I understand that the Residents Association intend to object to the proposal to move the start of the 40 mph limit on the eastbound A20 entering Harrietsham to a point east of West Street. It may be worth pointing out in your letter that as the A20 approaching Harrietsham goes round a left hand bend about 100 metres before the West Street junction (restricting visibility for drivers turning right out of West Street), such drivers would need good acceleration to turn right safely. Vehicles turning right out of West Street include not only cars but also trucks and most particularly the no 510 bus (which is both much longer than a car, and has poorer acceleration).
According to the Highway Code, increasing speed from 40mph to 60mph more than doubles stopping distance, and thus would increase greatly the risk of a high speed collision with a bus, potentially leading to heavy loss of life. It is known that vehicles already exceed the 60mph speed limit on the A20 entering Harrietsham (before the 40mph limit sign). According to the Internet, the average stopping distance for a vehicle travelling at, say, 80mph, with an alert driver under dry conditions with good visibility is 122 metres. Hopefully, this data will speak for itself.
Dear Cllr Sams Thank you for your invitation to comment on the proposed increased speed limit in Harrietsham. I can confirm Stagecoach would be very concerned if a 60mph limit was reinstated. This is a difficult turn and buses need the 40mph speed restriction to negotiate the junction safely. When the junction was laid out differently a higher speed limit worked, but in those days traffic was less frequent and slower. If this proposal goes ahead we would be likely to feel compelled to remove the bus from Harriestham village centre resulting in the less able needing to cross the A20 in order to catch a bus to Maidstone. I hope this clarifies our concerns.
Yours sincerely
Ian Waterfield Operations Manager Stagecoach in East Kent
Just an observation some people may have missed. I cannot tell you what a car sounds like at 60mph when it goes past my bedroom window at night, it's like a rocket. If the people involved in this decision looked from my bedroom window and saw what it LOOKS like for a car to go past that fast, and to see what it SOUNDS like, they would be quite shocked. And imagine what it's like to cross that road with cars going that fast - why on earth would they increase the limit?
Resident near the Ashford Road |
