KCC and TMBC to extend 20mph zones across Tonbridge
23 July 2020
KCC and TMBC have come around to extending 20mph to further parts of Tonbridge as part of a six-month trial. However, it is surprising to see that all arterial roads are included which we warned about when we suggested this in our proposed amendments to the TMBC Climate Change Strategy.
We are, slowly but surely, moving in the right direction but, when it comes to the pace of change, we would like to see acceleration.
The £8m funding across Kent towards Active Travel is supposed to focus on reallocating road space from cars to pedestrians and cyclists. We have been championing a trial one-way system for the High Street in Tonbridge for years and, while traffic levels are relatively low, this is the perfect time to experiment.
We want to see a single carriageway for traffic heading north to allow two cycle lanes on either side. The time is fast approaching when the schools will reopen and as capacities on our buses are greatly reduced, more parents will be driving on the school run instead. We need to find safer alternatives around our towns which is why we put together a comprehensive range of cycling infrastructure projects to allow as many commuters to take a two-wheeled approach at the start of their day.
Unfortunately, these ideas have yet to resonate. We have been talking about 20mph across Tonbridge for years, so we know they are not early adaptors. Having declared a climate emergency, both KCC and TMBC need to step up the pace of change to meet their climate targets. This is one step - let's hope it is the first of many.
