Aqua motorway plans move step closer

Ambitious plans to transform the River Medway into an ‘aqua motorway’ have moved a step closer to reality.

Medway Council's leader, Rodney Chambers, said he was backing 'further investigation' into plans to use the river as a transport hub.

The brainchild of Simon Green, head of the Kent and Medway branch of charity Groundwork, the river would slash congestion in the area, and transport people between the Medway towns.

Audio: hear Medway Council leader Rodney Chambers tell the project's history

Cllr Chambers, who is also the chairman of the Medway Renaissance Partnership, said a feasibility study would be worthwhile.

A good starting point would involve investigating the viability of setting up a water taxi service between Chatham town centre and the Medway City Estate.

“It is worth carrying out a further feasibility study that would cover all aspects such as the landing points…the difference between low tide and high tide and also an examination of what the likely charging costs would be,” he said.

Mr Green says that at one time the idea was ‘a bit of a joke’, but now things had changed.

He was optimistic of seeing his plan put into practice. He said: “I think it’s an idea whose time is maybe approaching. It won’t happen next week, but it might happen in the next two or three years.”

 

Wednesday, May 06 2009

Comments (2)

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  • Gary wrote:

    Aqua Motorway

    What I find annoying is that Medway council has spent so much money on feasibility studies, and not one of them has been accurate, and yet they keep paying out for them!! Has nobody on the council ever thought about using common sense or logical thinking? For example: you keep putting up more and more traffic lights, the slower traffic gets!!

    06 May 2009 8:59 PM

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  • datch wrote:

    aqua motorway

    Medway council would win a gold medal if feasibility studies were an olympic sport. Water transport is fine as a small tourist attraction but are they stupid enough to think this will seriously help to cut congestion? Water transport is too slow, can be expensive and will not take people where they want to go. As they have consistently failed to safeguard segragated transport routes I suppose the river is the only place left without traffic lights.

    06 May 2009 4:10 PM

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