Traffic experts believe chopping down a row of eight trees on a “death trap” stretch of road will improve safety - but critics argue such action would be a “travesty”.

Serious incidents and near-misses blight St George’s Place, outside Canterbury’s Waitrose, which has one of the poorest accident records in the city.

Former university lecturer Anne Seller and student Samuel Lewis both lost their lives crossing the road in separate incidents in November 2020, and close calls between pedestrians and vehicles are a regular occurrence.

Developers behind the huge 4,000-home Mountfield Park scheme are set to bolster the road’s safety as part of their deal to build the mammoth housing estate to the south of the city.

Traffic consultants, who have carried out a “desk survey” using readily available information, suggest the St George’s Place trees in the central reserve between the supermarket and St George’s Roundabout could be removed to increase visibility.

But critics have questioned why the drastic action needs to be taken, with Labour councillor Connie Nolan stressing the work will make no difference.

“The problem is not the trees, the problem is the traffic coming round too quickly,” she said.

“Removing the trees is a knee-jerk solution which shouldn’t be considered. It would be a travesty.

“You’ve got residents, students from Canterbury College, UCA and CATS and people at the youth hostel all walking up and down the road.

“It’s an absolute death trap. After drivers come off St George’s Roundabout, the two lanes going straight on merge into one immediately after the traffic lights.

“So you’ve got boy racers revving their engines trying to get ahead when the lanes merge. It makes it dangerous for pedestrians.”

Cllr Nolan says the whole area needs a rethink.

She continued: “It’s very disappointing that they haven’t got more creative ideas to help pedestrian safety other than chopping them down.

“They should be looking at how people use the area. I’m a great believer in having a focus on pedestrians over traffic but that isn’t what is happening.

“They shouldn’t be thinking ‘let’s make visibility better for drivers’ - this should be the opportunity to improve things for pedestrians.”

Cllr Nolan says she will conduct her own consultation with neighbours to gauge their thoughts on how the road layout can be improved.

The uprooting of the trees - which were planted in 1998 by the Kentish Gazette - has been suggested by RGP transport consultants.

'Removing the trees is a knee-jerk solution which shouldn’t be considered...'

Its report states: “There appears to be a pattern with regards to the impact of the height and width of the trees and landscaping within the central reserve obscuring the visibility for drivers approaching the pedestrian crossing which has resulted in an increase in accident rate and a worsening of the injury severity.

“Removal and/or cutting back of landscaping and trees would improve road safety for vulnerable road users along St George’s Place.

“However, it is recognised that there needs to be a planning balance struck between the local landscape and highway safety.

“This solution is within the gift of Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council to undertake if required.”

Between Waitrose and Tesco Express, the four-way convergence of St George’s Place, New Dover Road, and Upper and Lower Chantry Lane often causes confusion with pedestrians second-guessing the traffic light system.