. 5. 28.4.1962 This 'No-Waiting' sign is at the junction of Brewery Lane and High Street, Bridge. The lettering is unpainted with the result that the sign is ignored. Parked vehicles impede the vision of drivers entering the High Street and reduces the available width of the road. The reverse side of the sign is painted (see photograph J) = so what does the Ministry want the moborist to do ? The Village Hall opens directly onto the High Street, where the pavement width is 67". The Hall is used by children, a teenage Youth Club and elderly groups. Over the Easter Weekend the traffic was ceaselessly passing at speed, to attack the hill confronting it. Facts. Repeated, to conclude this first report. There are 897 people in Bridge. There are 90 children attending the Bridge Primary School 80 yards from the High Street. There is a hospital and home for elderly men and women 100 yards from the High Street. There are over 100 inmates, many ambulant. There are nearly 300 old age pensioners, whose pensions are drawn at the village Post Office — in the High Street. Quotes . Mr. A. Taylor. (Chairman, the Parigh Council). "I do not think that the by-pass will come in my lifetime" Miss 0. Seath. (Headmistress, Bridge Primary School). "You take your life in your hands in Bridge." Mr. J.D. Smith. (Road Safet Officer "We L : are continual] fighting the Ministry and the whole bag of tricks, and we : cannot get anywhere." a sonnei ieee ——_—— DIVISIONAL ROAD ENGINEER (METROPOLITAN) St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telephone: waterloo 7999 Ext?3297 Our reference: RDL. 34/677 1 Your reference: <3 May, 1962 Dear Sir, Proposed Bri —Pass LL spondence with raf I am directed to refer to the corre traffic conditions the illustrative photographs about the in Bridge. It is appreciated that you have taken a great deal of trouble to illustrate the points to which you wish to draw attention, and you have given a very clear Picture of the conditions in Bridge in relation to the traffic passing through yand the layout of the existing road. There is no implication whatever intended, in any replies already sent to you, that the Department does not regard the situation as unsatisfactory, and it is i ; unfortunate that innuendos are voiced, as they frequently are, that the highway policy, either of this Department ) or of local Authorities, is based on a caption that | "someone must be killed before action is necessary." This is a deplorable implication, and is so patently untrue, that it surely does not require refutation. The various points which you have brought up, apart | from those which are matters for the Police » or Lighting Authority, are being investigated to see whether local /remedial J. Purchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge, near Canterbury, Kent. DIVISIONAL ROAD ENGINEER (METROPOLITAN) St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telephone: waterloo 7999 : Ext, 3297 Our reference: PDL, 31/6271 20Fune, 1992 Your reference: Dear Sir, Proposed Bridge By-Pass With further reference to the letter sent to you on the 23rd May, 1962 the various points which you raise about conditions in Bridge have been investigated ,and it is agreed by the County Surveyo that Group A lighting would improve conditions ALBA but there is the question whether the Parish Council would be prepared to bear hakf the cost after the deduction of 50%, eum if the Minister were prepared to make a grant. sit is considered that no real improvement can be made to conditions in Bridge without considerable expense, which could be better utilised by constructing the proposed by-pass. It is understood that conditions at Bridge are no worse, in fact, they are probably better, than in many other villages in Kent and the accident record is low compared with similar places. Yours faithfully, S -— for Divisional Road Engineer J. Purchese, Esq., Rose Bank, High Street, Bridge, Nr. Canterbury, Kent. GDH/DW The Divisional Road Engineer, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, 30.6.1962 London, S.Kel RDL. 34/6T71 HGP/14/42/068. Li nfhe Proposed Bridse By—Pasa". Thank you for the letters dated 23rd. May, 1962 and 22nd. June, 1962, which commented on notes and photographs supplied to Hr. G. Davis of St. Christopher House by myself in earlier correspondence. I mast first apologise for the delay in reply to your letters, but I have been away from this country for @ period on business. I am grateful for the attention given my notes; but I have to point out firstly that your Department seems only to consider the present circumstances — which, it is admitted on both sides, are poor road conditions but not exceptionatily bad. I have been at some pains to awake lr. Davis to the threat that the budding of M2 is creating. Your Ministry is spending a great deal of money in providing an excellent motorway from the outskirts of London to the junction with Thanet Way and A2, just before Canterbury. Your Ministry is also doing what it can to provide a good feeder road to the M2 from Central London. When these roads ere completed, and increased Continental travel as a result of the contemplated economic links, has also appeareds I say, and so do many people living in Bridge, that the road through the villege will be quite inadequate and positively dangerous to the inhabitants and the travelling motorists. 4 F UZ second point is thet since the authorities will not put the Bridge By-Pass in hand until the death rate inthe High Street justifies this meesure, I am proposing now to make this correspondence available to the Coroner in the event of the next fatality in High Street, Bridge ~ and I shall continue to point out the information given to the Ministry et all subsequent enquiries concerning any road fatality thet follows. : en Yours faithfully, The letters ‘M2’ are the Ministry of Transport’s designation for the new Medway Towns by-pass Motorway, opening next year. You have experienced already the heavy traffic through this village, but Mz will mean a ceaseless flood. With possible Common Market links, 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 2? Please become a supporter for BRIDGE BY-PASS PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE, "ROSEBANK’, HIGH STREET, BRIDGE, KENT. sued 46 aK Bridge residents 24.9 -62 TROL AA TET ee Kentish Gazette, July 20, 1962 227-1962 The Fears of Bridge | he Producer, "own and Country", Recee tas ee ee ; (hae BeB.C., Broadcasting House, ever-increasing volume of traffic thunders through ee ee London, Wel e, villagers grow uneasy—they find little consolation ‘in sibility of a by-pass. snarling engine or squeal of brakes can spell tragedy and T heartbreak to mily. Friends living on either side of the A2| { feet 1 $2 ct common .- — aon | Mi Old agt|will be inadequate ana|| | Dear Sir, dangerous_ ‘ at If you contact your local B.B.C. correspondent justifies it, (I believe him to be Malcolm Mitchell of the Kentish Gazette) you nesMecampritce ete sires tS A will find that there is e topic of conversation among the villagers has been writing letters to the) Mini d information I have } pune yeou ttaneporigand th«| collected available to the Coroner |) F of Bridge that highlights one problem concerning the Common Market ! Roa, eer, com-| j ity. ° tra a ac fais Cea a eee ener atalty It is the dangerous High Street, which the Ministry of Transport illustrated on I shall continue to point out 1 ‘4 ‘ has promised to by=pass for the past twenty years - but done _ nformation given to the Ministry et all subsequent en- nothing about. quiries concerning road fatalities mains’) and I may well shoot a 35 m.m. the | film.” nj Tm recent letters, the Divisional | ‘ | |Road Engineer ‘has told Mr. ‘ is spending a|Purchese, “There is no impli- +] 8reat deal of*money to provide |cation whatever intended in our ‘| 8n excellent motorway from the jc, spondence that the | outskirts of London to the ard: junction with the Thanet Way ya I enclose a leaflet which was put out through the village today. My letter drawing this to your attention is not designed to publicise our present attempts, but to have } and A2 just before Canterbury. alt wa cezee on seek STE ae RL GHTS eat pee aed tinieteor seen “With the completion of these Maen | well aware of its obligations as early as July 1962. |roads and increased continentak traffic—the result of contem[, ; } t Plated economic links —I say, } and so do many other villagers, Yours faithfully, that the road through the village: is isa deplorable D) tion, and is so patently untrue, || _ j { that it surely does not require I refutation. " f rc “The points which you have |. - 4 { mentioned are being investigated k to see whether remedial measures | e practicable’ However, the jor solution to the problem is lependent on its comparative] t ws ion to other the whole Jo Purchese. ana aS f Chairman:| Bridge School | Parent/Tekcher Association. ational import-} nce, “It is considered that no real| improvement can be made to onditions in Bridge without onsiderable expense, i PRR TL Ee Ee Kent Messenger, July 27th, 1962—7 appeals for a by-pass for tl la the A2 London--————— = Our children © folk must be | Race-trac! a Se tagiok-a ania tonts tates ‘ : 4 ict as a Paced : re a eg a oa fae ’ i ie t 9 | a” i Transport — as V Tl q | A GERS The result has been a num-|Messenger fitst told. of the | a ff f ber ‘of ‘accidents and some|plight of Bridge, that no 4 deaths, children among them.|special measures would b x aes y The whole of the lage is|taken to slow traffic in the ; Y, behind Mr. Purchase in his|village because it would even- . ‘ . , |€@mpaign. So is the ‘rural|tually be by-passed: : ~- council, ' MINISTRY’S PLAN 44 a mi ‘ gat 8 The new leaflets issued by| Th & 9 ye Mr. Purchase this week wer Soy f - > ; }headed “M2.” : : a A DESIGNATION ~— | Bay, eee = : f They went on: “The let; |M2 are the Ministry of Trans-|AND port’s designation for the new} But the line of the exten- Medway Towns by-pass Motor-|sion of the motorway has not Way opening next year: yet been agreed by everyone “You have experienced|concerned, and it will not be already the heavy traffic|started until some time after . through this village, but M2|the M2 is completed to Faver- will mean a ceaseless flood. sham. “With possible » Common Bridge By-Pass DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE} x As a result, the greatly- “th Market links, the Dover Road|increased traffic will pour les’'to use the old road be- will assume a national im-|down the narrow and dan-* cause of the large proportion of Portance. Vehicles will roarjgerous A2 through Canter- = traffic which is loca]. . In most | past day and night. ‘bury, and Bridge, to Dover, | / cases where @ by-pass is con-| “The Ministry. refuse to-see|for several years to come—. d b Heater roa Re provided! any danger. They have saidjhence the justifiable fears of ; 4 . ° eye | exis “ang, nt tedly, in writing. the’ people of Bridge, nace in Bri e writin rovine as and ~when oppor. SO tenes = Support the movement to reduce the traffic me ge by ry | rorine, ae SMa, OPP: | : quately for lo -treific. When k schemes porniBe UTA of | \ existing routes in built-up areas your comments to: MR. G. DAVIS, THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT, at | are under consideration it should j. t be borne in mind that a narrow ! ' section of road in such an area * : { jotten: pecults in drivers reducing . speed and using more care, | St. Christo her House. Southwark St. London S.E.1. = Ref. HGP I 22 068. thereby reducing the risk of acci-! 3 =) ’ | Y aent.” pect stom the Cy 5 + oF 5 5 5 6 ey a dy Plan “ Planning asis He is the Official in charge of Bridge’s traffic difficulties. [nfeses te tote who are allie or a Bridge By-pass. Sigs | They might also like to consider | } the following, from the same re- | pom “From Canterbury, to Dover CLR the traffic is comparatively small: PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD !| “aac 2. | The plan. was published _ in t 1248 but, under “Future Develop- tehas been! ered on the essimption thetisdoner or later | restrictions willlvcesse and pre- Warlinerease folsaturation point), or willeontinue. aid i, aeihaer | Freeh te 08 Poh cesidenhs « 24,9 ba. | x ran aa = a = = ——= Z = == a =e Se ea a aera en = = ——— SSS SSS Se ree eee _ se — PETITION "Bridge Traffic Pi er Bridge Traffic Problem : ding bridges that could be used. He tnibush Bridger When eabinated a@ concrete one would To the Right Honourable Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport Prompt Action _ | : dat a/cost £1,000. 5 : | theptiuestlonuawes7 podedy ate 1 ci ! Urged ‘ 7 i in K i i horse traffic durin | ing of Bridge Parish Coun-| 1 was agreed to set up a sub- Since the High Street through the village of Bridge in Kent was designed for light 2 \ at est thursday Bouidtaonolte Ste nides, rg ianenee i hanes A petition asking for “ prompt is ¥ 3 i i thai ey cou! "of, bridges available and leave “ ae nat vehicle the village will be enlarged |decided that t1 ae yentle i d| |action” to avert a’ threatened past centuries, and since the present heavy flow of motor vehicles through ig g ing more. — the matter until their report had traftig. flood, Wil be dent tec The undersigned Villagers \ ‘We have had this time and been received, Minitetoeorae gee any salui then chairman | Coole «lorries a that pea passed Ernest Me: ence J, Price), “and we have through Bridge and covered all villageres jalready, done everything in our the houses with black dust were The petition, org power.” complained about by the. Council year-old so The Council wished Mr, John several years ago. ‘ /Purchese luck in his cam paen At that time the firms con- ‘but aed ue eee no further | erned agreed to cover. their acti present. lorries with canvas. | Feads: : pier cord, complained i CiinmeH Stickles said thatthe Teepe ie Pare Smncee uneven pavements in the menace was recurring because Wee Mas eae i fis ie at! main street Were becoming @_the lorries rete, once again, not| | poo aoc acne ee pa postyye conch at ppedes tans: covered with canvas. turies and, since the “present F ces Bee Pe aniee step into the! It was agreed to send a letter} |heavy flow of motor vehicles pS eae Mire aah, Ue ung ee ol oS eee | pet because it was easier to Be BOI CUAG Te the Bridge-Blean Hrouehy jue siege ap be en- os i aie were Seca SE ar ced | favalk. there. R.D.C. erg de € completion of the s we 2y @nd possible Con- t that a letter be’ A letter is to be sent to the| |M2 motorway en a | ; ae Oe Dineen reece Divisional Highways Surveyor by Tinea pS - tne. pagersigned | } | Surveyor (Mr, B. G. Chittenden). the Council’ requesting thet ois oe S githy aan | irequesting improvements. Be eens ouat Seanie De and act promptly to avert this = mecrentons eround! *Mistant | Bridge lay-by,a@s'a urinal... * threat to their children®zand. ; 2 ‘ = elderly folk.” future At the last meeting of fh It ares aren Awould ae ‘the Council on May 24 megotia- be quite so bad if those who > CSR SC as ions’ were started Yor a field of used it for that purpose were Renely Gare 10-8 GQbr ‘bout four acres flanking the not visible from the road. i Ee ee — Patrixbourne road. “It's a national problem,” said =. by the completion of the M2 motorway and possible Continental links, i i i reat to petition the Minister to view the situation with their alarm, and act promptly to avert this threa' their children and elderly folk. ; : : : \ (sé HyneTints awere cltained te a Vuage od 897 Lbelntoti). | toe % application was made to, the chairman. “Lay-bys all over i Fey ntee Blean R.D.C. for the country are used as urinals.” e ‘ pl ing permission for a bridge Three new litter bins are to be A Lhe | t fi i sss. the Nailbourne, wh: placed at regular distances Ul e ro es . e e field from the roa i step followed the refusal airman and the vice-chairman 7 Clerk (Mr. UA fon, 1 eel si oe i a nr a eee ee tak : ‘|by the Minister of ‘Transport to (Cllr. H. Hawkins): are’ to decide t d i | jmake a road from the, High Which types. ». agains roa i | C cher) reported that he had t a Teceived a letter from the 8 ne Street on the: grounds that He danger threat 3 “Blean R.D.C. Surveyor | would increase existing traffic i KeTAehuckrey) mantis JROUR hundred people, half of the population of Bridge, ailed drawings of the : have signed a petition about traffic dangers on the were required before per- | A2, which slices through their village, four miles from — 16 vines that Nese ed. Williams sai a Th g | Stigated the types of of heavy traftesce Hiscuies Kentst Epes Int. i route through the village centre is $$$ to go to the Minister of Transport, ae hs Bh ines Marplés. _ eer | i Soe TR aoe is being organis y Mr. | : h Gazettes August 3, 1962. John Purchese, 37, sound Tecordist, { : a SSN of Rosebank, High-st., Bridge. T His letter says: “Since the High- st. was designed for light horse fs traffic during past centuries, and since the present flow of motor A vehicles through the village will 7 be Splarged by the completion of the M2 motorway and possible Con- 5 tinental links, the undersigned vil- lagers petition the Minister to view bas the situation with their alarm, and act promptl to avert this} f Haak to their cbiltyes and elderly | ‘olk.”” | i \> Bridge lies on the main route be-/ | tween Canterbury and Dover. ft) _ rpentica much Continental traffie let Pe tiene ae sea i i PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE, HIGH ST, BRIDGE, KENT Badge Rendle » 2A7-60. $oy comptalin. —_ jan 400 people at Bridge, near Signed a petition to Mr, Ernest Marpl SBlnce the High}; the village was|) Ke Waevrenary lig! ht “Horse}) tv. @-14e2 te Past centuries.) | S } “since the present heavy!) Since the} § motor vehicies through! past cent? : } i by the coi GE ee es eegcar | oe petition tt Raubal, Gejete 2s-8.d2. Kentish Gazette, August 31, 62 BRIDGE.) BY-PASS. . - — Bridge Speeding pt : eee their chilc : Sea 2B he perennial problem of | “tear Third Time Fair? = traffic. speeding through the PRES EE aNd Use the High] IHE villagers and others who main street of Bridge was once || | ASB Tace track. * are fighting the Battle of again raised. Dr. Whiteside sug- | ' sound recordist, Mr. John/, Bridge deserve success, if only gested that the American plan of || EIU oa x S the man behing! for their perseverance. The sec- having about 100 yards of ae pnahe has the fond “airing” of the traffic proke badly surfaced road, known asa) « i backing of ‘the local road Jem in the “ Town and Country “Tumble road,” might be con- Bar comm programme of as an ear Fee ae retake notices f NS) t least, craw the attention’ for approaching drivers, AL. i : ag ord near sot) |fiutets te Wie ther | _fBoughihe didnot advocate’ rial The B.B.C. view. of this matter, : s ai the people of Bridge xf thought it might be brought’ ' . = Se ares, a uot Selves “and it is‘of: little use ao for ‘Consideration. If they ‘were | i i explored for "Town and Country 5 pate j | tellithem'that there is no “ready. foing to wait for the by-pass < ; broadcast reece ree they =| ten @ problem similar to they would never deal with the|| a sb : by Sonia Callingham, bri a eae menace in Bridge by those which affect so many other problem. 2 meade y; : A st 9th. 1962 ens = main-road villages.” I under- _It was pointed out that this on Thursday, Augu Me stand ‘that those words, or Was on the lines of the corru.|, 1 ey po = t 6.30 p.m. E others like them. have ‘been ated road that Clir. J. Mont.|, feos F wark —— Strect.| uttered so often that they can Sa had mentioned at apne]: ‘i fen. SEI—R-f, HGP/14/) jnow be “taken as read.” _ | ae ineeting: Bane} re oes the official inf | Among ihe sore ie Sea Cllr. A. J, "Ross: As I should idge's traffic dim-| Suggestions made was, Tam told.| be one of those regularly driving facets a viaduct starting at the top of ver it, T should ¢ ly. object! ai Town Hill and ending just below | ¢ DE Whitesioe® rou 2 tL. ais ne ee the Highland Court _ turning, 4 they had been talking about tae Exige ads, With this: plea ae | j leaving the village. itself to doze Problem for years and years, but || make your. yoicei peacefully below the thundering when a suggestion was put for- t t Pmets wats traffic!)Possibly the man who ward there were Objections! : suggested this had the village of atelier ik ; Hucking, in North Kent, in Still Waiting i mind, where a similar joking RF fe Suggestion a good many years Cllr. Ross saiq that as far as 4 « i ago jed to the temporary use of the Brij ge by-pass “was con- 3 a new name for the village: | cerned, ‘they were ail. waiting || Hucking-Glassbridge. ioe erate oF ss fers to]! The name stilj Persists al- They nat, route Shou, =|] though its origin is almost for- | ney ue ghey. vee S| Sure) gotten. If Bridge gets a glass were m, i thee rnenane and |) viaduct, we might revive the old He a; eae he. the sd namie’ of the parish and call it raised fee parking th yet as Blackmanbury-Glassbridge! street’ diq ave the effect ‘ot é phi: Fase Beatenk doy thes ic. He sug- 68 Beste at a rumble road should ; + “ rst be fied at Hersdent me i "Town and Country" Production Office, LANgham 44 y. McIntosh considered that q 4 i i such a road woula resultinmore| f Mrs. S. Callinghan, BELgravia 7694 . accidents than at present, . a Cllr, Craft Said that a Corrugated road Was discussed | [ | at some length by the Road ! | Sty Commiuée, yur uie Fulice |, + were not very enthusiastic, Cllr, J, 4. eid expressed the Pinion ‘that the trouble’ was that in this country they were | . 30 or 40" years behind the times 4 : in regard to: roads,’ What, he sla: asked, was the usé of making a 4 notion ge" Jeading Inte a dge 485, Kent H { neck at Ys ‘ ; rehese, Bridge 485, : “ails, Craft af This transcription provided by John Pu 2 surf : 226941962 a | Rt. Hon. Leslie Thomas, M.P., | Houses of Parliament, London, S.Wel | The Proposed Bridge By-Pass. Dear Sir, You must be well aware of the traffic through the. village of Bridge, just south east of Canterbury, and of the efferts of the local people to make the Ministry of Transport aware of its obligations before the opening of M2 produces such a flood of traffic as to endanger lives in the High Street. ; A petition has been organised locally, and | ‘ Signed by nearly all the adults of the village, urging the- Minister to act before it is too late. I am aware that Littlebourne has a similar petition going forward, and I understand that the correct procedure is for the local Member of Parliament to present such documents in the House, pre=supposing his sympathy with the “, heh ded I would be grateful, Sir, if you would let me know whether or not you would accept these petition forms from several hundred of your constituency members. The history of ‘promises', evasive answers, { official disinterest and short-sightedness that has so far ' marked the Ministry's attitude should surely not be allowed | to continue into next year when Bridge will become the bottleneck of the M2 London = Dover motorway. ‘ Nearly : Unwaty motorists were caught in this radar speed trap mck ated by Kent Police at Bridge on Tuesday, ; stopped for speeding—but warnings were the. order of the day. Yours faithfully, Encs. Sample Petition form. Campaign leaflets. preser for th delega ck un in touct MA pe n e D. 1 s (s) Fh Qutey Ae} ct Bs o i) Bock a ag fy ov oO <> John Purchese, sq., osebank, High Street fridge, Canterbury, , Bek w oO oH ey the House assembles and will not be 1 Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. Bouse of Commons, London, S.01.1 26th September 1962 u for your letter of 22nd September petition relating to the by-pass. ything I can to help you and the t sat yt Sridge in this matter. 2] the return of the Glerk of a on holiday. He will ition to Parliament should I hear from him | 1€ matter up Could you give me his / he impression from Et correspondence with him. / ct HO ct » 3.9 SAN oo n & ft al ABESHtW wh H ct ct hy Oo ® ble for me to Et I am leaving a arliamentary re Christmas, However, I will be 2in before I leave, | t Sagem { eS said Cy give my sup it! doleveryihine! f Mane Rec villagers in DE RN et cia (O by-pass projects, one vast, the other Telatively small, make steady progress in Kent— the Medway Motorway and the A2 diversion at Canterbury. - But they are complementary, because overflow traffic _ from the M2 will pour into Canterbury and make use of the diversion in 1964. 7 What happens between the end of the motorway at| Brenley Corner, near Faversham, and the start of the diversion at Harbledown, near Canterbury? Neither the ounty Council nor the Ministry of Trans- i efor certain. . Fy, there will be road chaos mo way from Faversham to Dover. -# | Rt. Hon. Leslie M. Thomas, 29 69 01962 M.BoEs, TeDe, MePey House of Commons, London, S.W.1 The Proposed Bri By-Pass. Dear Mr. Thomas, Thank you for your encouraging letter dated September 26th., in which you say that you will do what you can in the matter of the dangerous High Street in this village. The Departmental reference given to correspondence with the Ministry of Transport is HGP 14/42/068, and the spokesman for the Ministry has been Mr..G. Davis, of St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 (WATerloos 7999). My letter addressed to the Minister, at the outset of this correspondence, was answered by the Assistant Private Secretary - whose signature I read as Mr. Carlin-Black or Blake. Technical correspondence regarding particular inadequacies in the existing road, was addressed to the Divisional Road Engineer, (Wetropolitan), at St. Christopher House; reference RDL 34/6171, answered by Mr. G.D. Hewett. The Kent Police chose Bridge High Street this week as the scene to test out new radar speed trap equipment which has just been obtained. This, I would suggest, is of particular significance, since their choice of site is at variance with Mr. Davis' comments (letter, 25.21.1962) :- ".«eWith regard to the safety aspect, you will of course know that ; the road is speed restricted with 30 mph. speed limit repeater signs provided at both approaches to the village, which should warn drivers they are entering the centre of the village, and that they should take special care. For northbound drivers the 'school! sign should serve as 2 further warning." His comment on the traffic to be expected when M2 opens is equally illuminating (letter, 224341962) s— ".eeSo far asp extra traffic on the A2 between London and Dover is concerned, it is agreed that the Medway Motorway will attract extra traffic over lengthy sections of the route. It is however too early to say precisely how much extra traffic will pass through Bridge." veld R.P. Ppoidon: Head of the East Kent Road Car Company, was reported ("Kent Messenger" 5.1.1962) as saying:— "To ~Q< "«eoTo my mind there is no doubt that the completion of the Medway Moborway is going to mean heavy additional traffic on the A2 road between London and Dover." : Mr. Davis has refused three times to comment directly on this considered opinion of the Head of the East Kent Road Car Company. (My letters, 14.1.1962, 30.1.1962 and 12+3+1962). These points possibly explain why I spoke in my last letter of a history of "'promises', evasive answers, official disinterest and short sightedness that has so far marked the Ministry's attitude". Thank you for your support, Yours faithfully, Post—scriptum. To this letter I must add my thanks for Your telephone call this morning, and say that I am enclosing the Petition as arranged. ; a 9b) BET Some pogo prose quay ‘osprig ‘3S YyBIH ‘esoyoung uyof Aq_ poysiqng | AVGOL SIAVG YN OL FLTYM “Xepsany ysvey snjd -yd-ur of ye yYSnvd 919M s}st10j;0uI Of ApAeaNY FT| MOAHD GaAdS UVAVY LSU AOITOd LNA FHL dA MOTIOA ASVT Td ‘I's SUopuoyT “7g Yrway NOS ‘osnoyY zsydoystAYD 35 ‘LUOdSNVUL JO AULSINIW FHL ‘SIAVG *D AW 10} syuswIUIOS anok Suni aes Messenger, December wth, 1 -MINISTER’S VIEWS 0 OF BRIDGE Sympathetic—but what if Channel Tunnel is built? | | | | | | Mr Ernest Marples, Minister of- Transport, has | entered the “fray” in the battle for a by-pass | for the traffic-hit village of Bridge, near Canterbury, | on the main London - Dover A2. This’ follows 2 _ petition; —————— j signed by almost every adult | out of its proper place in the | in Bridge. appealing for im-|queue at the expense of | provements—either a by-pass / another, and even more neces- | or urgent measures to re-/sary scheme elsewhere. He | Strict the speed of cars hurt-| regretted that he could not at| ling through the 30 mp.h./present fit the building of a/ Old-World High Street on! their way to Dover and FPolke- stone. The cause of Bridge was | Saken up by Mr. Leslie ‘Thomas, M.P. for Canterbury, who has received a letter | from Mr. Marples. by-pass of Bridge into the) road programme. | Mr. Marples added: “There will no doubt bé Some addi- tional traffic when ‘the Med- | way Motorway is opén. But what would be the éffect of a | decision to build a Channel The Minister said he was| Tunnel or Bridge? fully awate that improve-| “Either would mean major ments were very desirable at | changes in the road pattern Bridge. and he had much/in this area, and a substantial sympathy with the local/reduction in traffic through peoplé who wanted something | the village. Particularly in done -s60n. Kent just now, roads must be The Minister said that/planned with an eye: firmly Bridge could only be taken /on the future.” CAUGHT IN | RADAR CHECK Caught in a Police radar check at Bridge on “November 23,| | Stanley’. Herris, of Dugstan Service Station, Faversham, was. fined £3 by the St. Augustine’s megistrates, at Canterbury, on Wednesday, for driving his car at 45 m_p.h. through a restricted area. Eee William R. Warwick; of 189 Earlham Grove, Forest Gate, E.7, was) fined £4 when. he pleaded guilty’ to driving his car] | at 52 m.p.h. on the A.2, at Bridge, | | on November 19. He slso was| } caught in a Police radar check. After being caught in the same | check, Raymond S.’ Dixon, of | | Avoce, Seasalter Beech, Sea- salter, Whitstable, was fined £5 for driving his van at 47 m.p.h. Pleading not guilty, Dixon said thet he knew Bridge was a dengerous spot end on this par-| | ticu’er day he was following a stream of traffic down the hill and the stream came to a halt shortly. sfter pessing the radar check, ay “I was not doing more#than 30 m.p.h.,” he said, Traffic’ Sgt. J. A. Garrett seid that the speed equipment wes erected in Bridge on the Canterbury side, and’ it was checked by @ patrol~ car and found to,be accurate, Dixon had one previous con-| | viction for speeding, KenTtISA AAZETTE (4-1: es Tee Pretibizbop | Canteflng trenertt pot, 10.r. 6s . h ‘ | } \ M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 DATE, BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN 5 2 ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 323.1963 ‘% ace GET The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, Southwark Street, S.E.1 - for circulation tor G. Davis, Esq., L. Durrant, Esq., F. Samuel, Esq.-, R. Pearson, Esq. Gentlemen, I am indebted to Mr. R.A. Pearson in his letter dated Nov. 29th., 1962, for explaining the procedure to be adopted when writing to the Ministry of Transport about the road conditions through the village of Bridge. I note that a consortium of officials may variously answer any one line of enquiry. When I originally wrote to the Minister (14.1.1962) asking to be put in touch with the official whose responsibility encompassed Bridge, I expected that gentleman to reply; but I now see that this was impossible under the structure of responsibility within the Ministry. Having explained this, I would like to draw the Group's attention to the two enclosed photographs. The smaller of the two shows the Archbishop of Canterbury crossing the Bridge High Street on the occasion of the Induction of a new Vicar. (16.2.1963) The Vicar leads and two Policemen — one the village Sergeant - attend to see His Grace across the road. You will note the brick wall at the foot of the photograph. The second photograph shows this wall after the impact of a lorry on the following Wednesday, February 20th. 1963. The lorry driver, Mr. Robert Holbrook, chose to hit the wall rather than the village Constable's wife and child who were walking along the pavement a foot or two away. I reported this section of pavement as being 43" wide in Item C, Appendix One of Notes attached to my letter to you of 30.1.1962. It has grown no wider in the meantime, and Urs. Bing and her child are lucky to be alive. I should be grateful if the Ministry Group would indicate what I am to tell the villagers when they mention road mf, HGP/14/42/068 -2- 34341963 safety, and remark that M2 traffic to Dover and Polkestone will funnel through this High Street until a By-Pass is achieved. I have your Minister's original letter on file, in reply to Sir Leslie Thomas, MeP., so I should be grateful if in your answer you omit reference to the By-Pass prospects and concentrate on the short-term policy of road safety for this village this year when M2 opens. I shall quite understand if you delay comment on the points raised until due consideration has been given them, but I would like to point out that events have a way of outstripping preparedness. Yours faithfully, ep lig, John} Purchese. a BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN From: Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. House of Commons, London, .@.1 ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 Date, 3rd. March, 1963 6th March 1964 omas, NBE., TD., MP., i Th ouse af Commons, W London, S.¥.1 q gh Street through Bridge, a + Thank you for your letter of 43rd March. With regard to the H ject of representation by you to the Minister of Transport, | y taken up correspondence once more with the Ministry i ; I shall be interested to read the i 2 with whom I had previously been in touch. } Minister's reply - nS, This was to report that there was a traffic accident . in the village a ago when a driver smashed down some ten feet of wall narrowly missing a woman and child on the narrow i Ss a pavement. A photograph was forwarded, together with one showing 4 the Archbishop of Canterbury crossing this section of road only i four days before (at the Induction of the new Vicar) with two (Ss ———< policemen to see him across the road. Ht a I asked the Ministry officials what road safety j measures they proposed to advise in the period when M2 was | f opened and Bridge without its By a. | I do not feel that this enquiry in any way touches the Minister's answer to your representation,,and I will see that i you have a copy of the Ministry's answer. Rosebank, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury. + John Purchese Esq., Yours sincerely, John} Purchese. ert) 2 UT CR ORG. DIVISIONAL ROAD ENGINEER (METROPOLITAN) St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telephone: waterloo 7999 Extn. 3297 Our reference: RDL. 34/6171 Your reference: <5 MS ris 1963. Dear Sir, Trunk Road A.2 Traffic Conditions Bridge, Near Canterbury, Kent With reference to your letter dated 3rd March, 1963, addressed to the Secretary of this Department, enclosing two photographs :— (a)iArchbishop of Canterbury crossing Bridge High Street 16th February, 1963. {(b) A damaged wall due to an accident to a lorry on 20th February, 1963. You will appreciate that the Archbishop would be Similarly escorted across any other traffic route he might officially have to cross, and hence the incident has | no specific relevance to conditions in Bridge. So far as the accident to which you refer is concerned, it is understood that it was due to weather conditions. Snow was falling at the time, and the road covered with snow and ice. No other vehicle was involved al Jana J. Purchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge, Nr. Canterbury, Kent. This paper is suitable for Dyeline Photocopying and.there is no indication that traffic conditions are a contributdmg factor. As the damaged wall is being reinstated an its original line, the owner has apparently not taken the opportunity to have it set back to increase the width of the footway, which as you state is very narrow at that section. With regard to short term measures, apart from those minor improvements referred to in the last Paragraph of the Minister's letter of 15th November, 1962, replying to Sir Leslie Thomas M.P., the existing kerb lines are to be relaid, and the footpaths resurfaced. The only effective way of improving matters would be to provide a 24 ft. wide carriageway with 6 ft. wide footways on each side. This could only be done at the expense of demolishing a number of properties, (as indicated by the red line on the enclosed plan), and consequently despoiling the character of the village, which I am sure you would deplore as much as we would. Yours faithfully, “> for Divisional Road Engineer. AQ | TWO BRAVE MEN SAVE A VILLAGE When lorry runs away down hill uick thinking by two lorry drivers saved villagers and coach passengers today as one of them went out of control on a steep hill on the A2 London to Dover road near Canterbury. The road was crowded with holiday traffic. c The foot brake of one of the lorries failed 20 yards from the crest of Bridge Hill as they began to descend in the direction of Canterbury. Half a mile in front of them was the main street of Bridge village. All ;the way down the hill, -driver Mark Andfews, 28, of Bears End, Godfrey Walk, Ash- fird; Kent, fought to keep his two-ton lorry laden with six tons of earth under control. Warning blast To warn pedestrians and his mate-at the wheel of the other lorry infront of him, which was laden- with eight tons of earth, he kept up a blast on his hooter. He said later: “ When the foot brake failed I changed down into third gear and grabbed the hand brake, but it would not stop the lorry. “By. then I was going so fast that I started to overtake my mate. In Bridge High Street at the foot of the hill I could see a motor coach which had pulled up on the other side of the road. “I knew that if I hit the coach I would go right through it. So I rammed my mate’s lorry. His ‘ lorry was pushed into the front of the coach.” “1 hit bus’ The other driver, Brian Frew, 24, of Wellesley Villas, Ashford, Kent, said?“ He ran into the back of me and swung me round, and I hit the front of the bus.” A car which had been _fol- lowing: the motor coach tried to avoid the crash and was in collision with the side of the coach. Women and one ran into a garage next door to a grocery shop to escape the lorries as they crashed on their. wrong side of the road outside the garage. Broken glass shoppers. screamed | , and ‘spilled earth covered the avements and the road was locked. ; _ BUT NO ONE WAS HURT_ PLS graphed (2. &. 1463 WAS au. M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 DATE, ‘Rosebank’, High Street, 152401963 Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 - for circulation to:- G. Davis, Esq, L. Durrant, Esq., F. Samuel, Esq., Re Pearson, Esq., and G.D. Hewett, Esq. of the Divisional Road Engineer's Dept., ref: RDL/34/6T71. Gentlemen, I am indebted to Mr. G.D. Hewett for acting as Group spokesman in reply to my letter of March 3rd. 1963. He kindly pointed out that the Police escort to the Primate when crossing Bridge High Street was irrelevant, and that with regard to the wall being demolished by a skidding lorry there was no indication that traffic conditions were a contributory factor. Could I draw the Group's attention to the enclosed photographs taken last Saturday morning (13.4.1963). They show an incident at the southern end of the village High Street involving two 8 ton ballast-laden lorries, a single-decker 'bus belonging to the East Kent Road Car Company, and a private car. No doubt I shall be instructed that this incident is irrelevant and that traffic conditions were not a contributory factor; but I would like the Group to examine carefully photograph No. 248/11 which shows the principally damaged lorry being removed past the new road being constructed to serve Bridge Farm Estate. In view of all these new homes with garages opening directly into the High Street can the Group say that there will be no danger in Bridge after the opening of M2 and before the By-Pass is a fact ? mf BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN Bridge 485 si Wine eta + SET —— 15-44-1963 HGP/14/42/068. —2= The only short term policy advanced by Mr. Hewett was to chop away the houses on either side of the High Street, to create trunk road conditions through the centre of the village. I would respectfully submit that this move would merely increase the speed of the traffic and enlarge the dangers. It could be that traffic lights at each end of the village - allowing one-way working - would impede the traffic, but it would slow it down. Possibly the Ministry Group however, would not wish to expend public funds beyond the example of Graveley on Al, where a notice says:"Please drive slowly through the village". I have waited 15 months for a direct answer to the report that Mr. RP. Beddows (Head of the East Kent Road Car Company) had said:"To my mind there is no doubt that the completion of the Medway Towns Motorway is going to mean heavy additional traffic on the A2 road between London and Dover". Possibly the Group could now, in consultation, comment directly on this statement and offer a few constructive suggestions as short term measures to ensure road safety in the village of Bridge. I shall quite understand if comment is delayed until due consideration has been given the points raised, but I would point out that events have a way of outstripping prepared- ness. Yours faithfully, John | Purchese. Enc. Photograph No. 248/5 showing the lengthy skid marks. Photograph No. 248/8 showing the principally damaged lorry. Photograph No. 248/7 showing the second damaged lorry. Photograph No. 248/11 showing the road to Bridge Farm Estate. (Please refer to letter 24.1962 Photograph K in Appended Notes, Addendum 2). Thank you for the relaying of kerb—-stones and Pavements. The work is well in hand. Post-Scriptum. cS H BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN i A RUNAWAY LORRY BRIDGE. HILL “Rosebank’, High Street, H M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 DATE. 15.4.1963 i Sir L.M. Thomas, MBE., TD., MP., House of Commons, London, S.W.l Dear Sir, I wrote on March 3rd. to say that I was in touch with the Ministry of Transport officials in regard to the short a term road safety measures for the village of Bridge. I promised ; to let you have a copy of their reply, and enclosed you will find | this together with a newspaper cutting which I believe will Ht explain my second letter to the Ministry, a copy of which I also ge I am grateful to you for your kind interest in the matter, and I am quite sure that any prodding I can do towards oa creating safer road conditions through this Village after M2 has been opened will receive your continued interest. , { Naturally, any further correspondence received i from the Ministry officials will be copied and forwarded to you. You will note a string of names at the commencement of my letter. The reason is that some time or another each of these gentlemen has been given the job of replying to me. Since I hold that each hand of the Ministry should know of its partners moves, I have taken the small precaution of asking for my letter to be | circulated to this group ~ and I refer to them as you will see as the Ministry Group. It overlaps both advisers to the Minister and the Department of the Divisional Road Engineers. i h = ‘018 uonUIUE Jo AYTIOM syuTYy pL WeMaEYD “Jay, “AanquoyuU> “a at) puogaq jsea] 4B a]9rYaA UO WD “IN, : Two of the lorries involved in Saturday’s “runaway crash” at Bridge { Yours sincerely, Inc. Copies of correspondence and newspaper cutting. ae Chepe MUYLRYD “PY Prosysy 7 hq moe LNA S132 [Ing 205 [12> 30 a1; Podauepa? ror-HUe Ur os) (PT wuoay 59438 pur soz [ly FOMET SOUS STOMA S20V8V9 | Aiqeuinsoid ‘uapaes ano jo souy | APUeY M2} Vv “yons se 10 pales 2WOS OU) UII ‘pue uBUussoutsng Payes99[n ‘pein ay) 107 Teopr eyeUL 94} UO J9MOW IO}OUL «< JPSINOA aANIp ., e MOU SI aay} aHou 9M yey, (uoIsuayaudde QWOS JNOYTA Ajoinue jou Pur) §SO19}U! B[QBIOPISUOD YP SI IT “A9]B9P INOA JO sad1Asas oul RIA sifeioods ay) 0} Yr 989q SI SHUN JoMod yons jo a.ue -Uaqureu ay) ‘a3paymouy Tenn Teotueypauu autos “aAzy | 24. pinoys pue gof uorsiooid B st Jomour mod Jaquiawiay tu} Yok IND JO UONSoUIp ay) Surkiea “fprejnSar payjor Pue 3nd oq pnoys ume, ox SuyynD sseiy pue suMopy TyMoueq B 0} pads gy Mies JO vorrodoid oy) ur Dene Pue [fos uy JO o.1MyxXIUI & ITAL UT POTTY 24 PInoys syuIof 19 syors3, ‘Avveindoa podaye paz payor! MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, LonDoN S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. on Your reference: April, 1963. Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter and enclosures of 15th April to the Secretary about conditions on trunk road A.2 through Bridge. Your letter has been referred to the Divisional Road Engineer, Metropolitan Division, who will be replying to you on completion of enquiries. Yours faithfully, Lae D. T. HEWLETT John Purchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, FPP From: Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. House of Commons, London, 9.0.1 18th April 1963 Dear Mr. Purchese, Sir Leslie has gone away for a rest after his attack of bronchitis over so I am therefore writing on his behalf you for your letter and enclosures about conditions in Bridge. I will of course show them to him as soon as he gets back next week. Yours sincerely, Personal Secretary John Purchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury. DIVISIONAL ROAD ENGINEER Ht et Canterbury Division Conservative and Unionist Association (METROPOLITAN) | } | St Christopher House, Southwark: Street, LONDON S.E.r ——H Parliamentary Representative: SIR LESLIE THOMAS, M.B.E., T.D., MP. Telephone: w. tH ft elephone: waterloo 7999 Bxt.3297 | i President Alderman Mrs. G. R. Hews, C.B.E, Agent and Secretary ECF. Brown Our reference: BDI. 34/6T74. ~ iT eh Chairman L. . Hart, Esq., J.P. Saw rpeee May, 1963. } tf Hon, Treasurers 2 us ¢ nee, oe 9, Hawks Lane, : r 1 ; T 7 +—f Asst. Hon, Treasurer P.T. C. Wright, Esq. Canterbury. | eee | al See Telephone: Canterbury 4187 Dear Sir, } : coat + 7th May, 1963. E Traffic Conditions Mes Sis Wi Sh Trunk Road A2, Bri near Canter Kent. er ac scarab } Dear Mr. Purchese, 1 Referring to your letter of 15th April, 1963, the | 1 With reference to your appointment with Sir Leslie ‘ first paragraph indicates an apparent misunderstanding it ; Thomas on Saturday, 18th May at these offices, I am sorry to inform you that Sir Leslie has been taken ill and won't be of the comments about the two photographs ((a) the able to do interviews on that date or for another month. Primate, and (b) the wall damaged by a lorry), in the letter sent to you on the 5th April, 1963, to which I | would refer you. I shall be handling this side of his affairs while he is away and if I can help you at all please let me know. | Yours sincerely, ; The general situation regarding road improvements in this Country as a whole, has been fully explained in the Minister's letter of the 15th November, 1962, to your local Member of Parliament, and while there has been no attempt to dispute that traffic conditions in Bridge are unsatisfactory, it is maintained that they are not unique, and are matched in many other places. There is therefore no specific justification for Bridge to be singled out for special priority. Se a cn as corn aaa + | — oe AGENT & SECRETARY. The most effective short term measure at present, eo | so far as Bridge is concerned, is for you to press the Police to enforce the speed restriction rigorously. rj ae Yours faithfully, Bebe: - John Purchase, Esq., \ "Rosebank," EV Se cati + tf High Street, J. Purchese, Esqe . Bt BRIDGE oa enk, , for Divisional Road Engineer ! Cantebiry. High Street, | OG Pa pomma Eses cre Bridge, GDH/IJVD t Near Canterbury, Kent. M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 DATE, BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 134721963 The Chief Constable of Kent, County Police H.Q., Sutton Road, Maidstone, Kent. Dear Sir, I have been in communication with the Ministry of Transport for more than a year concerning the dangers to pedestrians and drivers alike to be found in the High Street, Bridge, on A2. The Ministry several times has said that the responsibility for keeping traffic speed down is that of the Police. For example on March 22nd., 1962, Hre Ge Davis for the Ministry said: "With regard to the speed limit signs it is noted that your concern is rather for the observance, by drivers, of the speed limit. Enforcement of this is a matter for the police and does not fall within my Minister's jurisdiction." Mr. Marples himself, on the subject in a letter to Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P., said:"I know that some residents have complained to me about the speed of vehicles through the village. But although 1 decide about the imposition of a speed limit, it is not my responsibility to enforce it. The recent speed checks by the police are evidence, however, of their determination to do so." (15.11.1962). The Minister's appreciation of your efforts in this field does not seem to be shared by the Divisional Road Engineer, for whom Ere Ge D. Hewett wrote on May lst. 1963: "The most effective short term measure at present, so far as Bridge is concerned, is for you to press the Police to enforce the speed restriction rigourously." This advice wes all that the Ministry could offer me when I asked what physical plans they had for the interim period when M2 was completed to Faversham and before the Bridge By-Pass was a reality. This is the period I fear, and the key to my present campaign. The village Police do en excellent job in stationing themselves at the roadside for hours at a time during peak traffic periods, but this prevents their doing more productive Police work during this time. M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 DATE. BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 136761963 Continuation. I have appreciated the way in which your Traffic Division regularly sites its Radar speed check gear in the village. I regard these attempts on the part of the Ministry to farm out responsibility for what will happen in this village to any other organisation but its own 28 an example of bureucratic ineptitude, and have told them so. If you would care to comment on the Police attitude to the problem of Bridge High Street, I should be most grateful. A copy of this correspondence is being sent to Sir Leslie Thomas to keep him informed of the situation. Yours faithfully, eee | From: Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. NVAA KENT COUNTY CONSTABULARY 28 J09 THR P.O. Box No. 11, | House of Commons, IH Police Headquarters, | Your RY TPM 2.068 Sutton Road, MAIDSTONE | “a : London, S.0.1 i Our Ref. 104/50/48 HS/GIB ............ 15th. Tuly.,.....1963. a} [ae Dear Sir, High Street, Bridge, A.2. misee i 15th July 1963 } h July 196 Ihave to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the. 13th. July,. 1963... ee BE 2 which will receive attention. t4 foe ete Yours faithfully, ry 1 R. D. LEMON, ene tt Nps. he (oe Su 5/62 es137¢ Chief Constable of Kent. | se a ! on Thank you for your letter of 13th enclosing see ee SD copy of one you have sent to the Chief Co able. J ee ere Berl morning, wk 2 { iy | fe could come along th AY AALS KE capa Hak toe Police Ded beteckted, he tweaker Pee Lev gi te derted thank Taressa, rearen fpr feeling kak Endy be Cath a frre, and be aprhe dy intinding 16 Chee a qretier fol fal jared Hee Merwin: aching fey ate irKies ty fptae and aon frtre romd | aul g | E ; Ke bund toe { | John Purchese, #sq., pus Tee R bank se, jerbury. | SeetetuAn IOI ANEM ‘Z90ING “16 ‘HOIH ‘.INVERSOM, ‘aBAHOUNd NHOF AG aaHsIEnd SSVd-Ad FOIA LYOddns asoysing uyof Trt “‘peoy TU },Ue nox w2A0q 24} uO Ammquozuey wow say £ y I ssi ? i ‘osplig, ysnosyy Buyssed sidatsp *390/¢+/41/q5}{ eouarajor ayy sVe9q prhoys Asi ayy 0} $19939'T iIMOTS 19 JO spuesnoyy oy1 jo ouo Aue 07 31 duypuey fq 10 ‘moputm va nok 0} Joyea, poyoene ayy Burxy kq diay ueo nox “hayes sy pue y2013¢ ysip] edpiig Suyuss.u00 asnoy] oy) ur uosonb ev y10dsuesy jo saqstury 943 yse 03 postuT 2 Aan 0n anne an0e/-n0/\an/an/\ne/\ne/\oe/\00/\00/\04/\n0/\00/\00/\as/\an/\nal\naoaoeas/raa Naar -oBprag “722115 yBry « yuvgasoy , *“Kemiojou 7 ay jo Butuado ayy fq peasnes -oid sey ‘juaureyieg jo soquiay anok ‘sewoyy ‘Ww “J 41S oye Aavoy oy} eouaqtedxe 0} Suruurdeq mou aie nox £961 asnBny Oo - WTONVA aa/\na/\na/\ aaa VON OI OS TS PFS RIN ROR | { 2 Another Stretch — Opens | Another 11 miles of the Med- ‘| way Motorway will open today (Friday) in time for the pre- | Bank Holiday traffic. It will take the M.2 clear of Sittingbourne and will leave only the last 14 miles to Brenley Corner to be completed. The first 13 miles of the new road were opened by the Mini- ster of Transport (Mr. Ernest Marples) just before Whitsun, ||bringing traffic from Strood .|across the Medway Bridge and | as far as Stockbury Valley. ||. This second ‘section will mean _|that the Motorway will continue from the Stockbury Viaduct to _|the interchange with the Faver- sham-Ashford road (A.251) just -|south of Faversham. ca Traffic from London will now have to leave the M2 at A.251 _|and rejoin the A.2 on the out- skirts of Faversham. London- bound traffic from Canterbury |j}and Thanet Way will use the || Same route. In a_ statement announcing the opening of-the second sec- tion, a Ministry of Transport spokesman says, “At peak periods of holiday pressure, there will be some inconvenience and delay to motorists at this point. “But Sittingbourne can expect to share at once in the spectacu- lar relief from traffic congestion which, since Whitsun, the Med- way Towns—until this summer one of the worst and_ longest traffic bottlenecks in Britain— have enjoyed.” < The remaining section of. the 26-mile Motorway still to be completed runs from the A,251 interchange to Brenley Corner, where tne M2 merges with Thanet Way and the A.2 to Can- terbury and Dover. _ The Ministry says that work on this section is “well ad- vanced.” without making an impression .on the: village | street picture, as would ,the} creation of an entirely new | station. ' | Bridge was less than three miles from the centre of Can- terbury, “" where there were numerous," garages» and filling | stations. There were, other facili. ! ties at Barham, and he could see. no real need for an additional! | station at. Bridge, He pointed out.that the Mini- ster had previously dismissed ‘of the: one petror fii 5 aay pe ay x ing ‘station pavate the al- or, ' ditions in the village, Ane ee In ‘the 1961 traffic census, it Was found that = over 6,300. vehicles Passed through. the vil- lage; each day — in the peak periods this rose to 6,700. This indicated’ a need for a three-line y re: sent road. was Only 18 feet ag and grossly Overloaded. It was he ree how. : ‘ €onlyin lependent objector Was Mr, A.W, Rogers, proprietor Village in | need f. nspector wentsto® visi 1e -S: and his: decision wi] made known later. two appeals for planning per-} mission for filling stations—one a half-mile on thé? Canterbury side of the appeal. site “and five cottages on the site» had been condemned and the le ek would have to come down, t was decided to build a fill tion because so many- people ad been to him - say it, - wonderful site fc 30) e 8 as urgently rea bbs th. wi | beeause of the traffic another near the Re lic house. Both were objections that the appeal y: e guessed, f / Mr. Geoffrey D. Hewett, of the! K.C.C's_ Divisional “,Road En-/ ~ BY-PASS FOR OUR SAKE & YOURS! FOR ACTION, WRITE: The Sec., Ministry of Transport, Southwark St., London, S.E.1 SAFETY FOR BRIDGE ! PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE. ROSEBANK HIGH ST, BRIDGE issued 5 (2-10: ‘63: en marek. Pa aid Dee ee meee _ TEENAGERS IN ~ PROTEST MARCH Bridge Traffic Problem Over 35 teenagers went on a! protest march through the busy | Village of Bridge on Sunday afternoon. They carried bannicest protesting against the speed of | traffic through the village. And they handed out “go slow” leaflets to the motorists who were forced to crawl behind the procession. Proclaimed the banners, “Bridge by-pass for our safety and yours,” “Help save lives by ‘supporting by - pass. cam- paign” and “Slow through The youngsters were mainly members of Bridge Youth Club, aged between 13 and 19 — and | their progress through the main | street was watched by Mr. John | Purchesé, who has been leading 7210 | his own campaign for a by-pass for some timél~= sures % @ ed ; Pe i " re Said Mr. 32 This is ee Organiser, 20-year-old Brian Lewis, hands round “Go Slow fascia “to ie Stes Oras leaflets to the marchers. 2 ; youngsters decided to do it | themselves—and I am delighted. “Since the M.2 opened, tne {| situation has worsened. There is }|much more traffic using this }| road.” ea 8 iI The Orzaniser The protest march was orga- = z nised by 20-year-old Brian Lewis, of 1 Weston Villas, Bridge. His father is a Bridge-Blean Rural District councillor. “I thought it was about time the young people of Bridge had a | Say in the matter,” he told the } “Kentish: Gazette.” L Young villagers stage danger protest march (23) =! | thing that they can -to prevent & | traffic speeding through the vik | ] TREY: young people, - has increased ~ tremen- | lage. The sight of a pobcemnay db carrying ~ banners, B d dously. Standing beside the road is often S Marched through their rl ge “And the road through aonen the oe ee on as i is home village of Bridge on the village is just not wide | duty 24 hours a. day.” | said that there had Mr. Lewi: ; been. many accidents and near accidents that had not been re- ported. Minor accidents were | not recorded by the authorities. He had been nearly killed’ him- wants a by-pass enough to cope, particu- larly with heavy lorries. “The danger must have increased because the Sunday; protesting against the dangers to villagers from motorists who pass through on the A2 to Here’s how the youngsters of Bridge slowed down traffic in the village on Sunday—and put forward their plea for a by-pass. i To Bs ETS ES Keahil, Gayle (10/63 —> cone EVENING STANDARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1968-24 __| ; it Dover. It called on the Ministry { police are always setting | svibiave “teed interested in} e f as i ats Residents of the rapidly- | of Transport to provide a | up radar traps here. | this. problem | for about igre ] e + -— growing village, three by-pass or make some “Continental traffic is | years,” he said. “I have writtere i i i , : : several letters to the Minist: Young ones fight or Teenagers march g miles east of Canterbury, | other arrangement for the | increasing all the time, Toes ad > ee HERR 4 | “When you have a down and and if the Channel tunnel is built, more industry will come down.” Mr. Lewis could think of safety of the village. “But we haven’t heard any more about it,” says 20-year-old Brian Lewis, are getting more worricl about traffic speedin g through the narrow, wind- ing main street. am up gradient like we do here | in Bridge, you are bound to get speeding. vehicles.” Not Wide Enough for safer road / village satiety mais ame an jthe village of Bridge, on’ the ;Canterbury to. Dover -road yester- i he young people of Bridge have taken the lead to geta 4 5 F who was responsible for veral ecident: hich essay : 2 |day ‘protesting against the speed’, They feel, as accidents s. pons: Several accidents whic Mr. Lewis said that) the A2 a by-pass for the village. They are co sAipeaen Se senpelen of traffic. 4 Snes that: Aowaitaation Sunday’s march, he considers could have earns considerably more o bring the dangers of speeding traffic to the notice o: Their organiser, 20 year cold . He lives at Weston-villas, | been avoided —lorries | ‘tiie now that much of the 420 traffic was being diverted by the |} opening of the M2. “The road just isn’t wide enough to take the heavy lorries } &nd cars with which we are con- fronted.” Mr. Lewis: said that others in- volved-in getting the protest suOTCH ae Bes included Stuart . ra cettare hint. > ‘ove (17), of Meadow Croft, when he was walking along Conyngham Lane, John Hated the pavement, (18), cf Regency Cottage. and “Tf nothing is done soon (13).CWP brother, Nigel Lewis We are obviously going to ji“hwe wane w by-pass,” he said. have a Serious big acci-. | “But it seems that the Ministry dent.” is likely to become chronic, The remedy? A by-pass, +——4—= This will allow the vil- lage to revert to the quiet hamlet the heavy beams and narrow lanes charac- terise. the Minister of Transport Bridge lies on the busy A.2 London to Dover road, just South of Canterbury. The half- timbered houses nestle between two steep hills, Cars. coming from and on their way to the Continental ferries at Dover pass through the village’s narrow main street ~—and there have been many accidents, Says 20-year-old Brian Lewis, organiser of the campaign: “ We felt it was time we hada say in the matter, Many of us have which is on a bend: the centre of the village. “The M2 motorway has been brought down as far as Faversham, so all the traffic that used to go down the A20 to Folkestone now uses the motorway because two-thirds of the distance is a dual carriageway. “That means the volume of traffic through Bridge | Brian Lewis, said: “We want a by-pass. But the Ministry of - i Transport won't take any. notice! / until the corpses are laid out in front of it.” | T sort of traffic.” + = tT toiltes The young people, most of : Dail, Expren. (4 10103 | them teenage members of the / local youth ae have eitrady | { i j +——f eat Bie cong traffic noe A petition organised by Hr erisier paraded up Apa town + + + t + t the vente people in Bridge ec beat. a short time ago was sae! Dare also. ates 90 ; { [ signed by alicat every Per sant of thes rillacves asp householder in the area, crashing and cars hitting the walls flanking the main street, “One of the people on the march—John Baker— Was recently hit by a car passing through the village now that the fast M.2 motorway is open. Our narrow main street was just not made to carry this | of Transport won't act until the Conpses are laid out in front of em.” pad Sect eeeenrs and pee Population; thought it was time our protest “ Nea i We plan to have more ‘ 10°63 | —_—__. Was heard. marches and protests,” says Mr. | ene. Ryren (B10 0S “More and more traffic is Lewis. | = py on = a SE - _ ee iy is = oe = ae = er a = ——_ * Sig oat San ae NO PETROL FILLING a STATION FOR BRIDGE : am Minister’ Ss Decision Bridge will not. be + The Minister accepted his In- + +. petrol filling station in spector’s recommendations and! street after all. The Minister’ of| consequently dismissed the ap- + Housing and Local, Government | peal. T has upheld the Kent. County |: Council's refusal of planning, per- ok mission. A public inquiry was held on Vas October 8, when Village Proper- ties Ltd. appealed ‘against. the K.C.C.’s refusal of: planning per- + mission to build a petrol filling station at the entrance, of the new. estate. . q Te The Inspector (Mr. S. H. A. Rollison), in .his report to.the ——- Minister, concluded that the sug- ie ue | gested layout and design of the filling station were good. They |, would not materially harm the} appearance of Bridge High Street. aa: He accepted evidence given by |'* the appellants that the proposed station could. -operate . without} . | there being too many signs and| * clutter and that control would’be | i the trunk road through Bridge was far too narrow to’cope ade- quately with present. traffic— much of which was of a com- mercial nature— and which, was pone likely to increase, The «Inspector accepted that there was a growing local need for a modern petrol filling station but he considered that this site was not the proper place for it. The need did not justify over- riding the objection.to the de- T the week-end, teen- had already been carried a __ tion of Bourne Park Road, expressed their’ intention of velopment on traffic grounds. agers at Bridge ‘Stage further by a meeting but suggested a Patrol at observing local’ conditions paraded the High Street with banners calling attention to the need for a by-pass to relieve traffic conditions inthe between representatives of the police, highways and education authorities on the site. The meeting, it was re- ported to the monthly meet- ing of the local Joint educa- what was considered a more central point, just north of the Plough and Harrow pub- fic house. The meeting resolved that the authorities concerned be for themselves, _ | eae : The matter ‘had been made all the more pressing by the decision--to cease conveying some Bishops- bourne children living with- 7 exercised over this. / However, ‘the report’ goes on, village. tion committee, was unable requested'to re-examine the in the statutory walking t ' A responsible job - see overleaf. Attempts to remedy the to recommend a_ school Position in the li : 0 ght of fur- distance of Brid c if tratie: sangers: on the AZ crossing patrot@t-the junc- ther information, Members of England DriTaEy scneeL Pent Resrevgirs (8-10.63. | Detaluiza Cte bs Sn | i ; | T the week-end, teen- agers at Bridge paraded the High Street with banners calling attention to the need for a by-pass to relieve ¥| traffic conditions in-the village. Attempts to remedy the team. slangers- on the AZ had already been carried a stage further by a meeting between representatives of the police, highways and education authorities on the site. The meeting, it was re- ported to the monthly meet- ing of the local Joint educa- tion committee,.was unable to recommend a_ school tion of Bourne Park Road, but suggested a patrol at what was considered a more central point, just north of the Plough and Harrow pub- lic house. The meeting resolved that the authorities concerned be requestedto re-examine the position in the light of. fur- Srossing patrolaft-the junc- ther information, Members Paut Wenougiy. (6-16.63. expresse( observin; for them The 1 made. all by the conveyin; bourne cl in the distance of Engla: NO PE Bridge will not be {having a petrol filling station in its main street after all. The Minister of Housing and Local.,Goyernment has upheld the Kent County Council’s refusal of planning, per- mission. rs A public inquiry was held on October 8, when Village Proper- ties’ Ltd. appealed against. the K.C.C.’s refusal of planning per- mission to build a petrol’ filling station at the entrance. of the new. TROL FILLE The Kent Education Committee is advertising the job opposite. By today Sunday Dec. 8th. applications total NOUGHT. Despite responsibility for low pay, could you guard the children during their way to and from School ? STATION FOR BRIDGE Minister’s Decision The Minister accepted his In- spector’s recommendations and! consequently dismissed the ap-. peal. : pci ah ceo WANTED A man or woman to act as School Crossing Patrol, in Bridge High Street by the Plough and Harrow, to see the children safely over the road. Hours: 8.30 — 9.00a.m. 3-40 — 4.00 p.m. Wages: 4/- per hour of service. Interested persons should contact The Headmistress, Mrs. O. I. Knight, Bridge & Patrixbourne C. E. Primary School, Patrixbourne Rd., Bridge. Datilviza Vr bs ————— BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN M.O.T. REF, HGP-14-42-068 ‘ i Rosebank’, High Street, Date, 8. 12, 1963 Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 The Chairman, The Isle of Thanet Divisional Labour Party, 42, Hawley Square, Margate, Kent. Dear Sir, The dangez to motorist and pedestrian alik ~ . swell the Residents of an Old People’s . e in the v centre take — “their lives in their hands every | - time ture out. ¥ ents are scared stiff to go out to pity = the main road. “We have had five fatal acci- dents in Bridge in recent years and we feel we are justified in demand- ing action,” declares Mr. Lewis. Chief organiser of the protest group is 37-year-old Mr. John Pur- chese and among active supporters are: Stuart Dove (17), John Harris (8), Chris Holden (16), John Baker (18) and Nigel Lewis (17). ° ————— LIVE IN BRIDGE se? ITH vehicular traffic in either direction accelerat- ing through its narrow street” in order to gain momentum to climb the hill on the opposite side, it is obvious that the by-pass is not so much.a ques- tion of ‘if? as ‘when’” - J. H. Stewart, Chairman, Can- terbury Liberal Association. x * * “The problem of the density of traffic using Bridge High Street is not a small local issue” —Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P. for Canterbury, x * x “The situation is bound to become. more dangerous . be- cause of the completion of parts of the M.2” — G, S,, Cobbett, Prospective Labour Candidate for Canterbury, Bulletin No. 1. 1st March, 1964. THE BRIDGE BY ~- PASS CAMPAIGN. Organiser: John Purchese, "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge. (Bridge 485). Campaign Secs Brian A. Lewis, 1 Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge (Bridge 254). Dear Supporter, Thank you for your interest in the campaign to improve the safety of Bridge High Street. At the time of writing this first bulletin, -neert- 100 people have shown interest and support for the movement. wor The Government has approved a Channel Tunnel in principle, but this will not solve the traffic problem at Bridge at all. In fact it means that there will be an enormous increase in Continental traffic during the next few years until the Tunnel opens. The Government says that the construction of the Tannel will take at least seven years from the start of the plan being put into operation. In the meantime what happens to Bridge? The A20, with a feeder Motorway from the M2 will certainly absorb a great deal of heavy traffic from London and the North, but the Port Authorities in Dover will naturally compete for trade, and an increasing move’ nt of traffic will be felt on the Dover road, especially up to the time of the opening of the Channel Tunnel. rf > the Channel Tunnel decision that the Ministry i y and intending to ignore Bridge. However, an immediate sta improve the road conditions, and this the Ministry must learn. A great many of you have offered to take ft rt in demonstrations and we have planned one for Easter Sunday, 29th March, 1964 at 3.0 p.m. It will take approximately one hour to complete. So that the campa receives the maximm publicity we intend to include in the procession a smast otor-car on a trailer and other items to suggest the dangers of the road. Now, additions and all such 'gimmicks' are unfortunately necessary if the press and television are to notice and report such demonstrations. Nobody demonstrates just for the fun of it. In this case, it is the safety of our children and elderly folk that is at stake. Full details of the demonstration will be posted to you in due course. Please try to keep that afternoon free. It has been chosen ¢ lly to have the maximum impact on holiday traffic, and at a time when you may well be free during the weekend. Unfortunately, no campaign ean run for long without some degree of financial support to cover the inevitable cost. We would like to thank most sincerely all those who have contributed recently. Yours faithfully, Brian A. Lewis, John Purchese. * STOP PRESS! There was another traffic incident yesterday in Bridge involving an elderly person, "SECRET SHOCK ‘ PLANS FOR © Feet, ROAD SAFETY | t village straddling the A2 between ury, is planning a profit march ie Dover and Can is a closely guarded secret what fornia dem nstra- Easter Sunday. i i 5 e ti se ’ tion will be taking to draw attention to the traffic learly 100 villagers have volunteered to take part |) hazards of Bridge High Street, on the Dover = Canter- march up and down this section of the busy || bury road (the Roman Watling Street). eco ' ‘ Toad-which carries hundreds of cars to the cross- Mr. John Purchase, who | Kewt Méssewcern 6 4 1aby | Channel ferries at Dover. ||| St#tted a campaign for a by-)—— 5 The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, The reason for their’ st? They want the vilage by-passed. In recent years, there have Hes Sees poeu accidents bel ive ha iillea people ve. been ¢ man behind the bi; march is 20-year-old Mr. SPs Lewis. # Po 18ft. wide? years ag0 Was coping with 6,700 vehicles a day. This part of the’ A.2 was only built to cope with horse traffic. CHILDREN. Play Peril ‘ ¥ “But now that the motor- way between Strood and Bren- ley Cornet has opened more and more drivers are choosing this route to -the cross- Channel ferries at Dover: Bridge is becoming.a death. trap. “Residents of an old folk’s home in the village take their lives in their hands every time they venture out. Villagers are afraid to letitheir children out to_play,” saidMr. Lewis. In addifion to ban: 4the organisers plan to use es and yee each ga special prot message for the pass two years ago, after the dent outside his High Street house which ended fatally, told a KENT MESSENGER, reporter: “We are going to lay on a Surprise, and we_ have. 200 have the, approval of the clerey. for: what we intend to tao" : Th October, .1963, the youth ||of Bridge staged” a - protest |) march which bottled up traffic for.a good half-hour. stration—on Faster Sunday, March 29th—follows further abortive attempts to get the Minister of Transport ‘to move in the, matter,*said Mr. Purchase. ce ek “An official quote from’ the Ministry itself gives an ayer- age of one person killed each || 1958-63, nearly two’ seriously injured, and nearly four cases || of slight’ injury. aes || Kent County Council census "| figures show that in 1961 over 6,300 vehicles passed through Bridge in a “day—at peak times this rose’ to 6,700. Since. then, with the opening of the M2, the situation is said to have worsened. Meanwhile, the ‘local road safety officer states “that. Bridge ‘has been promiséd a + by-pass for years. ‘ with Mr, Purchase’s warning fatality, he will place’ his dossier at the coroner’s dis- +] posal, little more has been ')done than to put down a} || dotted white line and splash {| kerbs with white paint! ; ;| Mr. Purchase, who among other things issues pamphlets, leaflets, and cards, as well as'}, ‘|a periodic campaign bulletin, says the three political parties || have been approached in view of a General Election, _ It remains to be seen what has thought up for March experience of seeing an acci-|) backers in the village. We |}: The forthcoming * demon- |} year in a period of. five-years, |! But, despite correspondence 1 with the Ministry, together |/ that, in the event of another |’ PROTEST MARCH The battle for a by-pass at Bridge’ takes another step forward on Easter Sunday. About 60 villagers — many of a-protest march through the vil- lage where the A.2 narrows: to 18 feet. 4 old Brian Lewis, who organised a similar protest last year. “This year we propose to use shock tactics,” he said. “Vehicles as well as pedestrians -will take part in the march and these will help point to the dangers with which villagers find themselves faced. ‘(ais “The situation has really worsened in the village,” Mr. ||Lewis said. “More and more Dover since the motorway opened... ‘ “There have been five fata! accidents in ‘the village in justified in demanding action.” Gi WZ iG BRIDGE PLANS | ’ |them* young people—are to stage | Behind the march is 20-year- traffic is using the A.2 to get to|_ recent years and we feel we are|/ San eae London, S.E.1 Dear Sir, A public meeting is being held on Saturday April 4th., 1964, at 2.30p.m. in the Village Hall, Bridge, organised by the Bridge By-Pass Campaign. In the chair will be the Road Safety Officer of the district. Invited to speak at the meeting will be the Candidates for the 1964 Parliamentary Election from the Conservative,/ Liberal and Labour Associations for the Canterbury Division. : / It is sincerely hoped that the Ministry will be able to/arrange for one of the officers who knows something of the road coviditions through the village, and the proposed plans to deal with he conditions, to be present at this meeting. It gives the/Ministry an ideal opportunity to put its case, and since the Press h¢s taken a lively interest in this proposed meeting it could ensure th@ widest possible reporting of the position as the Ministry sees Lhe) There is exactly a month before the meeting, 80 I sincerely tmat that the) Ministry will find itself in a position to accept the invitation to speak. The Agenda is:— le Welcome to the supporters of the Campaign and public. 2. Brief statement by the Campaign organisers. 3. Brief statements by the three political representatives. 4. Statement by the representative of the Ministry. 5. Questions from the flgofan arrange transport from London and juteh for your representatives y.415 faithfully, Le) \ / { Air | \ Canterbury Division Conservative and Unionist Association Parliamentary Representative: SIR LESLIE THOMAS, M.B.E., T.D., M.P. President Alderman Mrs. G. R. Hews, C.B.E, Agent and Secretary E. C. F, Brown ‘Chairman L. E Hart, Esq., J.P. Hon, Treasurers U, H. B. Alexander, Esq. E. Parker, Esq., C.B.E., F.C.A. Asst, Hon. Treasurer P. T. C. Wright, Esq. 9, Hawks Lane, Canterbury. Telephone: Canterbury 4187 6th March, 1964. Dear Mr. Purchese, Your letter regarding your meeting on the 4th April has been forwarded to Sir Leslie Thomas to see if he is able to attend it. I would point out that in addition to Bridge there are 24 other villages in the constituency as well as 3 towns ami it is quite impossible for him to accept all the engagements he is offered, particularly when he is not previously consulted as to the date. Yours sincerely, AGENT & SECRETARY. eee Glats om Lit dan horny 5, J. Purclese, Esqe, "Rosebank," High Street, BRIDGE, Nr. Canterbury. Canterbury Division Conservative and Unionist Association Parliamentary Representative: SIR LESLIE THOMAS, M.B.E., T.D., M.P. President Alderman Mrs. G. R. Hews, C.B.E. Agent and Secretary Chairman L. E. Hart, Esq., J.P. Hon, Treasurers U. H. B, Alexander, Esa. 9, Hawks Lane, E. Parker, Esq., C.B.E., F.C.A. Canterbury. Asst. Hon, Treasurer PT. C. Wright, Esa. Telephone: Canterbury 64187 13th March, 1964. Dear Mr. Purchese, You will have heard from Sir Leslie Thomas that he is not coming to your meeting on the 4th April. I have arranged for Mr. A.J. Ross, the Courity Councillor in the Bridge Blean area, to be present. He will be prepared to deal with the subject on 4 factual basise I would have thought it better to keep politics out of this subject; it is purely administration. Yours sincerely, es AGENT & SECRETARY. J. Purchese, Esq., "Rosebank," High Street, BRIDGE , Nr. Canterbury Sir Leslie Thoma tensham park Ferm, Pishersbourns, House of Commons, Canterbury. London, S.U.1 T.% 64. Dear Mr,Purchese, Thank you for your letter and for the invitation te come th the meeting you are holding at Pridse | Village Hall on 4th April. I should certainly like to come 3 |) to this, PRIA Thank you for your letter of 4th which my Agent forwarded to me. I thought your pamphlets were very good indeed. Please excuse me for not thanking for them at the time,but as we had already discussed it se much, I knew you would | em already committed on Our next Read Safety meeting is on Thursday 2nd April. I hepe to hear what Mr.Chittenden's paans sre for the Pavement between Cartref and Bourne Park turning. I will probably also ask what progress is being made te improve the exit ente A2 from Union Lane,which is generally admitted to be unsatisfactory. I would be glad if you could brief me about recent developments and also en any matters which we mizht usefully press at this juncture. You may of course prefer te get in touch with your own parish representative,Mr.Price,whe is I believe alse a@& member of the Read Safety Committee. Yours sincerely, © Coy. Cite (George Cobbett) Canterbury. THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN Press Bulletin Organiser: John Purchese, ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge. Tel. Bridge 485. Campaign Sec.: Brian A. Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High St., Bridge. Tel. Bridge 254. 16.34.1964 ban | The Agent & Secretary, \ The Conservative Association, a z 9, Hawk Lane, +e i Canterbury. + i Dear Er. Brown, i | 3 3 PRESS INFORMATION Thank you for your letters dated March 6th.. and 13th., 1964. | Although naturally disappointed that Sir Leslie an ' - Z .Opm. Thomas would be unable to be present at the meeting on April 4th. >» I was i | Not for release until Sun. March 29th = 3 P very pleased to hear that Mr. AeJ. Ross had kindly consented to be af } present. I noted both your comments as to the Size of a Sir Leslie's constituency and the thought that you felt that road safety =| { at Bridge was not a political subject. : | Administration, I understood, is the responsibility of Government - so, to invite the three men (one of whom will represent Bridge's interests in Parliament at the end of 1964) seemed to me to be oe eminently suitable. I am sorry you disagree. I note that you now shut on Saturdays. Yours faithfully, f ee. . John} Purchese. THE MIN. TWINS ‘My dear Everpend, an eyening at Whist possibly — Bridge, never! HI THE MIN. TWINS statistics prove anything but the need for delay!’ THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN Bulletin No. 2 Organiser: John Purchese, ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge. Tel. Bridge 485. Campaign Sec.: Brian A. Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High St., Bridge. Tel. Bridge 254. 15th March, 1964. Dear Supporter, The Protest March against the traffic dangers in Bridge High Street will be on Easter Sunday, 29th March, 1964 as mentioned in our previous bulletin. The meeting place will be the lay-by a short distance up the hill towards Canterbury, at a quarter to three in the afternoon. The March starts at 3.0 p.m. prompt. The Police say that they will attend with cars and Officers on foot to ensure safety for the marchers, so please do not hesitate on the grounds of safety to bring children if you wish - even in prams! The route for the march is down through the village to St. Peter's Church, turning off into the road to Bishopsbourne; reforming and returning up the other side of the High Street to the lay-by for dispersal. Bight people will be responsible for carrying banners and slogans, and sixiwil distribute leaflets; but these duties will have been arranged in advance. Please bring at least one friend with you for the walk, and encourage all you can to watch the march from the pavements. This is a serious demonstration, and the press are taking a lively interest in it, so please support it as far as you can. A week after the march there will be a public meeting in the Village Hall, Bridge, on Saturday 4th April, 1964 at 2.30 p.m. Speakers invited include a Representative from the Ministry of Transport, and the three Candidates for the Canterbury Division in the General Election, Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P., Mr. Ted Moss and Mr. George Cobbett. The Chair will be taken by the Road Safety Officer for Bridge, Mr. J. D. Smith and the agenda will include statements from the Campaign Organiser, the three Parliamentary Candidates and the Ministry Representative. Questions will be invited, so please come armed to the teeth with good questions! This Bulletin sees the appearance of the Min. Twins, who will have a pertinent comment each time they appear. Thank you for your support. Yours faithfully, Brian A. Lewis, John Purchese. — St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, S.z.1. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT DIVISIONAL ROAD ENGINEER METROPOLITAN DIVISION Be TELEPHONE: apscxee6e Waterloo 7999 RDL 34/6971 Ext. 2342. 25th March, 196). Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter of 4th March inviting an officer of this Ministry to a meeting at Bridge. For long established reasons which I am sure you will readily appreciate, it is not the practice for Ministry officials to attend the kind of public meeting you have in mind. I am afraid, therefore, that I must decline your kind invitation to attend or be represented on the 4th April. Meanwhile, I understand that the Minister is hoping shortly to write again to Sir Leslie Thomas. Yours faithfully, J.G.£. eke Divisional Road Engineer J. Purchese, Esq., "Rosebank", High Street, BRIDGE, Canterbury, Kent. the ac Ewen press.'! cident MeNaucht Regional News. jive in the village of Bridge, Nr. Canterbury, march on Sunday. They are protesting against A.2. which runs through the village. A.2..Today, the road which runs used by nearly 7,000 vehicles a day Dever, and here at Bridge the A.2. down one hill into the village, people have died, and 47 have st 5 years. Something had to old Susan Scarisbrick is that ter to the Ministry of Transport. Ministry of Transport?"' Well, I accidents on the road, of Transport perhaps they to you?" 'Yes they did; they sridgse.! trying to organise ofrficiad He has organised a protest march this march?" 'Because T was into my car, and also How many people are 150.': "Have you i] been 2s, for very nearly 3 years f course to the local WHY DO WE ~ MARCH? 8 DEAD IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS! Wi We believe BRIDGE HIGH ST. is dangerous. It must be BY- PASSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Hi Meanwhile we urge the Min- istry of Transport to slow down the traffic ! PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE. ROSEBANK HIGH ST, BRIDGE | PROTEST BY ‘HEARSES’ With mock hearses and coffins, 150 villagers of Bridge, which straddles the A 2 between Canter- bury and Dover, marched through the village yesterday to back their demand for a by-pass. In the past five years eight people have died and 50 have been injured on the main road, Dau CErEGRAPA Jo-2. eg Villagers march in protest About 150 villagers in Bridge, a village on the A2 between Canterbury and Dover, used | coffins, horses and hearses during }a@ march yesterday to delay | traffic and draw attention to their demand for a by-pass round the village. The villagers say that in the Past five years eight people have been killed and 50 injured in accidents on the road through }; the village. An estimated 600 vehicles were said to be passing through the village hourly. Mr Ted Moss, the prospective Liberal parliamentary candidate, for Canterbury, pushed his one- year-old baby in a pram. Mr George Cobbett, Labour’s pros- pective candidate, also took part, but Sir Leslie Thomas, the Con- servative MP for Canterbury, was: | not represented. URED AW 30-3 by Dead slew. Toad | A pfocession *6f 200 paste | escorting a coffin, a lorry carrying}; a wrecked vehicle, and a vintagel, car caused: traffic. jams yesterday); th on the London to Dover Toatest Bridge, mear Canterbury. It. in protest. against“delay Faia A 7 % . APF ing a by-pass, _ we beuy ExPRess Lo.s og : a Brides, on ths A2 between Dover and Canerbury, faking pap ia a because they want the village by-passed. They rts seston of the road was, oly bulk to cope wih hore tae now used by too many safety meeting to be held at | Bridge tomorrow to further | the claims for a by-passing “For “a long time, the_ "campaigners have been try- | ing to wrestle with the ~ Ministry, but have not been | able to come to grips. This | | failure .is indicative of officialdom’s shortsighted- | hess in not heeding the cries “of people who live on the ‘Spot, and. who claim that the accident roll over five years should be sufficient evidence to produce effective "The determined villagers |! Staged a macabre demon- -Stration on Easter Sunday. Presumably the coffin was intended to be in keeping with the latest. Official road Nevertheless, aecotints of the procession showed that there was traffic chaos. As the campaigners have other demonstrations in mind, we would urge them to be | exceedingly careful not to endanger traffic. Their cause || -is good, but one mishap in a road demonstration could do the cause much harm. =, On the other hand, it is a. shocking business that such” methods have to be used to -bring home to those in authority the message of “Safety First.” After all, it a4 the Ministry’s own slogan! ase brunt “of the* burden from now on.” Dover established new Tecords when more’ _people.and + vehicles passed through the port than’ ever recorded during a similar holiday. period. British: Railways noted a remarkable increase in the number of _ Continentals’ coming. into: Dover, especi- ally those with*vehicles, More -than 5,000 passen- gers passed: through Man- ston Airport over the holi- day on passenger services operated by Air Ferry.to Le } Touquet, Ostend “at all parts :of “the Ci fi There: was a similar tsh at Ferryfield Airport, Lydd. Keo Meseveen , 4.4. bu Milled 4 i ate | | a | | Easter Traffic | They Hope To Halt - Road Deaths | A-=PROCESSION OF ABOUT 150 YOUNG PEOPLE WOUND ITS WAY SILENTLY THROUGH. '|THE VILLAGE OF BRIDGE ON EASTER SUNDAY ||AFTERNOON IN SILENT. PROTEST AT THE | GOVERNMENT'S LACK OF ACTION IN PROVIDING A BY-PASS FOR THE BUSY A2—WHICH RUNS ||THROUGH THE CENTRE OF THE VILLAGE. | - The.yillagers claim that the fast road causes too much || traffic to go through the village too quickly, resulting in too many accidents. _ Headed by a banner “ Bridge By-Pass Campaign” and fol-| lowed by.’ another, — preceding two horsemen, inscribed : “The ‘}road was built for this,” the As led i In nthausees marchers came through the| Peoplaehad died in { 101 itch of road | village towards Dover from al Yards Nate stra ie ; ‘ through the village. |point halfway down one hil) During the march, helper: leading into the village and Aisributed leaflets 19 wal OE | . 4 i iree- te avemen' an |returned in the opposite direc motorists ce the cars held up by Tent ti 100 cars Pre Paes ee : . one time .over BAR nehi in) thes procession jwere held up by the marchers, cee Parliamen- Three marchers were pull- informing passers-by that in hae Wtary “candidates ‘of the Labour t DEATHS | Liberal parties, Mr. G. S é ptt pales : : ‘Cobbett and Mr E. Moss. _ Included in the processio x = ~ were lorries pearing a wae a O ‘ea pits) the; eo five years eight|| these EVERY METHOD ent Pro Marchers BI i ock “No one in his senses could At the end of the march, the|/ deny that a tiny village sitting and Mr. Brian Lewis, told the Kentish Observer” that they intended to use “every method” to bring home to the Ministry || the state of affairs in Bridge. A protest meeting is to be held on Saturday afternoon in the village hall. A Ministry of Transport representative had been invited, but the in- vitation was declined, said Mr. Purchese. The prospective Liberal and Labour candidates would be there, however, he said. County Councillor A. J. Ross is to. represent the Conserva— tive Party at the meeting. organisers, Mr. John Purchese|! The three parties” views of the situation are summarised in a small leaflet: handed out by the protesters during the demon- Stration. BY-PASS PLANS In the leaflet, Canterbw -P., Sir Leslie Thomas, quoted as saying: The M stry_of Transport has plans a limited by-pass — runninz from the junction of M2/A2 at Brenley Corner, cutting through South Canterbury and ‘by-pass- ing Bridge on the northern side of the village. Problem of traffic in the "village High Street, but would seriously interfere with valu- able agricultural and horti- cultural holdings. “This would alleviate the’! “The “Ministry are also con-} ing a coffin with a small sign|| Sidering a wider by-pass of Can- terbury which would join’ with | the A2 near Lydden. Both schemes would .help the plocal problem of Bridge. Mr. J. H. Stewart, chairman of Canterbury Division Liberal Association, is quoted in the} s|| leaflet as saying: astride the main artery to the Continent is a _nineteenth- century anachronism. Couple _this with its geographical situation in the trough be- tween two hills with vehicular traffic accelerating through its narrow street in order to gain momentum to climb the hill on the other side, and it is obvious that the by-pass is not So much a question of ‘ if” as “when *.” Prospective Labour” Parlia- mentary candidate Mr. George S. Cobbett is quoted as com- menting: “The situation is bound to become more dan- gerous because of the comple- tion part of the M2 motor- way from London. - “SEVERAL YEARS” “This will certainly increase the traffic through Bridge, while the new housing development there means that more people, and particularly children, will 5 be exposed to the danger. “No doubt a by-pass round Bridge will be built eventu-|_ ally, but this may not be for several years, “Until then, more must be done to reduce the speed and danger of traffic in the High Street. We know that the vigorous efforts of many resi- dents .have already achieved improvements. ~ But more’ still needs to be done, and I wish them further success.” J “Marchers jam |_| Two die’ | on Kent | Kaster traffie © roads | Banners halt cars i jn roads. during the | +| Easter week-end holiday And in spite of traffic reaching an all-time record By-pass But many travellers had to J through the village After the march a hers had moved tion, they turned and made, even slower trip: back to the Wee which straddles to do. Many activities have been arranged for the next few weeks. “We will really shake the Ministr7,” said campaign organ- Mr. John Purchese. ‘And aft ards they surely must do something about the danger here.”’ Dover-hound traffic descending the long hill into the village had to halt as*the proc m moved off from a lay-by half-way down the gradient. Banners There were several near crashes as the marchers headed. with a banner reading “Bridge By-Pase Campaign,” began: to block half the road. Tt consisted largély~ oF’ ung people, but several*families were taking part and >one-man "was being pushed in_a wheel-chair. Mr. George Cobbet Canter- bury’s Labour amentary candidate,-and the Liberal) can- didate, MngvTed Moss, with his wife and'young son, were present. Then came another banner, “The Road Was Built For Thi which was followed by two riders on ‘horseback ‘and a veteran: car! next banner: read, /fNot» a) The Th Th Was‘a huge’-céal ‘lorry loaned for the ogcasion /by a local contractor, followed by a wrecked estate car, borne on a low-load trailer, : Close:behind this wae a scarlet- draped coffiy on’a hand-cart ae- companied | by three bearers in black. Police were keeping an eye, on the proce n and holding up all the vehicles in one direction De allow a steady one-wa7 flow. = By Eddie About 150 marchers set up a deliberate traffic jam on Easter Sunday .. . in their campaign for a by-pass round the danger-spot village of Bridge, near Canterbury. The chaos amid the holiday rush was'the latest effort by campaigners against local’ road safety hazards.. And they succeeded in halting traffic for hundreds of yards in both directions—which was exactly what’ they intended Thomson Now they plan to embarrass the Ministry of Trans- port into doing something about-the safety of the village. A.2 two miles from’ Canterbury towards Dover—for some time. Mr. Purchese has decided not to form a committee: He prefers direct. action, and everything: is arranged between him and ~20- year-old*campaign secretary, Mr. Brian Léwis, who has been active in 'mahy ways ‘in \trying ‘to ’gain safety measures for the 1,200 vil- lagers. At the moment ‘traffic’ sweeps down. into the village from both. directions, on steep hills, gaining speed to climb away up, the other side of the valle7. Mr. Purchese and Mr. Lewis claim that although there is. a 30.-miles. an “hour. speed «limit vehicles go through.the village at much higher, speeds, One of. the ~ two: ° leaflets pean rere pene ae out iu that eight: spéople: jhayve~ been KL be tthe wpeedine throug: y ‘inain’ stréet;- inthe last five véairs. ‘Danger’ “Now -tkat the M.2:ie sin, full use the: ;dan hére, has been made» even eater,” said) Mr, LeWis, .who, like .Mr: Purchese, lives‘ adjacent to, the Ac2. ter the march, Mr.’ Purchese said he was happy with the way things had .gone, “Tt proved to he a big success, and we are hoping that. some- thing will be done soon.” Mr. Purechese has arranged a ublicnieeting in Bridge Vis Hall tomorrow,’ w will- be attended: by, Mr, J, Ross, Con- | servative County Councillor, Mr, Cobbett, dnd Mr. Moss: “We inyited the Miniatry: of Transport to.come, but they have id, Mr Want by-pass round their danger-spot village Prpcham—n, on some main roads, only two people were killed— the same number who died during Easter, 1963. One death was at Bekes- bourne,. where auto-cyclist Mr. Albert Edward Ken- nett, 65, of Distant View, Bekesbourne, died after a collision with a car at the junction of »Adisham-rd., Bekesbourne. The other death was a 19-year-old © motor-cyclist, Mr. Peter Warner; of Nin- fieldtd., Bexhill], ‘killed on the A21 Hastings to Lon- don ‘road -at- Lamberhurst on-Friday in a head-on col- lision. with a car. ‘BUSIEST An Automobile Associa- tion spokesman said that the A2 London to Dover road’ via‘ Canterbury was the busiest in the county. And the’ M2 » motorway carried its ‘biggest traffic quota so far. The holiday began quietly, and. some ‘roads were almost deserted on Friday. The coldest Easter for 80. years kept .many motorists at home. It was Easter Monday that brought out the traf- fic. Late in the evening 3,500 vehicles an hour were streaming’ home along the A2. ge ee Over 00 people joined the Pp TRAM IONE os rotest march at Bridge on Sunday, way they hope to attract the attentio m of the Minister of Transport. cascsn peete where the villagers are demanding a by-pass. This is one It was a reminder that eigh five years. The coffin, with a wrecked: car, heavy ‘lorries, horses’ and “a, veteran car—and accompanied by about 150... villagers—hammered home the demands that Bridge is making for a by-pass. The procession ‘held “up holiday motorists. At one time about 100 cars were’ queueing »to~- pass through: the: village: Meanwhile, organisers Mr, John Purchese, 4 film industry camera: man, “and 20+year-old © Brian Lewis, son of ajlocal councillor, «tubbed: their hands. © This is just’ what. we hoped for,” they’ confessed. “This de= monstration, of villagers shows that Bridge is ‘siticere in their demands for a by-pass. “And this sort of thing is going port ‘gives. in. We shall pester him. until we get-our by-pass.” to pile up and the cortege made neck village centre. And ‘pile up was almost the right ~ word. Séyeral cars ‘speeding. down’ to- wards. Bridge had-. to’ brake violently to pull up before crash- ingsinto the rear of the. queue. “See,” said one villager. “That's the* sort of thing that “we are trying ‘to avoid ‘here. Motorists don’t seem “to be aware ofthe dangers of going too fast through Bridge.” Young and Old In Sunday’s. procession -weré the ordinary folk of Bridge who have no axe to grind—other than their, desire for safer roads. They were both young and old, par- ents: with their children and members of the local youth club. Also inthe procession was Mr. Ted Moss, the Canterbury pros- pective Liberal Parliamentary candidate. Mr. Moss, accompanied by ‘his wife, pushed his year-old child in a pram. Cllr. George } Cobbett, the Labour Party’s Gen- | jeral Election candidate, also took | | part. But there was'no represen- | | tative of Sir Leslie Thomas, the} Conservative M.P The next step in Bridge's fora by-pass is Saturd 3 | test meeting in the Village Hall. |The chairman will be the local | road safety’ officer (Mr: J. D. Smith). On the platform will be! -Mr. Moss, Mr, Cobbett and Cllr, on: untilthe Minister of Trans- |;|4 Both watched. as the cars began |) itsway slowly towards the bottle- } PURPLE-COVERED coffin trundled slowly through the main street of Bridge on Easter Sunday afternoon. It was a grim and grisly reminder’ from) the villagers—without much loye—to the Minister of Transport. t people have died and another 50 have been injured in road accidents at Bridge over the last A. J. Ross will represent Sir Leslie Thomas. “The Minister of Transport.was ‘invited to- send a represehtative but “haz declined,” said Mr. Pur- chese. “So there will be an empty chair’ on the platform labelled ‘The Ministry of Transport.’ ” Mr.. Purchese’ and Mr. Lewis have: further stunts up their sleeves’ for. keeping Bridge .be- fore the Minister’s eyes. ig i “We shall be doing something else in a fort- night's time. It’s a good one bat I-cannot reveal what it is just yet.” M. ~ YOUNG AND OLD DEMAND BY-PASS Bridge On The March | Avwrecked car was used by Brides vi 2AM . ; attention to the need Tor a tyccns, Pai, protest need for a by-pass, [More picty march on. Sunday res On page 15.1 to draw aes Pe see ee) } PEOPLE QF BRIDGE } Other youngsters handed out leaflets which declared that eight people had died in local road crashes in the Past five years. Also in the procession were two men’ 6h horse- back and aveteran car | (tied on a lorry) — to stress what the roadi.was origin- fally built for—and a wrecked*tar on'a lorry be- hind the coffin_and ‘bare- | headed mourners. delay, Village angry al by “P ass % | TEENAGERS and their parents caused a traffic i] pileup on the London—Dover A2 road near | Canterbury on Sunday afternoon when they escor- ited a purple-covered coffin through a village. escort a coffin throughithe village in silent protest. against delays in building a by-pass, * % eS 7 THE HEAD of the “funeral procession ” ( Jams formed at both ends of the High Street\ ag = they marched: up and down for\ an hour in protest against delay in building a by-pass .around the Village. } Mr. John Purchese, the campaign organiser,!and Mr. | | Brian’ Lewis, Secretary, told a KENT MESSENGER fye- Porter at Bridge: “The time | }of sthe- exercise has been chosen to cause the maximum traffic dislocation, “To follow-up the \march | | there Will be a public Meeting at Bridge on Saturday to pee & spokesman’ from the inistry of Tran: r been invited. sages “Also present will be repre- Sentatives of the Consereas | tive, Liberal and Labour com- | mittees, Canterbury Division, Thesé activities have been provoked by the apparent in- difference of’ the Mini: of y It happened ‘at Bridge. (= | hills’ which: lead away from Transport to the rapidly de- veloping dangers in the High Street caused: by too many | cars ‘and lorries trying to speed through to attack the the High Street at both ends”. Bridge, where between 6,300-6,700 vehicles pass along the High Street EVERY DAY, has no. Belisha or. Panda crossings and no _ traffic lights. FLASHBACK TO 1963—An official of the county council | told a public inquiry in Octo-| ber (into a filling-station ap-| Plication) that the amount of } traffic at Bridge justified a } three-lane carriageway, .where- as the High Street is 18 FEET Wide and grossly over-loaded: BRIDGE BY-PASS” - APPEAL’ MARCH’ — Lib. candidate M* Ted Moss, prospective: FEE Sete for the Cariterbury “Division, made a sta Cantetbury Liberals’ Divisional Executive Committee on Sunday just after ta ing part in the by-pass appeal March through Bridge Village. Mr. Moss said: “I have been me asked why my family and I| ways, new ring roads, flyovers joinedthe protest march in| and_ bridges. : Bridge. We, as a family, took “Traffic delays in 1961 bave Part. because we believe ‘that | been estimated ‘to have cost not only here in Bridge* but | the nation £600,000,000. It is all Over “the country,pome| net a question. of us being that they must bear, and also| unable not to afford them. deadly . dangerous to both POLICY Pedestrians and motorists “Road policy of course must alike. |also be considered in con= _What’. conditions wil* be|imnction with other forms of lke “in 1974 I ‘shudder to! transport. The railway, canal, think. We are shirking our| seq air and hovercraft, forms duty to the future generation | of travel must all Be. co-ordi- by failing. to implement | nated to take account of com~ |immediately, proposals made | munity benefits”, he declared. jin the: Buchanan Repott-and | =r iherals “nonetheless be- four roads will increase. | “Minor battles - of the }| zens - to ensure that these |} | Somme. will be seen on our,j,traffic problemisyare dealt with by= the -Crowther Steering z lieve in incentive and true Committee. competition. We do not sub- AS -fat -back as 1952.We | scribe to nationaliam-6f toad Liberals made proposals simi- haulage nor its extension to lar to those recently propetn- | other forms of transport. ded by Buchanan; propgsals/ Rather do we believe that for the segregation of vehicles | effective co-ordination of and pedestrians. transport can only be OVERCROWDED achieved by the free choice Mr. Moss went on: of the consumer between’ ser “As the number of vehicles | Vices based on something like on our already” overcrowded | true economic cost. oe Toads increases — an esti-| “On the own admission of mated: doubling in the next|the Ministry of Transport; ten years — so the number of | there are dozens of places in people killed and maimed on|@ much worse plight than | Bridge. It is our duty as’ citi- Toads all over the country un-}@S- a .imatter™~of national we determine ‘tO plan|@mergency. I have already otherwise now. | Made my position about con- ent to the} P H toads are both completely in-| unable to“ afford new roads, adequate for the motor traffic | but a question of us being } “We Liberais offer the | ditions in Bridge quite plain”. nation a plan to help reduce! - ¥¥W* Més;eemeeR 4. us. bq the appalling carnage on’ our jroads, and to give Britain a proper modern transport system. “Briefly, we say commence implementing Crowther and Buchanan now. Immediately set up Regional Anthorities | throughout the country to | plan the segregation of Pedes- |} trians and vehicles now.’ Re- | | plan our city traffic to remove | all through traffic from the streets and create precinct | | shopping centres, “Tmplement4is a dynamic | roads prograiiime now. The | current development of roads, particularly motorways, © is Staggering in ‘its inefficiency and inadequacy — we have built only 59 miles of. motor- way a year since 1958. Liberal Policy states that we must | spend £200,000,000 a year on} our roads over the next 20 years, “THis, sum will provide sus with “a comprehensive * nét- work of motorways, wider a Yt Al mence r ane iately se plan the rians anc date Crowt di . Immet horities through try to ut! ation of pedest: ceed w oe a . <} A e S 3 3 ° Rs} o 4 a ~ 3 iS) =) b 3 tS) y 2] inadequa said th | mittee gn why he and his family phad joined the march, | | “What conditions will be like in 1974 I shudder to think. We of trunk roads, ring th a that we us wi 000°'a year on new vide network wider carriageways, our roads over the next 20 years. rways, THis sum will pro ‘comprehensive toto; dual pro- to the ling to} the Crowther in the Buchanan ering Committee. immediately are shirking our duty ‘e generation by fai Report and bv posals made Ste: | fatare implement t similar | e recently propounded by uchanan — proposals sport. ble_ to Y, Canal, sea, air and not’ a new roads, but a question rs and bridges. in 1961 have een estimated to have cost the is & una nable not to afford 000,000. It policy of course- must considered in conjunction £606, eing u flyover b in-|-with other forms of trans; S, stion ‘of us bein que affo; is bi them. rd 1952, we} road: als “Praffic delays |b the - cles “and |Zation | of u: s—so the}. “ Road killed and/also will s vehi ‘crowded | roads k @ ber of vehicles on of our roads far bac de propo trian the num ready o of people 4 Ss ‘egation “As erals ma Lib: ng im the next ten year: j increases —an estimated doubl-| number to tho: B segr | our al ji |maimed o: | crease. The. railwa inor . battle: will.be seen on our roads all over ‘dinated to take 0-0 hovercraft forms of travel must be all s of the Somme ie not subscribe’ to isation of road haulage, xtension to.other forms port. Rather do we be- be only oice and true competi can at effective co-ordination _ transport eved by the free ch achi th | basi We do | nationali & | “Liberals, nonetheless, believe’ incentive f£ trans} | lieve th: account of community benefits, of in | tion. nor its } o! proper modern id. “We Liberals, offer the nation transport system,” he sa’ la plan to help-reduce the appall- jing carnage on our roads and to he‘¢ountry unless we determine to plan otherwise now. ive Britain a g of _ services like true a much ge. as citizens to ion of the » theré are as a matter traffic _prob- emergency. I have in position about ise quite plain: Ss se ealt with al ie my Ss in Brid: of place: lready mad consumer between y of Transport, ed on something | economic cost. | Ss “On the own admiss Mi | dozen: “It is our duty nistr e ensure that the: lems are d of _ nation: | worse plight than Brid: | @ 30k Jsnl St qr yeyM jeaadr jouuso 7 3NG suo pods ke say “sun SjysIU =#103 © Ul asje Sulyjawos Surop aq TWeys M,, a FS ‘ al . sion, said the Government}; _ permitted one of the most im-| portant trunk roads in the the centre of a. thriving com munity. USE Sore Bridge was not in the blo stained table of road deatl “What a complete indict of their road policy that there are 52 more places in thi: county alone with a problem far more deadly, in the true sense of the word; than} Bridge. 5 > “How many more families | have to be bereaved before insist that immediate be taken to abate this app: ing slaughter?” he | Mr. George. Cobbett, Socia ist prospective Parliament: candidate for the div sig said the risk of death-on the road in Bridge, in tion: ie population, was _ greater than in the’ as aiwhole. - = He declared: “The’ an unfinished: piece 6f wot We ‘have got to take it down over in order to ¢€ ete | the jo - ope ae Footnote: Ima pamphlet: given to villagers; Mr. Pur-, chese said Sir Leslié Thomas, MP. for Canterbury. had}. promised to ask the: Minister. a question in the Commons about Bridge Hieh Stree File HGP/14/42/068 is expect: 1 ed to grow and grow - = » Ree hater eened 16. of. , THE EMPTY CHAIR reserved for the man from the Ministry of Transport is third from the left. Speaking is Mr. George Cobbett, and seated (left to right) are Mr. Ted Moss» Mr. J. D. Smith (road safety officer, Bridge-Blean Council, the chairman, Mr. John Purchese, and Mr: A. J. Ross. VILLAGERS OF BRIDGE who attended the protest :meeting on road safety in the village hall on Saturday. i L _ awk entnqu. loot: be | ee ee a ~~ ST a? A BLOOD BATH? Protest village steps. up fight for satety HERE will have to be a blood-bath in the vil- Jage of Bridge, near. Can- terbury, before — safety measures are taken to. pre- vent traffic speeding through the winding main street, anxious. villagers were told on Saturday. The villagers thad been called together by the Bridge By-pass Campaign, headed by Mr. John Pur- chese: He said -he. had continually _ pressed . the Ministry of Transport to provide safety. measures, but had been refused every time. The campaigners haye been active for ‘some time, pressing for more safety: for the villagers of Bridge, which: straddles the A2 trunk road ‘on~the route’ to ver. Mr. Purchese and campaign secretary.. Brian Lewis called Saturday’s meeting to follow up their successful protest march on Eastér Sunday, when_ holi- day, traffic was halted. for hundreds of yards in: both direc- tions. Speakers were Mr. Purchese, Mr. A. J. Ross, the village’s county councillor, Mr. George Cobbett, — prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for the division, and Mr. Ted Moss, pros- pective~ Liberal parliamentary candidate. The Ministry of Transport was invited to attend, but declined. In reply to a questioner, Mr. Moss said the position was that if several people were killed in the village something would probably done. “It is true that “if-we have a_blood-bath the: Ministry will sit up and start taking notice.” ; Eight people have been’ killed by traffic in Bridge during the past -five years. . Mr. »Purchese said_he had asked the Ministry if “Black Spot” signs could be erected—but it had refused. Mr. Ross, a member of Bridge- Blean. Rural Council, ‘said. he had been trying to get some thing done for the village for four years. “His ‘efforts had been thwarted, and the latest posi- tion-was that the Maidstone by- pass would be extended to the mouth of the proposed Channel Tunnel, and a link road would be built from the M2 to the A20. “If these roads are to be’ built i RN then all the allocation for- Kent will go on them.” He said he recently saw a spokesman from the Ministry of Transport who had said that since the M2 opened, traffic from Brenley Corner, at the end of the M2, had increased by=47 per cent. “He said he felt certain the Ministry would shortly have to make a start on improvements on the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover.” Mr. Ross said he felt that the time had arrived for all the vil- lages concerned, from Brenley Corner to Dover, to get together fora joint campaign. The other villages are Harbledown, Bough- ton, Temple Ewell, Kearsney and Lydden. Mr. Cobbett said Bridge was undoubtedly a dangerous_ place in which’ to live. “It appears that the risk of death on the road here is 15 times greater than in the country as a whole. This danger is bound to go on increasing, particularly in this year, with the opening of the Dartford-Purfleet_ Tunnel and the M2 coming info full use. “There. has. been. more than enough time for this matter to be settled—whatever- the prob- lems have been.” _ Mr. Moss said the protest was in .fact..against the current transport policy, which allowed one, of its most important f k roads: to go through a thr FS community of people. “This is suicidal,” he ‘said: “It is the appalling lack of urgency that worries me. How many more families have-got-to suffer berea eg 4 done A villager said that someone would be killed very soon | if nothing was done. “Tf a bus comes down the hill and crashes we will have a than we. think,” he Mr. H. D. Price, ch the parish council and a mem- ber of Bridge-Blean Council, Suggested the erection of traffic lights at the Bekesbourne cross- roads, and this was adopted. It will be put to. the Ministry of Transport. ud, &eperc, 10-4 From Anthony Wedgwood Benn M.P, 8 April 1964 Dear Nr. Purchese, Thank you for sending me the material about the Bridge By-Pass Campaign. I have sent this on to George Strauss M.P. who is our spokesman on Transport. Yours = ee he 10th April, 1964. Dear Mr. Purchese, Tony Wedgwood-Benn has passed your letter to me as the Party's Front Bench Spokesman on transport matters. I read carefully all you say and I wish I could help. But it is very difficult to see how I or my Parliamentary colleagues can do so. We have constantly brought before us similar and no doubt equally justifiable complaints from all over the country, to say nothing of the equally strong and numerous protests about proposed Beeching closures. But these matters cannot be effectively debated or certainly settled in Parliament. All we can do is to express publicly there our criticism of the Minister's actions, and even then the opportunities for doing so are infrequent. The only effective protest action which can be taken in such matters as the road traffic danger at Bridge is through the Local Authorities and the pressure of public opinion on these Authorities, and I see you are doing everything possible in that direction. I am however most grateful to you for sending us your letter and the enclosed leaflet, as the more detailed evidence we can get of the country's road traffic and road safety problems, the better equipped we are to pursue these matters in the Commons. Yours sincer Y> nnn The Rt. Hon. G.R. Strauss, M.P. 1. F. SOILLEUX,D.M.A. Lem OF TE COUNCIL Ott Derek ESS TELEPHONE, CanTeRBuRY a6 (2UNES) 664] CE et. des 4 } } ¢ t t _ Hridge-Blean Rural District Councils My ref: 45/60/1/1 10th April, 1964 Dear Mr. Purchese, London = Dover Road, A.2. Thank you for your letter of the 5th April. You may be interested to know that the District Council is attempting to penetrate the same fog as yourselves, but of course in rather a more orthedox manner, and in respect of the whole length of the road from Brenley Corner to Dover. I think therefore that it would be better if the District Council acted ostensibly on their own, but behind the scenes you might keep me intormed of any progress you may make, I, on my side, will reciprocate. The only person I know who may be iiterss 40 joining forces with you is Mrs, I. Allworthyof 41 Highfield Close, Harbledown, and I suggest you approach her, as I feel sure she will help in some way or other. Yours sincerely, J. Purchese, Esq., = "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge, Near Canterbury, Kent. Clerk. S/JA REsrRiCTeD 3 Telegrams: Transminry, London, Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. Our reference: G.T.I, Your reference: Dear Si, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, LONDON S.E.t TH Aprk 19erw Thisesebo acknowledge receipt of your ict Ais CUpei su addressed to the Minister, Your letter has been Passed to the Minister's Divisional Road Engineer at for “his attention. Yours faithfully, We aboue Canterbury Division Conservative and Unionist Association President Alderman Mrs. G. R. Hews, C.B.E, Chairman Asst. Hon. Treasurer P.T. C. Wright, Esq. Parliamentary Representative: SIR LESLIE THOMAS, M.B.E., T.D., M.P. Agent and Secretary E. C.F, Brown L. E. Hart, Esq., J.P. 9, Hawks Lane, Hon. Treasurers U. H. B. Alexander, Esq. E, Parker, Esq., C.B.E., F.C_A. Canterbury. Telephone: Canterbury 64187 8th April, 1964. Dear Mr. Purchese, It seems from the Kentish Observer of the 7th April and the Kent Herald of the 8th April, that you showed my letter to you of 13th March to the press after your meeting last Saturday. This letter was not written for publication and the law holds that the copyright of a letter is vested in the writer. I would be obliged if, in the future, should you wish a letter for publication you will let me know before hand, otherwise I shall expect you to observe the common courtesies in this matter. Yours sincerely, a J. Purchese, Esq., Rose Bank, High Street, BRIDGE, Nr. Canterbury. The “Times. oe y { 4, fe ce 13.46.1964 ; / | The Agent & Secretary, ‘ | ie See Canterbury Division Conservative i : ae Aeneid is and Unionist Association, Waskicdews: : 9, Hawks Lane, Canterbury, Kent ‘ Canterbury, Kent. ’ . i Dear Mrs. Allworthy, Dear Mr. Brown, wae i i I recently contacted the Bridge-Blean ReD.C. on the suggestion of Clir. A.J. Ross, to see if there were private ia people eager to press the Ministry of Transport about the village : 4 1 black-spots on the A2 between Brenley Corner and Dover — and in the case of Bridge-Blean R.D.C., the portion of Harbledown in their care was the I wonder if you would be so kind as to pass on the Campaign's sincere thanks to Cllr. A.J. Ross who represented ee Sir Leslie Thomas at the meeting held on April 4th., 1964. | It wes a great pleasure to meet him, and to Hal primary interest. Mr. I.F. Soilleux kindly replied, a hear of the work he has done in the County Council chamber towards ry giving me your name as that of a person very interested in reducing the: road safety along A2. I am sure he will be interested to learn that oe ‘traffic danger at Harbledown. what hash i a4 teat 2 we have taken his advice in joinging up forces with the other villages 14 penaivly_ cs desuiavien te ake lmicinte Pee tatureated caitane ee ? Ee ’ and preliminary correspondence has already been received on the matter. 1a ; : Boughton, Harbledown, Bridge, Kearsney, Temple Ewell and lydden. | Thank you for your letter dated April 8th. biked pew As yet I have not heard from the Dover in which you point out thet you would have written differently had : | q : R.D.C.$ but in the meantime, could I ask you if you are willing to you known the letter was going to appear in the local press. I am > +t q a represent the interests of Harbledown in any action designed to bring sorry that you have been put in such a predicament since naturally I de eh ee to the Minister's attention most forcibly the feelings of those forced assumed you said to me what you would gledly acknowledge publicly -- : t to live on the main artery to the Continent ? however I must point out that my file of correspondence is openly : A | > fhe various R.D.C.'s and Pavers! available to anyone who has an interest in the matter. Not only have ome oe | Corporation, to whom I have also written, are of course pressing through the Press read all in it, but so has an Inspector of Police, both eel le 8 official channels. What we at Bridge are hoping to form is an unofficial the Labour and Liberal Candidates and a host of others. It was but vocal group who will eventually see improvements in A2. offered to Sir Leslie Thomas to read when I saw him on 20.7.1963. i Sir Leslie Thomas wrote recently that he Ho Yours sincerely, shortly hoped to have some news, and the Ministry has recently told be { me that they are passing on some information to him. I wonder if you | could arrange a meeting with him, so that I might pursue the matter. eee | a ; A Saturday would be preferable. Thank you. ee ae | RT / | | John \Purchese. Yours faithfully, ee S| . — 4 ‘ | fi } Lhe cel & H 16.42.1964 The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, St. Christopher House, Soutimrk Street, London, S.E.1 HGP/14/42/068 Dear Sir, I would be obliged to know whether you are relying on the intervention of St. Christopher, your Petron Saint, in the prevention of accidents in Bridge High Street this summer. This is a serious question, requiring an answer. I am asking it because I ‘can see nothing being done by the Ministry of Transport to make safer this road, and having eliminated ‘the obvious I have to accept the remaining theory - as a certain gentleman once pointed out. If the Ministry had sent a representative to the Public Meeting held a fortnight ago he would have heard a questioner from the floor ask whether there had to be a bloodbath at Bridge before something was done — to which the answer came from one of the politicians on the platform, "Yes, Sir §". Yours faithfully, Jobn \Purchese. ~ FET ee Lok facia Fs — a al wee Yow eo | scommncomtet a Pew Deed Sao & 184441964 Dear Gentlemen of the Ministry, My husband is ‘the Organiser of the Bridge By-Pass Campaign. No doubt the name at the end of this letter» will be familiar to some of you as I know he has corresponded with you frequently on this matter - for over two years. 1 I know that I apeak for all the mothers who live in Bridge. We are desperately worried about the ever= increasing danger to our children from the lunatic motorists who treat our village street as a racetrack. Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P., recently wrote a letter to the Kentish Gazette. In it he said that "Happily" Bridge is not one of the first 50 worst places in Kent; Apart from shuddering to think of the unfortunate people who have to endure life in those 52 places rated as worse than Bridge ( for to say the least of it they must be hell ) I am puzzled. Happily for whom I wonder ? For us ? Or for the next crash victim ? Perhaps he or she could be classed as a human sacrifice to allocate a few more points and put us in 52nd. place. Or perhaps, happily for the Gentlemen at the Ministry who can continue to sit back and murmur the usual platitudes and do - poseene: It is quite inconceivable that in this dayand age it is seemingly impossible to get any action to make the main road to Dover a little safer. Why can we not have some traffic lights ? Surely one set each end of the village street would not stregtch the Nation's budget too far. This at least would slow the traffic down and limit the number of vehicles in the village at one - time. No doubt there is some excellent reason why this is not, « possible, and I would be glad to hear it. x Without meaning any disrespect, I wonder how the Ministerial wives would like to haveto push their ~ babies in prams along a pavement 32" wide, with a huge lorry or a \ petrol tanker racing through and practically brushing their coatsleeves ? Believe me, Gentlemen, it is very frightening. ®& We dare not let our children walk ~ along the village street without an adult in attendance for fear that they might stumble into the road and be crushed under the wheels of some) vehicle. Faith, it is’ said, can move mountains; Ministuries may take a little longer. Our By+Pass Campaixn slogan is "Never take No! for an answer". \ ‘ Yours faithfully, MoS Purchese.(Mrs) “© ember.of the audience ome last Saturday roaches had made Shadow Cabinets. The they had done ‘pu their efforts in r. Purchese had wanted slie n to attend his it would have been ich. | ‘attend, but Mr. Pui _things this way. He late and then demands h them the approaches he made to the Ministry, the ances of obtaining the by-pass Bridge and to hear their! WS and suggestions. 4 This, I would suggest to Mr.) would be the proper) getting something mov-. matter and of putting residents in the picture,| Leslie Thomas is not BOROUGH OF FAVERSHAM M ULNEl Gabe AT Ue Or bats Gaees FAVERSHAM TOWN CLERK F. G. BISHOP SOLICITOR FAVERSHAM 2313/4 Ref: H/1/FGB 1&th April, 1964 Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter of the 5th instant. I am wondering whether you addressed your letter to me under the jmpression that the village of Boughton comes within Hass area. In fact it is within the ares of the Swale Rural District Council whose Offices are situated at Sittingbourne. Yours faithfulZy Town Clerk John Purchease Esa., Orgeniser, Bridge By-Pass Campaign, "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge. House of Commons, London, S.W.1 Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE., TDs, MP, | i Dear Sir, | Thank you very much for you Saturday April 18th. at your office in Canterbu, of useful information was exchanged. You will recall that you asl statistics quoted to you that were supplied by | Safety Officer for Bridge. The figures suppliet Mr. Smith just prior to the Easter Sunday Protes village were 1959-1963, 8° dead, 27 seriously inka. In view of the Ministry figu same period being somewhat different, you reques Smith for his source of figures. This, today, Pa assured me that the source was reputable, he wa: further details for reasons.of. confidence. es: circumstances it would be a little difficult for further with Mr. Smith, who resides at 4, The Te} Possibly, Sir, asking for moj figures would clear the air on this particular aq the final incontrovertible records (or so one suj { It has just been pointed out | has advised, in a letter to the local Press, tha be perfectly prepared to attend on a date suitab Bridge to which those affected by the present + invited. He would then be able to discuss with + made to the Ministry, the chances of obtaining thi to hear their views and suggestions." The lett out that this would be the proper way of getting 8 matter. Naturally I applaud your Agent ye proposed to him in my answering letter in this Wed cht commence his arrangements for such a meeting as sq, more pressing matters this month in Canterbury. | Yours sincerely, | Sakiirdan, bere (BE ok Iautles ane, Me mand Web be aren racing ta buiniels dering tes Met. oF Tse, and reutd be premsng Litem fo 3 ca he Ct ee a i ed ; ’ be %G we Cand. a M1 ar Be ty li ‘ oes igi i ge sb aanerer eh CouNCIL OFFICES, ° TEMPLE EWELL, » A. SYRETT, M.B.E., D.M.A., F.C.C.S. CLERK OF THE CoUNCIL NR. Dover, KENT 16th April, 1964” TELEPHONE: KEARSNEY 2311/2 poeuth regret Bidy byte tnd deta sees, aan tes a tei HE eptaclens O88 LG SEA pala Dear Sir, P trunk Road A.2. a, Thank you for your letter of the 5th instant, notifying me of the Bridge By-Pass Campaign. This Council has for many years, through its Road and Home Safety Committee, been concerned at the dangerous con— ditions on that part of the Trunk Road A.2. lying within this Rural District, and representations have consistently been made to the appropriate authorities with a view to the improve- ment of such conditions. t does appear, from recent statements, that the pressure of public opinion has at last had an effect, because I understand that the Ministry of Transport have now agreed to the preparation of a scheme for the Widening of the road. I think the Members of the Council might well individually have considerable sympathy for your efforts, but you will appre- ciate, I am sure, that the Council as a body must confine its activities to its own area. A great many people are interested in the future of the Trunk Road as you can imagine, but I am afraid I am unable to suggest anyone whom you could approach in the manner you suggest. Yours J phe Clerk of the C aa John Purchese, Esq., Organiser, Bridge By-Pass Campaigh, "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge, Nr. Canterbury. at figures had they to go on? lust’ those supplied ety the ‘Ministry of Trans ort. : these a census f ns taken in August, 1961. The| figure given was 6,700 vehicles day at the Reaiy times of ugus P. al Ban liday ‘and Preekennes f So. the organisers, John Pur- ese and Brian Lewis, decided | _ to conduct their own survey. A count was taking during a ir period over census point. And 1 8 a very ordinary, rainy weekend in April. You ¢an cut out the holiday traffic, the people rushing to catch boats t Dover, and, perhaps, cars ashing about to summer nts in a locality. jan. Lewis | ontacted D. tomed year. — ger jams than we are accus- : : a TM ; y-pass demands have c on the A2 fat bec to at this of the} ut I rather fancy that Bridge, i in com: _villages, will have to wait for a Proposed extension of the ‘mon with the other A? all éc ‘consistentiy maintained_ traffic on the A2 has z creasing considerably- = What figures had they to go Just those supplied by the -stry of Transport. And thess from a census taken in August, 1961. The figure given was 6,7 vehicles a day at the peak +i of August — presumably Holiday and weekends. So, the organisers, John chese and Bryan Lewis, deci to conduct their own surve: count was taken during a. Plete 24-hour period over | weekend, Etcy The result? No less than. 7 Nehicles of various types | the census point. And this wa ory, ocdinary, ;rainy weeken ‘pril. * Said Mr. Lewis: “You out the holiday traffic, the } to catch boats at ips, Cars dashing 240401964 The Chairman, Bridge-Blean Road Safety Committee, Bridge-Blean R-D.C., Qld Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Sir, Recently Mr. J.V. Church, of Tubewrights Limited, Kirkby Industrial Estate, Liverpool, Lancashire, called to see me concerning the dangers of Bridge High Street. Mr. Church is a salesman for his Company who manufacture and erect street Soret teres of all kinés, including pedestrian bridges. i A certain amount of literature, including a OBE pamphlet "Separate Ways To Safety" was left - and this, I felt, was of sufficient interest to forward to your Committee for consideration.- Anything that separates traffic from pedestrians is potentially useful in the matter of Bridge High Street, although | against the use of a bridge there are considerations such as expense, looks, the willingness of people to use such a device and in fact the ability of people who are elderly to use it. Guard railing is also illustrated. If the Ministry were to advocate crossings as a short term measure, then guard rails might well help in between. There was a meeting between Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P., and Mr. G.D. Galbraith, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, yesterday. I am sure we all hope that some real measures were discussed to reduce the traffic menace in the village High Street. Unfortunately I have no information yet of the results. Yours faithfully, John| Purchese. TDeeu “Reveisa Tay. FQ aece low. eaker - Hy Shes Von Dee. & TY Gxe Plenae Atterct ome. esSeases 4e- as cheRaw «. wart: pe hE 50 Sn a eh Oe yy Mele attlo cited BS ASS Caw eee at}, Saturday ‘but | I understand | Ye Wotan. Ss an wort —< ~~ q a Seow, 3 =e Sa Roost ae ee. - NS Ss a ee SSS : _ your - point: of re] Re eect we NARS ia eeasenin: is vel i 6 a eleome from. the cSSs ba uestions ion q AN oe Cc) interest - Sesh a > mn in the Bridge area). ent so Kindly given |: nin our last. publica- | | nd I am sure you®will (in |’ way 408 another) wish to dvantage of this oppor- Snr aithtully, John Pure} H Demanded? i ‘think nots | | mie tient on in Aine “when he is {ree | for seine iy Would. ar Lae Pele eat HANSA&RD., "y THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN t | 29 APRIL 1964 Written Answers. 64 —_—_— a? ae S Mrs. I. Allworthy, "The Choughs", 41, Highfield Close, Canterbury, Kent. Dear Mrs. Allworthy, Thank you for your letter dated 28.4.1964 where you speak of your efforts some time ago to bring a By-Pass: round Canterbury and Bridge. The Ministry certainly will be holding the correspehanen ent petition: Thank you for your offer of help. It is not intended to tax your limited time too hard ! At the moment we are sounding out people in all the six villages and sections of A2 who are worried by the dangerous conditions. As soon as sufficient support has been built we are proposing to launch a six village Campaign. That would mean a comprehensive name, and publicity directed to all six danger points. For example, should a march seem desirable, we would launch it at Boughton, carry the people in it to Harbledown to continue the march, and so on down to Dover. This would take a complete after— noon to accomplish and the relwtant Ministry might begin to listen after traffic jams lasting several hours are reported to them. For the moment, however, I will enter you on our Supporters' file if I may, so that you receive all our bulletins; and more information will be available in due course. Please write to Sir Leslie Thomas if you can. He will certainly recall your previous correspondence, and it will help to show the weight of public opinion. Yours sincerely, Johnl Purchese. THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN poe er: notes Organiser: JOHN PURCHESE, , Campaign Sec.: BRIAN A, Lewis, Sree 2 26501964 2 ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge, . Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 254 the High Street a safer place? It a pedea) however, that eight deaths and 49 injuries over a eriod of five years does not nee from — fe 2 apparently, see a massacre before they act. _ With the onset of ‘Dover expects the Continental traffic to rise dere and |}? 297 it can be that Bridge, ‘passed through | wet weekend durin; 50. per cent seasonal ‘not unlikely, — aes Children, and old. people “The Close, are ‘endangered _through the vil-||their efforts to mley . Corner and | The Bridge By-Pass Campaign ‘| welcomed puts suggestion, and {Local Yokel,”. who, in your|| 2 GROUP waick contd pene- edition of March 26, 1964, likened |}trate the monumental] sloth of Bi spas ete zprowing ca the Ministry of Transport with as 's len.| | increas i “ ic | Admittedly, Bridge doesn't want| | 23, ,mcreased weight of public} | the, traffic, because how can one| eine oe the ae teatie 4 eC 21 the named expect a road only 18ft. 6in. wide = mama} ; in places to contend with heavy Feat Pees traffic for which it was not de-||ut.. Bo pomanisers of the Bridge By-Pass Campaign at the signed? I feel that a more print | appropriate likeness to the situa. choses iene rer Sopa footer is no belting the stable door be-|| ‘The A2 GROUP will ensure fore the donkey escapes.” i \ However, I can assure “ Local that the present Minister, and Ss 4 | an: ibsequent holder of the Yokel” that I did take ~his =e ill be advice to plant “your taters on|| ome od Friday.” 4 ANGRY YOUNG MAN. &. Se be ST » here is somethin, that your readers can do. — 4 A JOHN PURCHESE. Boughton, Lydden, down, Bridge, Kearsn Temple Ewell, shoul in their efforts to get conditions on the A2 dinistip: oe aaa > ® Even an expe unfamiliar with tha can be caught CHILDREN’S | WALK TO SCHOOL ||To the Editor,— Is it not typical that the Rev. | L. F. Geddes, Rector of Bishops- | bourne, has to take up cudgels on behalf of the children forced to go along dangerous sections of road on foot to Bridge School? Authority appears to eare so little about road safety that one despairs. The Ministry of Trensport has failed to, answer nearly 100 letters that were sent by Bridge residents at Eastertime, ~al- | though the receipt of these} letters was acknowledged by card, It has to be assumed that these gentlemen are busily en- gaged in attending to their Minister's latest folly—the re- laxation of restrictions as to size of commercial vehicles, so that bigger and better juggerneuts ean roar. through the 19th” Century lanes of Kent. | The County Council and the! Rural District Council are at! least discussing the road prob- lem of A.2, but one scans the local newspapers in vain for |comment from our Member of Parliament. Shortly, a deputa- ‘|tion from Bridge will be deliver- ing an aide-memoire to the Minister of Transport, through '|the offices of Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P. 7 JOHN PURCH 3-4p.m. 4-5p.m. 5-6p.m. 6-7p.n. 7-8p.m. 8-9p.m. 9-10p.m. 10-11p.m. 11-12p.m. 12-la.m. 1-2a.m. 2-3a.m. 3-4a.M. 4-5aem. 5-6a.m. 6—7a.m. 7-8a.m. 8-9a.m. 9-10a.m. 10-1la.m. 11-12a.m. 12-1p.m. 1-2p.m. 2-3p.m. 3-AD.m. 4-5p.m. 5-6p.m, 6-7p.m. 7-8p.m. 8-9p.m. 304, 2595) 257 227 75 96 93 84 387 60 15 6 A a 18 18 32 40 90 135 148 165 176 273 307 361 330 aoa au 238 29 28 25 Ci 22 Alat 10 18 ahi 2 us) 20 13 al 20 30 24, SW? 30 14 FPREWRENAN NOPANKDOAMWWOWUNHPNED ] 306 261 312 203 190 120 112 94 84 60 24 18 5 7 fe 13 44 62 101 190 218 223 165 301 305 255 206 182 189 169 SB. 24, ae 22 18 16 687 nN : GHren 637 416 247 bl WROD Kh & ws 572 568 428 HUW EUWWHORENEW!I The first 24 hour period saw a total of 6,645 vehicles, from 9:0 pem. to 9.0 p.m. however the figures are 7,074. the Ministry of Transport figures quoted for 1961 were 6,700 per day at veak There is a significant increase to ke seen. : (ake periods. We would remind our supporters that Organiser: John Purchese, ‘Rosebank’, High Street, M.O.T, REF: HGP-14-42 068 Campaign Scc.: Brian A. Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, DATE: 1327-1964 Bridge. Tel. Bridge 48>. Bridge. Tel. Bridge 254. The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 - for circulation tot= G. Davis, Esqey Le Durrant, Esq-, F. Samel, Esq., Re Pearson, Esq-, Rel. Pearce, Eaqe, & GeD. Hewett, Esq. of the Div. Road Engineer's Dept., ref: RDL/34/6T71. Gentlemen, You may be somewhat puzzled by the Bridge By~Pass Campaign blossoming in new colours, but the fact is that we were told by a County Councillor, Mr. A.J. Ross, at our meeting in Bridge to which you were invited, that we Should broaden our scope and tackle the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover. This we are now doing, and to launch the affair along we ere holding a protest march through Bridge on Sunday July 26th. 1964. At the same time, 2,000 leaflets are being distributed to every house on A2 from the junction of M2/A2 to the outdjirts of Dover. Sir Leslie Thomas, M.P. for Canterbury, and Sir John Arbuthnot, M-P. for Dover, have both been informed of these moves; and Sir Leslie Thomas may shortly have a document for your Minister, tose. We are, of course, very sad that you have not replied to any of the letters sent you by a great many pedple at Eastertime, albeit you did acknowledge the letters by card; since a number were from people who felt that you were doing all you could in matter of local road safety, and they have rather indicated since that possibly the Campaign was correct in Saying that the Ministry were hardly overactive in the matter. At all events, our reason for writing is to ask if you have any statement you would like communicated to the readers of our leaflets, or the supportérs of our march. We will gladly give you free space for your coments. I, myself, will quite understand if comment is delayed until due consideration has been given the points raised, but I would point out that events have a way of outstripping preparedness. : Yours faithfully, . John} Purchese. ‘ THE |A2| GROUP y i M.0.T, REF) HGP-14-42 068 | Campaign Sec.: Brian A. Lewis, / Organiser: John Purchese, Hi Hi \ 1, Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge. Tel. Bridge 254. Bridge. Tel. Bridge 485. tf i iil ‘Rosebank’, High Street, ATE: i H 13.47.1964 He Sir John Arbuthnot, MBE, MP., House of Commons, = London, SoWel Dear Sir, The Bridge By-Pass Campaign has been in existence for two years, to bring some measure of safety to the High Street — through the village through pressure on the Ministry of Transport. At a public meeting held in Bridge at Easter, it was suggested that we should enlarge our organisation to include the whole of the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover. The suggestion came from Mre AsJ. Ross, County Councillor for the district. To launch the larger group — called "The A2 Group" we are sending out leaflets for delivery to every house on 42 from Brenley Corner to the outskirts of Dover and are having a : second march through the village of Bridge at the same time. Since the outskirts of Dover now become part of the road in which we are interested we would like to ask you, as Member for this district, if you have any comments at this stage on the project. We know that you view the A2 situation in Dover as potentially dangerous, with the increase in traffic that has already taken place, and with the threat of. further increase — especially of heavy goods vehicles — we feel sure that you would wish that the Ministry would act in the matter. 4} — ke. further information, or would ‘tgn Secretary, or myself; M.0.T. REF; HGP-14-42.088 DATE. 13.7+1964 Organiser: JOuN PuRCHESE ; ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 Sir &.M. Thomas, MBE, TD, MP., House of Commons, Dear Sir, To launch this venture we are arranging for leaflets and cards to be delivered to every house on A2 from the M2 junction to the outskirts of Dover, and have naturally written to Sir John Arbuthnot, Member for the Dover Division, explaining what we are doing. To get the matter geing in Bridge, we are due to hold another march on July 26th, at which an aide-memoire to the Minister will be Signed ay as many Supporters as we may conveniently have on the march. This document we propose to Pass to you, as our Member of Parliament, for onward transmission to the Minister with whatever comments you may feel the situation demands. This move, we feel sure, will help you in your contact with the Winistry on the subject — and we look forward to hearing of any success you have in your negotiations. Thanking you for your interest, Yours faithfully, — John |Purchese. THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN Campaign Sec: BRIAN A, Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, Bridge 254 From: Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. Bouse of Commons, — London, S.0.1 + 15th July 1964 ee Thank you for your letter advising me of the change of name of the organisation. I think it nae a very good idea and you are much more likely ca ge 5 something done if you approach the problem of e A. as a whole from Brenley Corner to Dover. I have already béen in touch with the Ministry from this particular point of view and will continue to press then. John Purchese, Hsq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge. John Arbuthnot, Bt., M.B.E., T.D., M.P. a House of Commons, London, 0.1 15th July 196 Ne hy oo Thank you for your letter of 13th July about the Bridge By-pass Campaign. As you will apore- ciate, this is not in my Constituency, but rather in that of Sir Leslie Thomas. Naturally I am interested in the improvement of the A.2. road in so far as it affects my Constituency, and I do keep in close touch with the Ministry about it. If Mr. Thomas is taking any action, no doubt he will let me know. Je Purchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge, Kent. =e poses ee RE pF FS 136701964 R.D. Lemon, Esqe, { Chief Constable of Kent, EF P.0. Boxs 11, Police Headquarters, Sutton Road, Maidstone. 104/50/48. : Dear Sir, The Bridge By-Pass Campaign mentioned to Sgt. Reid of Bridge that it would like to have a march through the village on July 26th. 1964, and in consequence a:most helpful Inspector from. Aylesham called to see'me last Saturday. He explained that he understood that the Campaign wished to march through the village, and then proceed to Canterbury, Hawk Lane, to hand in a document. I was able to give rather more detail, saying that the intention was to march through the village from the lay=by.at the northern end to the Church, and then return. The body of the procession was then to break up, and a.small group. of 8 continue down to Canterbury. Apart from the usual. set of banners we intended having no vehicles taking part, but were iné@uding a bed (and dummy occupant) representing the Ministry. of Transport asleep to the dangers at Bridge. Your Inspector then left to obtain a firm decision concerning this modification; and was kind enough ‘to return later to say that it was regretted that the small group continuation to Canterbury could not "be ‘allowed. All this is quite clear, and I would like to say at once how very helpful the Police have been in all matters concerning the Campaign. All that I wish to ask now is? can the small group @.e embuss on a vehicle in the lay=by and proceed by road to Hawk Lane ? or b. not travel under any circumstances to hand in the letter to Sir Leslie ' Thomas’, office ? It is: merely that’ I want: to be quite clear as to what) is ‘disallowed. Naturally, we shall instantly obey whatever you Suggest, as this has always been a group seeking to remedy what it seeg as a bad situation by democratic means, and this does not allow any form i John }Purchese. of civil disobediance. Yours faithfully, The A2 Group paign Bridge By-Pass Cam *s march - § Es io) a i] ° i Z° eer ed iP) on r) 1S on oS [e) Ja Bo Sen ana the same high A : “should be taken Ppetia ghat woth mpolitical. conv Bupha 30 to infortunately, _ generally |: ly have the opportunity of . ing our representatives or “authority” from one of the ree major political parties. Thus, I afraid that . the traffic on eridge’s elected authority in) the question of trunk roads is | _the Member of Parliament, an the citizens of Bridge must surely esk themselves if their _member has pursued the matter with a sufficient sense of respon- |) sibility and _urgenc: If they consider that their M.P. has not | done his duty in safeguarding | their vital interests, then they | must either bring pressure to bear upon their M.P., to force |) him to so do: or, they must | seek to have that member re-}' EPIACED Sete ae SA The fact is that the motor in- dustry has been encouraged to d violently over the past 10 years without any Govern- mental consideration being given to the accommodstion of its products. Faster and ‘bigger | _-cars and lorries have been. pro- duced in ever-increasing quai - ties with little comparative i crease in roads and road safe | | _ measures. © ee a _ That’ Bridge is only one | symptom of a tragic national ill- |: ness does not detract from the fact that Bridge’s problem must _ be dealt with immediately. — 5 Nationally we must implement _ the Crowther and Buchanan pro- posals and segregate pedestrians | and traffic as a matter of great urgency. The alternative is rapidly | increasing slaughter on the roads and complete chaos in our cities. < ! 4 TED MOSS f (Prospective Liberal Parlia- mentary Candidate, Canter-- bury Division). — Apple Tree Cottage, aes Petham. we ‘The Minister of Transport, ask about extending the M2 Bulletin No. 5. ad Oo 20th July, 1964. THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN Organisers John Purchese, "Rosebank", High Street, Bridge. (Bridge 435). Campaign Scc.: Brian A. Lewis, 1 Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge. Dear Supporter, You will recall that Councillor A. J. Ross said at the public m € : oO @ crce ps b held in Bridge at Eastertime, that the Camoaign would carry more weight i it concerned itself with the A2 from Brenley Corner to Dover. It seemed at . first sight an odd way to campaign for road safety in Bridge, but on - 7 -reflection we realise the wisdom in the advice and have made arrangements accordingly to seek for support over a mich wider area — although our first concern is Bridge. Avery large distribution of leaflets and soon, with every house on A2 from the Motorway The Member of Parliament for Dover, as well as eards will be taking place to Dover receiving copies. our own Member, has been notified of these moves, and we hope to let you know what response there has been in our next bulletin. In problem Sunday, the meantime, to remind the Ministry of Transport that there is a 2 at Bridge, we are organising a small march throuzh the village for 26th July, at 3 p.m., meeting at the lay-by. This march will be quicker than the one at Easter since there will be no vehicle c We would ask all our supporters, specially those who have indicated their willingness to take part in such activities, to turn out for an hour on Sunday, 26th July. D1: : . : os Folice permission has been given for the march, and we have indicated that there will be no more this year. It is worth mentioning that there will be one "gimmick", only banners on this march, and We would repeat our éomments made just before the Easter march, that "gimmicks! are unfortunately necessary if the press and television are to notice and report these marches; and it is the reporting of the marches that strengthens our hand in discussions with the Ministry. We have requested answers from the Ministry for those people who wrote to them at. Easter and who have heard nothing since, help, specially financially, for the Campaign; hear from any supporters who have queries. Thank you very much for your help; the march on Sunday, 26th July. We do appreciate all the and we would be very pleased to please help if you can by attending son = Yours faithfully, Brian A. Lewis & John Purchese. extension _ ‘THE Minister of Transport, Mr. Ernest Marples, __ on Friday dealt a body blow to those who were hoping for the lessening of danger to life and limb | on the A2 between Brenley Corner and Dover. M2. to Gantesbaty wand ‘then | 98 with a plan to leave leaf-| be 4G {Al \PAIGH Bridge By-Pass Campaign : The A2 Group BRIDGE BRASS | Dover, Mr. Marples, in'a writ-|!ets and cards at EVERY | Head SY ten Parliamentary reply, saiq|nOuse along the road from, oe: Z LZ Ee ees mer Sree ea baa [ eo “Beyond Brenley Corner the | protest march, *h Bridge ? uhe} pre arch through Bridg: A2 will be progressively im-| near ‘Canterbury, on Sunday Proved as a trunk road as|at 3 pm. Pen ee Mr. Brian Lewis and Mr.’ | baa ad + The M2 is linked to the = ; TRS | John Purchese, both of A2. by a high-level round. 3 ; { 2 See about at -Brenley. s Bridge, told the KENT! D Ri ‘ MESSENGER “We are ap-! | BAS TE _ CONGESTED ‘pealing for support from all} Feed Thousands of cars pour off} those living along the A2/ the motorway on to the nar-| who know how dangerous! row and congested A2, head-| «the road now is and who+ ing for the Channel ports of| wish to do something about} vor a rT TY RTS BR The Bridge By-Pass Campaign was formed two years ago aN to bring to the notice of the Ministry of Transport the dangerous situation at Bridge on the A2, where the traffic 5 had been building up for years and where the opening of M2 ores = Soe a q | could mean traffic chaos. For the past year the Campaign ie A2 Group, whe are] “you know-how, apart from. a + has been publicly pressing the Ministry to take action in the campaigning for safety mea-| oficial statistics, there’ are’ Pp YP! s BY sures along its whole stretch|dozens of near-accidents! j pees pe enotorway, dupction every week — cars overtaking’ gE ae bnrttonia et eared a At a public meeting held in April this year, a County > jtrians narrowly avoiding Councillor advised the Campaign to spread its activities to death because of speeding the whole of A2, from Brenley Corner to Dover—and this lorries, and unwieldy car-tran- is what we are now doing. Sporters and other huge vehicles brushing. the narrow pavements in the villages,” matter, taking its own traffic census to show the increase in | traffic, and suggesting ways of preventing accidents. The Bridge By-Pass Campaign is now called “The A2 T | Group”, and we are appealing for support from all those Pur hientt living along the A2, who know how dangerous the road now VILLAGES ©. ¢ ' t FS | is and who wish to do something about it. You know, how Mr. Purchese, one of the ’ apart from official statistics, there are dozens of near-accidents organisers of the A2. Group | A | every week; cars overtaking that scrape others, cars that hit sper saperrion ee oaReee | the one in front, pedestrians narrowly avoiding death because Bridge, Lydden, Temple Ewell, of speeding lorries, and unwieldy car transporters and other and Kearnsey) has first-hand knowledge of what “tan * hap- huge vehicles brushing the narrow pavements in the villages. pen on the “road of death”, | | Yours faithfully, pede feats he cut the Hee / z Gre he ORE ee BRIAN A. LEWIS, JOHN PURCHESE bishop. . of Canterbury (Dr, Michael Ramsey) crossing the High Street, Bridge, for the [cl EE ce oe ;|induction of a new yicar. ° + The vicar led the way, and PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE, ROSEBANK HIGH ST. BRIDGE. two policemen attended to 1 _|See the Primate safely) across, } (dqued onthe drarch § 26.9. ‘oe The second photograph was \ of a wall knocked down in the High Street by a lorry, |The driver chose to hit the _|wall “rather than the village constable’s wife and who ! wal ng along i] 26.74.1964 Sir L.M. Thomas, MBE, TD, MP., aes | House of Commons, a London, S.W.1 oe. Dear Sir, A number of your constituents have signed an aide-memoire to the Minister of Transport, the Right Ernest Marples, MP., reminding him of the decrease in road catety through the village of Bridge. a The A2 Group would be most grateful if you would act on behalf of the village in your Division, by forw - this document through the appropriate channels to the Minister. Possibly at the same time, you would wish to point out to the Minister that the A2 Group now views the whole of A2 from Brenley t| Corner to Dover as most dangerous, and in view of the Minister's recent statement that he proposes to do nothing towards relieving the situation also add that the Group sees no justification in hia optimistic inaction. They feel he is asleep to the needs of tha situation. : : Yours faithfully, is so lucky. 7 pam cient killed, up Bridge entirely. But Bridge is de M.0.7, REF: HGP-14-42 068 DATE: a 9 Ey THE |A2| GROUP a Organiser: John Purchese, ‘Rosebank’, High Street, Campaign Sec: Brian A. Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, 26.721964 Tel. Bridge 485. Bridge. Tel, Bridge 254. Bridge. The Right Honourable Ernest Marples, M.Pe, The Ministry of Transport, Southwark Street, London, S.E.l Dear Sir, Those appending their signatures to this letter wish to remind you of the decreasing road safety at the village of Bridge on A2 caused by the increase in traffic due to the opening of M2, and by the increase in heavy goods vehicles through a High Street suitable only for 19th. century light horse traffic. We urge you to examine this problem afresh, and ACT ! Yours faithfully, LL SPY | ee PE poateb a? Syriac 11. Care, DMrad? uo N oe ae eee A SOO ———— ee “ ay awe [Or TO TT CTT OTC T SE For action write to:- M. P. for Canterbury: Sir L. M. Thomas, MBE, TD, MP, House of Commons, London, $.W.1 M. P. for Dover: Sir John Arbuthnot, MBE, MP, House of Commons, London, $.W.1 Or: ~The Secretary, The Ministry of Transport, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 Quote M. of T. ref: HGP/14/42 /068 PUBLISHED BY JOHN PURCHESE, ROSEBANK HIGH ST. BRIDGE. oy, ark last night to open the by- | pass and went to bed early in | “his ‘hotel. — i} _ Earlier he had been criticised for “sleeping” over another by- pass. © Protest marchers at Bridge,, near Canterbury, who are demanding a by-pass for - ‘their village, carried banners | saying: 9 i | « “The Minister of Transport — 3 ts asleep to our needs,” ‘. And they pushed a bed with a dummy. Mr. Marples in it. In Southern England thous- | ands of motorists enjoyed the | hottest .weekend this year. _ | Bit VAR LEWIS began thinking about Bridge “Not. Knocked down, ° you understand,” he says. “Just -mudged. It happens here all the time.” : Not everyone is so lucky. Bridge has had eight killed, 49 injured, in five years. " John Purchese came into wear the stony Ministi children who had to run the ~ gauntlet of the village street to school. n't take ye - what you like English villages, ‘te not hasty. Not _ Places that langed much in es don’t fly off dle for nothing. ‘ ao es the Strange marched with Bridge all the_ cremaaes ey sf lagers wanted | isav e of 700. hadn’ in zo the Caen Dever tees: mee - Going through _ his artery of is in places all of And the traffic 3 0 day or night. Ageekend, however, it op, jammed end to ile the villagers if they would help. se did,” said Mr. Lewis, flipp ~ through a thick card in 2 - = e] Grumble has not been all The man in the year-old” White _ inn spoke with the Villagers everywhere” ~he said: “People not b here five minutes, trying 1 change things. ~~ .” . In fact, Mr. Lewis. | lived in Bridge all h slit but since he is only 20 makes him a newcomer by village standards. And Mr. Purchese has been — only four years, and b then he lived all of ‘ow do you turn villagers into gitators ? : John Purchese, technician, father and its traffic a couple miles away... . | of years ago'when he was A by-pass would cost hit by a passing car. . least £1 million, (though the Ministry is to polite to point this out) ; million* would probabl, up_ Bridge entirely. £ But Bridge is determin: keep uv a steady drip, drip which they hove because he had five down. tter writing seemed to } | get nowhere. Fifty teenagers PROTEST — Tt was an odd day too PRESS 27-7: ‘bu nH Sir Leslie Thomas, MBE, TD, MP. Bouse of Conmmons, London, $0.1 29th July 1964 an. S Thank you for your letter of 26th July on behalf of the A2 Group. I have forwarded this to the Minister of Transport. I have studied the signatures with interest and should be grateful if you could let me know how many of those who have appended Signatures are school children. F(a [A tun Club —_—*v Qh ([Lomm~> John Furchese, Esq., Rosebank, High Street, Bridge. —- he Minister of Transport Ernest. Marples) is con- ring what he can do to im- _ the main Canterbury- over roa through Bridge peer he tackles the whole /Problem of the A.2, Bridge- ean Rural District Council ere told on Wednesday. ‘he Road and Home Safety ‘ommittee reported that Can- rbury’s M.P., Sir Leslie thomas, had asked a question Parliament as to when the as aieely ate. be improved when Bridge was likely to be by-passed. ‘ he Minister had replied that 3 ould not say when the schemes on the length of the A.2 concerned could be found a lace in the road programme , in the meantime, he was ov sidering what _ other (measures could be taken to im- Iprove conditions through the |village of Bridge. {Sir —and to ask if I ia the Wnistee vane other measures” he had in mind. : : _ The Clerk (Mr. I. F. Soilleux) my said that a suggestion thata edestrian crossing “near | Wes- A? G PI d tn Avenue, é, shoul nn relnsiated was bein 4 sees . roup a e : é€ Coun i i i i nae ia - Pacian! fare? han oe villagers of Bridge were asking Sir Leslie Thomas to de. aadided tombstdiio nine a ie ae again on Sunday. | liver on our behalf.” Class "A" lighting throug hettie ) ip one of ie hottest and bus The demonstration was a fait! civeotne | es cere be the summer they suc: | tain raiser to the next step ; Whe’ Courell also agreed toa cee ae a holding up traffic} ward in the village’s fight to proposal by Clr, He at. Petco puees ung towards a Continental| move traffic hazards on the that Kent County Council be *AbGut 35 took c ? Steady Pressure» asked to consider providing Sn rae re ok part in the de-| At a public meeting in double. wiiterines een the | = ous ration, designed as an} village a few months ago, Cli Reds Liowandstnes Presa on with aide ensire to the Minister| J. Ross suggested they would the Eas 0 Bourne: Park.“ | iy case he has fosgotien Benen’, | potter, 0, get the whole o i > : dent Gaeke Bite oy claim for a by-pass. fterertoas pre - And the Right Honourable} And this is w ‘Bridge Minister was parodied in the Pro-| now doing. It is fo: g the “A cession. A bed was pushed along Group,” designed ta keep up He Shes. bh Nifieal pene steady pressure on the Minist1 rolled umbrella. A poster pra ante ps hae Se « claimed, “Thi ini: i Next é oe ote Minister is asleep (eee ae a Sa leaf-| As, the procession made its| body who faces oad ‘a ge ‘Az ee snail's-pace way through the| tween Brenley Corner and Dover. | narrow main ‘street. queues of| tt asks them if theyre inter ee either side of the ested in pressing for improv c village. i “Tea Said Mr. John Purchese: “We| ments and if they are Fein te have backed this up with a letter | {@*¢ Part in demonstrations and to the Minister. which we are cobb letter from Mr. Pi chese: “In the long run the you save by your actions m your own.” uy ae “4 ter of Transport, residents of PIPE-SMOKING.. JOHN PURCHESE, one of the organisers of the A2 Group, leads the Leese march along the race-track A2-at Bree Protest Marchers Angry residents on. the march, This was the scene at Bridge on Sunday as villagers stage a protest march in support ot their claim for a by-pass. Keke Mamie BVT - Naas aad, ’ BED HOLDS UP TRAFFIC COMPLETE WITH UMBRELLA Mr. Marples is pulled in its bed through Bridge High Str j bury, on Sunday. AND BOWLER, a dummy representing eet, near Canter- FIGHTS FOR A BY-PASS H{UNDREDS a cars were held up on the London-Dover A2 road near Canterbury on Sunday afternoon by a BED. It was pulled’on a trolley along Bridge High Street by Members of the A2 Group, who are campaigning “for safety measures along 20 miles of the trunk foad be- tween Brenley Corner and Dover. In the bed was @ recum- bent dummy represénting the Minister of Transport, Mr. Ernest Marples. A notice board read “The M.O-T. is asleep to our needs.” One ‘of the demands of the A2 Group has been the extension of the M2 to by= pass Canterbury and Bridge. Last week, Mr. Marples re- jected the idea in a written parliamentary reply. Mr. John Purchese, one of the organisers of the AZ Group, told a KENT MES- SENGER reporter after Sunday’s protest mareh with the bed. “It was most successful. There were 50 cars at a time held up at each end of Bridge, Letter to M.P. “Now I am going to the Conservative headquarters_ in. Canterbury to deliver a letter addressed to the M.P. Sir Leslie Thomas.” Both before and after the march on Sunday cars and lorries poured through Bridge—and through all the other villages on the A2—in an endless stream, Records taken bythe A2 Group in. recent months have shown that more than §,000 vehicles pass through narrow Bridge-High Street in a 24-hour period at week- ends. Most: of them have come, from or, are “heading for, the Medway Motorway, ‘VILLAGE | re THE A2| GROUP M.0.7, REF: NGP-16-42 068 Organiser: John Purchese, Campaign Sec.: Brian A. Lewis, ie { Hg A , * ‘Rosebank’, High Street, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, : NO PLA NS T - EXTEND OS ie Ble TelGd Bridge. Tel. Bridge 485. Bridge. Tel, Bridge 254. ) d aa ge ; Sis : ‘THE NEW MOTORWAY Protest Marchers Out | Again At Bridge bea Guy, | | COMPLETING THE M.2 MOTORWAY, which extends almost as far as Canterbury. and then ‘ = Comes to an abrupt halt in a roundabout at Brenley Corner, is likely to be a long, drawn out ss. Mr. Ernest Marples, the Minister of Transport, has dashed the hopes of the A.2 Group — up recently to campaign for improved safety measures along the narrow, congested trunk road. ‘It had hoped that there was a scheme in the offing to bring the motorway through to the port i Dover, but Mr, Marples says “I have no such plans.” Hundreds of thousands of moforists travel | at high speed along the motorway and, unsuspectingly, are channelled off into the narrow A.2 to === Canterbury and Dover. Z es ‘ ‘| “But the Minister says the A2 beyond Brenley Corner will be Sir L.M. Thomas, MBE, TD, MP, 9, Hawks Lane, Canterbury, Kent. a a ee Thank you for your letter of the 29th. July acknowledging receipt of the aide-memoire to the Minister. It is gratifying to note that you studied the document with interest. The answer to the question in the second paragraph of your letter is: two. The other rather shaky signatures ‘“progressively improved as a trunk road as priorities and funds are those of elderly people, of which there is a number who are permit.” rs friggtened by the traffic through Bridge. / ‘The A.2 Group is not letting things rest there, however. On| | Sunday there was a protest march| | at Bridge and leaflets and cards| j appealing for support have been| delivered to every resident along the road. Ty Yours faithfully, Traffic Stopped The marchers, who held up traffic for over a mile, propelled a bowler- hatted figure in a bed representing a | sleeping Mr. ,Marples. p everyone living along the read, from | f its junction with the M2 to Dover, | if to add weight vo the Group’s efforts to get some action. Every day, he said, there were a multitude of accidents, or near acci- ‘jdents and pedestrians narrowly j escape death or serious injury. 1|. The narrow streets of small com- munities such as Bridge, Lydden and Temple Ewell—where, in some] places there are no. pavements— were totally inadequate for heavy traffic, he said, In fact, he added, the A2 was never meant to cope with speeding ‘lorries, huge transporters and other heavy vehicles. ' Official accident statistics didn’t reveal half the story, he said, and it was time some- thing was done. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Stréet, Lonpon S.E.t f Telex: 21352 Telegrams: Transminry, London Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. Our reference: HGP 14/1,2/068 Soe do suly, 196) Action Group Told: No Dear Sir, are to be distributed to every house along the stretch from the end of the M2 motorway to ¥ E > = is the’ ‘reply of the A2 to Transport Minister ~ Thank you for your letter of the 13th July, offering to reserve space in your pamphlet for a Ministry statement on the subject of the A.2 trunk road. that beyond Bren- Teen the A2 willbe pro- = E improved as a trunk However, I do not think this would serve any id priorities and funds useful purpose at the present time, since we have ae s linked to ithe a2 z : : i a ut a nothing to add to our previous statements on this Bevel foundabot at matter. t 8 Thi ds. of. cars pour off one mot ey ie nas apes 4 1 ester eading. for. As you ere already aware the A.2 will be the een ots ‘Of Dover and progressively improved beyond Brenley Corner as priorities and funds permit. And, as we have informed you in previous correspondence, a by-pass of Bridge will form part of this general improvement. | ‘The A2 Group are campaign- ' g 4 Los measures along ‘stretch of the road Yours faithfully, -John: Purchase, both of Bridge, ) anterbury, said: ‘We ling for support from mel i those living along the A2 how dangerous the : ee : w is and who wish to = R. A, Pearson | deeaorn apranOE | John Purchese, Esq., The A.2 Grou "Rosebank", % : vd amwieldy car transporters High Street, ; eH W the navsow’ pavements 1h Bridge, ; om Group’s interests Nr. Canterbury, i Se eae foadens Kent. ell and Kearsney. This paper is suitable for Dyeline Photocopying é Dedigermy We Gide Wntueure, Koutk Menenges pic Pre/iea/) ' Bouse of Conmons, London, &.00.1 16th November 1962 until his @ copy From the Minister ST. CHRISTOPHER HOUSE SOUTHWARK STREET LONDON S.E.1 [5 November, 1962. You will recall your letter of 10th October enclosing correspondence from your constituent, Mr. J. Purchese of "Posebank", High Street, Bridge, and the petition concerning the proposed by-pass of Bridge. I am fully aware that improvements in road conditions at Bridge are very desirable, and I have much sympathy with those who think that something further should be done soon to improve matters there, especially in summer. If Bridge were one of only a few cases in the country to be considered I could, of course, help more quickly than I can in fact promise to do. I know you will appreciate that there are so many really pressing schemes demanding attention that I am forced to work to a system of r Only in that way can I be sure that the money made available to me by Parl- iament for road works is put to the v best effect tt toe country's interest as 4 out of its proper place and even more necessary whole. id, could only be taken in the queue at the expense of another scheme elsewhere. The vriority given = to a particular scheme must, in the end be a matter of judgment, j i and that responsibility rests with me. I must say then, but tab an anoment Pit thea hnildinge of a | 7 | Bouse of Commons, London, S..1 30th December 1963 wer Bridge ‘) am interested in the paign. Please keep e fully informed. would be willing to an active interest. protest marches, etc.) ick as required, complete d address, and post back The narrow, winding m street, part of the A2 e fi ht road, is used by Dover-bo | ae L a e steps up S traffic. It has become heavi ; recently because drivers have been using the M2 row rather than the A20 thro for safer High Street fie In its circular, Means Danger! the group sets o the three local political parti views. - The leaflets were published by | wrt price do you put-on life? That is the question on an envelope being cir- culated by a group of people at Bridge, near Canterbury. ; eee year-old Mr. John. Purehese, | The group is campaigning for a by-pass at Bridge, or at least speed restric ions or a al Hosehal kes iee be | - other measures to make the High-st. safer. . pitas hy. yom tosieouee plore (01 ing considered at the moment, but: [an ever-growing band of helper: they- cannot go ahead until thei). They have seen too often the | Government reaches a decision juries and deaths. resultin: about the Channel ‘Tunnel. _ \Wehicles speeding through the vil Mr, George Cobbett, prospective jlage, Cars swoop down one_hil Labour Parliamentary candidate into Bridge and accelerate to climb | for Canterbury, says the situation the hill on the other side, ¥ je bound to become more dangerous, The campaign secretary is, fheeause of the increasing traflic. year-old Brian Lewis, who la He says that until a by-pass ia year organised a protest mari eventually built more must be done throug! t to e-the village safer. oh Cor / Mr. J. HL. Stewart, cha ‘the locak-Liberals, says Kesoresk exreess 21-164 w. pane ey PI THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN REF; HGP-14-42-068 Organiser: JOHN PURCHESE, E. 3.2.1964 “Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 254 The Minister of Transport, St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, London, S.E.1 Dear Mr. Marples, I apologise for writing directly to you, but I feel that the body of this letter will explain my action. I should add at once that I do not propose to write directly to you again, and that I sincerely hope that you will have a sight of this poster. You, Sir, are aware of the road situation in Bridge. Sir Leslie Thomas, Member of Parliament for the Canterbury Division, has been in correspondence with you on the subject several times. You may not be awre of the following. I enclose pamphlets which I believe indicate the extent to which a very large body of people is disatisfied with the road conditions in Bridge High Street. Although three different political bodies are represented in the leaflet, they unanimously condemn the danger in the village. This collective opinion should disenchant your Ministry wip the thought that this campaign lacks weight of public opinion. Over a period now of two years I have written to your Ministry on the subject, and have collected the views of five of your officials - who answer my letters in random order. In 1963 I wrote four letters — scarcely an arduous number to which to reply — but have not yet had the pleasure of an answer to my letter dated 28.12.1963. (I enclose a copy in case the original is mislaid). I wonder, Sir, if you could indicate to your offivials that a calendar month should be a sufficient period of gestation for a reply, and that the answer should relate to my letter. If I may, I will end my letter with the paragraph with which I end all correspodence to your Ministry. It is more to the point now than when it was first coined two years ago. I shall quite understand if comment is delayed until due consideration has been given the points raised, but I would like to point out that events have a way of out ripping preparedness. Yours faithfully, Enc.: Leaflets & Copy of letter dated 28.12.'63. Campaign Sec.: BRIAN A, Lewis, 1, Weston Villas, High Street, Bridge, ta } + pila , soa obese) Once Cou SRey etn Tn inks MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT St. Christopher House, Southwark Street, Lonpon S.E.1 Telegrams: Transminry London Telex Telephone: waterloo 7999, ext. 200. Our reference: HGP 14/42/068 Your reference: j{ February, 1 964. Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter of 3rd February about the traffic conditions on trunk road A.2 at Bridge. Now that a firm decision has been made on the form that the cross-Channel link will take, _ We can now re-examine the planning of the road pattern required in east Kent. Any plans which are made must include provisions for by-passes, in one form or another, of villages and towns on A.2 where the highway is unsuitable for the needs of present and future traffic. We have always appreciated that traffic must be taken away from the centre of Bridge, but until the decision on the Channel Tunnel was made we were unable even to consider whether this should be achieved by means of a small by-pass or by building a completely new road. It now appears probable that the solution will be a by-pass, but I must point out that considerable work will have to be done in investigating future traffic volumes and engineering problems before this can be confirmed. I am unable to say when this improvement will take place, as you will appreciate that all schemes must be compared one with another in arriving at a logical and fair order of priority for allocation of the funds available. I am sorry that no reply was sent to your letter of 28th December, but in view of the fact that you said you would "quite understand if comment is delayed until due consideration has been given to the points raised" we deferred replying in the hope that you could be given more definite information than was then available. Yours faithfully, asic : l zs THE BRIDGE BY-PASS CAMPAIGN 0.7, REF; HGP-14-42-068 Tganiser Jo N CHESE n sce, : u Ss Pp. 0. H PurcH > Cam aig See.: BRIAN A, Lewis, ATE. 15.2.1964 Rosebank’, High Street, Bridge, 1, Weston Villas, High Street Bridge > > Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 485 Canterbury, Kent. Bridge 254 The Secretary, a e ‘Thomas— ‘ Ba arvativer MAE | Id ‘ascertain that the fac oped of Transport, , . ; Parte catentiy | OE Oe tin ee uthwark Street, London, S.E.1l 1 Rehan i ieeral! Pelphlissiting inbabe ituency Liberal | tateror Beige oh ote ert «5 sec circulation tot— G. Davis, Esqe, Le Durrant, Esq., F. Samuel, Esq., aH sesso ei ects . “ E : Af « Pearson, Beas ReLe Pearce, Esq., and G.D. Hewett, Esq. of the Divisional | fe em or ig angry scp ae 7 ee Road Engineer's Dept., ref: RDL/34/6T71. Eo mt fran ent and tigi Mowe se len a : East, Kent an bang also know thet a raych as & iy re sy a Gentlemen, I have to thank Mr. Re Le Pearce of the Mini eine ib er eat) ede fe, “Sir| > a immpregnab! people, _Sir| | Group for his acknowledgment of my letters dated 28.12.1963 and 3.2 1964, — at. falewnlen: | deal of trouble to bring it to the It ti 2. 4» t the conditions in which | notice of Mr. Marples.” In con-| was gratifying to learn that since a firm decision had been made on the } ictee toned guise | sequence, we hed « most sympa-| form that the cross—Channel link would take you could now re-examine the ai ; ! conditions Mais Gia ee planning of the road pattern required in east Kent. Foolishly, I had e— or. many gould do, Rothing definite until Do ee imagined that this process might have been already contempkted. E c rants endeaveur ita Channel tunnel ‘wes setied. He aS “trafic tiie This correspondence is of the greatest interest rif bUniceneya oF ane | Care consideration Yo the metter’ "| | could be further fom locally, so I am sure you will not be averse to my condensing Mr. ReL Lt tive Party, which has for, cas fecently as & few weeks|| The facts are that. Pearce's letter down to the follo Seneee Fe aieaeoe tba lone) representediacic Siticle to a pamphlet: printed oy | (Seen cena wing statement :— | je of this constituency? Mr. Burchese: in whiclt hence, | | 2y-Pass Campaign = int o "The Ministry envisages no definite plans for Bridge, but it can be ‘ca prev ins this“ Conseryative firmed his support to any scheme Seer, 4000 words, ha orecast co = eS G |. iatninespUhearnercon i golve | the} | Ove, £000; w a nfidently as far as known to Mr. Pearce that it would seem f : pi ¥ er ‘the. annual aE Te Soni eee phe ieny campaign as follow for the extension of the M2 to Ministry of probable that the long term solution might be a by-pass. Although Daver: tite % ? Dessibies” Ve Sartsd as soon 85) | erer* ingieating’ that promises will be made periodically that the matter is under review, no | : Aheas ou (aor, yabate Ia : : attempt can be made in the immediate future to minimise the dangers of El , for ee uee Leesa tees PSL stant et as ap the abecnutelp unica Lnprecsine nage. aes the High Street, since the accident pattern caused by future traffic volumes 4 §6 far, nothing, ab: | | etter on:the subject. What Is our || FIVSS Ty ee es ee ciara ys |_, Ministry.” of Transpo and engineering problems hasz to be conscientiously investigated before any nothing, has been-or is| | about the problem of Bridge’ || tHe truth—he is splendid in the sional Road Enginees— five decision can be confirmed — subject, of course, to a logical and fair order tT P iets | | The duswer is) patently! cleat—|| Wey ee cane ne On| | sg emmy ee raters: eel of priority for the allocation of available funds." a) cietel representative raising hs (Member Bridge Conservative| |, Member of, Parliame Unless you might wish to alter the odd word or two I shall assume that this voice in the House of Commons. || Committee and Women’s _ | | t@ty—three letters. = is th ister' t 1 ++ Does our Member ever speak in Advisory Committee.) Letter from Ministe] s e Minister's answer to my personal letter to him, and will publish the Commons? If not, why not? SOPOT T fc port to Member of P on March lst. T’certainly should make Canter-| “@*«s GREECE IR-2- Gy one letter. It was satisfying to learn that the delay in R Day tcc saa nesicangeny Letter trom Ministry of 7 replying to my letter dated 28.12.1963 was caused by due consideration being - ere eee ten ber stellaswia «that tt ard phate Bridg the points raised I shall wait hopeful ' jing an MPS acest ee given the points raised. ) wa ope ly for the Group's comments -_ fee pecamnlieaan See ne “All that the. above on the points raised in this letter, but I would like to point out that gaining. experience. Experience | dence, has, resulted in. at what, and for what? Dare I () The ascertainment - events have a way of outstripping Ministerial preparedness, as you m 7 ; the five years betwee ? ay 7 aan tion that his duty pene eee rant sae een better served stayin; igbiy rs ha learn publicly this summer. r. aa } We aadbattenaing the means of dents involving five fat 14 Yours faithfully his constituents? cut other injuries were rep : “T had no wish to engage in y Bridge. e f personalities when I first: came (ii) The laying © on = 4 b | here, but it appears that I have kerbstones in severa € —« ¢ | no option in the matter. To through the village. j categorieally state, as our Mem- | In the words of the Chie } ber does, that Britain is at the stable of Kent “.. John Purchese. —— top of the league table of satisfactory solution cal —|_|_—---———- nations, surely questions his provision of a by-pass,’ z t suitability’ *to represent some As the traffic still. 60,000 adult people. If 1 in is creasingly through top, wale ‘USA. and*US.S.R, dangering- itsucelt a ountry for the U.S.A. alone last | way behind, why did ient- i : Mee aed gnpingers. leave this aE =A os year? And why is‘ this mass on a = |exodus now reaching