Drivers will have to endure another six weeks of traffic misery around Maidstone as work continues on a new housing development.

Yesterday (Thursday), Kent County Council highway officers visited the roadworks in London Road, at the junction with Beaver Road, to ensure contractors are minimising delays.

It follows Kent Police traffic officers intervening and asking staff to change the phasing of the four-way temporary lights at the site, opposite DFS and the Sir Thomas Wyatt Beefeater Restaurant, to ease delays in and around Maidstone.

Motorists also reported gridlock on other main routes in and out of the town, including Tonbridge Road and Royal Engineers Way.

Delays in Allington will continue while Barratt Homes builds 140 new properties at its new development, known as The Orchards. The housing developer appointed O’Halloran & O’Brien Ltd to redesign the busy junction.

This means when the homes are built, a new set of traffic lights will control access in and out of the development, as well as movements on the London Road.

Work started on Monday, April 4 and isn’t expected to be finished until the end of May.

The temporary traffic lights will be in place until this time.

During rush hour, Aylesford-bound traffic stretched back to Poplar Grove, with Maidstone-bound motorists left queuing from the M20 roundabout.

Some residents have written to Maidstone and Weald MP Helen Grant to complain about the handling of works, but contractors insist they’re working hard to prevent gridlock.

Yesterday the lights were switched to manual control, so staff can judge when traffic is building-up and contractors have now appointed staff to keep a look-out to prevent vehicles bunching.

Residents are fed-up

Victoria Underwood, who lives at the junction of London Road and Hildenborough Crescent, said the works mean more drivers are using roads in Allington to avoid delays.

"Hundreds of more cars using the junction will make living here unbearable" - Victoria Underwood

She said: “It’s just horrendous. Yesterday (Thursday) the traffic was back to the M20 with cars queueing on the slip-road. It took about 45 minutes to pass through the works.

“I’m lucky to be able to work from home, but I feel sorry for commuters who have to sit in the traffic every day.

“When the four-way permanent lights are installed and hundreds of more cars use the junction it will make living here unbearable.”

Another resident, who didn’t want to be named, claims to have witnessed many near-misses where motorists have been skipping red lights.

Bus delays

Bus company Arriva said the works have caused long delays to its services around the town and has noticed a dip in passenger numbers using the London Road Park and Road.

Kevin Root, Arriva's general manager, said: "The works and resultant congestion have been causing serious delays to our London Road services, with a knock-on effect as far as Kings Hill, Snodland and West Malling.

"Anyone using our 71 and 72 services should allow extra times for their journeys" - Arriva's Kevin Root

"Our drivers are doing their best to keep as close to time as possible under very difficult circumstances and I would ask our customers to bear with them as they have no control over the delays.

"We would advise anyone using our 71 and 72 services to make connections or attend appointments to allow extra time for their journeys while works are in place."

O’Halloran & O’Brien Ltd has not commented on the delays.

MP intervenes

Helen Grant told KentOnline: "I have received reports of serious delays, disruption and safety concerns relating to these roadworks and I am taking the issue up with contractors, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council with urgency.

"I hope we can get the management of the situation rectified as soon as possible before we suffer an accident of further problems."

Your views

My husband and I sit in the Allington traffic every morning and every night. Because we live just behind the Park and Ride site we have no way of avoiding the queues.

Most nights my husband queues from the motorway for at least half an hour. The biggest problem is people blocking all the accesses to the roundabouts and pushing in from the dual carriageway by the Poppy Fields restaurant.

Sooner or later there is going to be a major accident where cars are continually racing down the dual carriageway to jump the queue and push in.

Why is it going to take so long for the highways development and the planners to set up a new traffic light system. Nearly two months of misery for local residents .

Mr and Mrs Brooker, Juniper Close, Allington

The traffic on London Road has caused me and others great difficulty to get to school on time. Last Thursday I arrived at my bus stop near Grace Avenue at 10 to eight like I do every morning,

Last Thursday I arrived at my bus stop near Grace Avenue at 10 to eight like I do every morning, however I didn’t get on a bus until half past eight, at the time I should have been in school.

My GCSE exams start in four weeks and I need to be in school in time for these. Once these road works are finished, there’s then the ones in town to worry about!

Lucy Watts, Invicta Grammar School pupil

I get the bus between Maidstone town centre and Quarry Wood every weekday. Given I have to be at work at 8.30am, I normally get the 7.35am bus from The Mall, which gets me to work in plenty of time.

However, last Wednesday was the most horrendous three-mile journey I’ve ever encountered.

I caught the 7.25am bus knowing the traffic would be bad and thinking an hour and five minutes would be more than enough.

I was wrong! I actually walked into just before 9am – a journey time of one and half hours. It is totally unacceptable to be late every day with no alternative.

Who makes these idiotic decisions to keep squeezing houses into every available space in already overcrowded Kent?

Perhaps transport and planning bosses can explain to my bosses why I will be late for the next six weeks?

Nita Colwill

Read more in this week's Kent Messenger.