Sat navs blamed for lorry jam nightmare in Iwade
Lorries are ignoring
warning signs and entered Iwade village
by Hayley Robinson
These lorry drivers must be regretting following their sat navs
- after finding themselves in a tight spot when
they drove into a small village.
Despite clear signs that vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes
cannot enter Iwade, near Sittingbourne, the truckers found
themselves tightly wedged in narrow residential streets.
It is thought sat nav instructions are to blame for the
tight squeezes.
Now the parish council is considering paying for signs with a
red line struck through pictures of a lorry and sat nav.
Trucks have been
squeezing through narrow Iwade
The matter was discussed by the parish council earlier this
month after several incidents were reported.
The first occurred in Ferry Road on August 14. The others were
in Monins Road, Sanderling Way, Stangate Road, Grovehurst Road and
Chetney View.
In some cases, cars and bollards were damaged.
Parish councillor James Hunt said: "One man has had his car hit
three times and a wooden bollard at the side of the road was
knocked down because a lorry that got stuck reversed into it.
"They're also driving all over the grass verges because they've
got no room to turn around.
"It seems they're coming in and getting lost. We think it
may be to do with sat navs.
"We've contacted Kent County Council's highways department and
they sent someone out but they claim the signs are sufficient. We
don't think they are though."
Lorries in Iwade force
cars to mount the pavement
In a bid to solve the problem, the parish council is now looking
into paying for signs that might feature either a lorry
or a sat nav system struck out with a red line.
They will be placed at the three entrances into the village -
Sheppey Way, Old Ferry Road and Grovehurst Road.
Mr Hunt said: "We're not sure how much they're going to cost at
the moment.
"We just can't work out why they're suddenly coming through the
village - it's never been a problem before.
"Companies at Ridham Dock have recently expanded and new signs
have also been put up along Grovehurst Road, Kemsley, telling
drivers they can no longer access the paper mill via Grovehurst
Avenue so we don't know if either of these have contributed to the
problem.
"In the meantime we've been told to ask residents to make a note
of the make, model and registration plate of any lorries in the
village and to report them to Kent Police as it is illegal for them
to be here."
Sat navs are leading
lorries on tight turns in Iwade
A Kent County Council spokesman said: "We are already taking
action to tackle problems where lorries cause disruption in town
centres and narrow rural roads.
"We are completely overhauling Kent's lorry-route map. We are
also conducting a county-wide review of lorry directional and
regulatory signs.
“And we are reviewing traffic orders that allow us to control where
heavy goods vehicles can go.
"We are also working with satellite navigation firms to ensure
lorry drivers are provided with the best routes for commercial
traffic, rather than using car satellite navigation systems."
Have you ever driven into a tight spot by following your sat
nav? Leave a comment below.
27/11/12
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