Parish Cake Autumn 2017
Your slice of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst life - published by Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council
Your slice of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst life - published by Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council
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out & about<br />
Why Do We Have<br />
SPEED LIMITS?<br />
Sissinghurst Speedwatch member Trisha Fermor draws<br />
attention to ineffective signage on the A229<br />
NO-ONE could have been<br />
happier to hear that reduced<br />
speed limits were to be<br />
introduced along the A229 than<br />
the people whose homes are<br />
alongside it.<br />
But the euphoria was shortlived.<br />
It would appear that at<br />
the same time the few and<br />
somewhat randomly scattered<br />
speed limit signs were installed,<br />
a large majority of road users<br />
began to treat the A229 as their<br />
own Brands Hatch.<br />
Sean Holden, our Kent<br />
County Council member<br />
for Cranbrook, was rightly<br />
pleased that after battling for<br />
months, the limits between the<br />
roundabout at Sissinghurst and<br />
Knoxbridge, would be reduced<br />
to 40 or 50mph.<br />
But instead of slowing down<br />
traffic those of us whose homes<br />
line the road are faced with<br />
faster and faster vehicles – the<br />
40 from the roundabout to close<br />
to Mill Lane being ignored by<br />
everything from HGVs to motor<br />
cycles.<br />
High speed overtaking at 50,<br />
60, or more, especially 70+ if<br />
you are a motorcyclist heading<br />
north towards Staplehurst, is<br />
frequently done in the straight<br />
between the roundabout,<br />
past the Shell Garage and<br />
beyond Mill Lane. Certainly<br />
motorcyclists, whichever<br />
direction they are going, use<br />
this stretch of road to show<br />
off the versatility of their<br />
machines, either on one wheel<br />
or two.<br />
Despite the junctions and<br />
numerous driveways, for some<br />
inexplicable reason, the 40 then<br />
becomes 50 before, in a few<br />
yards time, dropping again to<br />
40 at the start of Rocks Hill.<br />
Why didn’t the powers that<br />
be – Kent Highways – make it<br />
40mph all the way from Angley<br />
Road to the bottom of Rocks<br />
Hill instead of chopping and<br />
changing?<br />
We all know that KCC is<br />
strapped for cash, as are many<br />
local authorities, but why<br />
so few signs? Between the<br />
roundabout and Mill Lane there<br />
is a lone short 40mph sign on<br />
the right (heading towards<br />
Staplehurst) but nothing on the<br />
left. Some of the signs are even<br />
being partially obscured by<br />
growing trees.<br />
But I suspect that no<br />
matter how many signs we<br />
have reckless drivers will<br />
always speed. As a member<br />
of Speedwatch I frequently<br />
see drivers speeding into<br />
Sissinghurst ignoring the<br />
30 limit signs and slowing<br />
down only when they see our<br />
presence.<br />
But perhaps<br />
the most<br />
aggravating<br />
problem of all<br />
is the increased<br />
noise from hoards<br />
of highly-tuned motorbikes<br />
going to and from Hastings at<br />
weekends and Bank Holidays.<br />
The excessive noise, which I<br />
believe is illegal, is horrendous<br />
when, on a warm summer’s<br />
day, literally hundreds of bikes<br />
scream along the A229, the<br />
riders seemingly oblivious as<br />
to how much they spoil others’<br />
enjoyment of the countryside.<br />
I have always believed that<br />
there is little point in having<br />
laws of any kind unless they are<br />
policed. We rarely see police<br />
in the town and I have<br />
never seen traffic<br />
police operating<br />
speed checks.<br />
I appreciate<br />
Kent Police are<br />
overstretched but<br />
the impression<br />
is being given to<br />
those of us in rural<br />
areas that speeding is<br />
not a problem and neither<br />
are exceptionally noisy motor<br />
bikes.<br />
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<strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Autumn</strong> <strong>2017</strong> 31