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From traffic to subways, here's our 10 moans about Maidstone

By: Joshua Coupe

Published: 00:01, 30 April 2016

We love living and working in Maidstone, the great community spirit, the way people come together throughout the year and the stories we often hear of brave neighbours doing amazing things.But we can't cover up the fact that there are a number of things about the County Town that leaves us feeling slightly underwhelmed.A few are listed below, add yours by commenting at the bottom of the story. Without a doubt traffic is the biggest moan of people around the town. If you're like me you long for the school holidays when our journey times are halved.

1. Traffic

Don't even think about getting anywhere on time on a Tuesday and if it's raining you might as well just give up now...

Traffic congestion

2. One-way system

Confusing Maidstonians and visitors since day one. Everyone who uses the town's roads will have at least one anecdote of how long they were stuck on the one-way system or how they ended up at the other side of the town.

At least we have the

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upgrade works to look forward to...

Maidstone's one-way system

3. Litter officers

They're the men and women who battle to keep out streets clean, but they've become as unpopular as traffic wardens.

We all know someone who's been slapped with a £80 fine and with very limited options to appeal the charge, many just give in and cough up the cash.

Litter officers patrolling Week Street

4. Brenchley Gardens

The park, sandwiched between Maidstone East railway station at St Faith's Street, has so much potential. But it's often ruined by people discarding fast-food packaging and empty bottles of booze.

Hats off to the council workers who try their best to make it attractive to visitors.

Brenchley Gardens
People donned shorts during the summer months in Brenchley Gardens

5. Ugly buildings

Maidstone has seen a mass of new developments over the past three decades, but construction firms haven't always gone for the best look for buildings around the town.

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Travelodge in St Peter's Street has been a controversial addition, with builders having to return to scrape the rust from the town centre-based hotel.

Click here for our list of Maidstone's ugliest buildings.

Travelodge in St Peter's Street

6. Subways

They're supposed to be a way of dodging the town centre's busy centre roads, but they're often filled with the stench of urine and puddles of water.

Unfortunately instead of upgrading the underpasses, they will be closed a part of Maidstone Gyratory regeneration project.

Flooded subways underneath Fairmeadow

7. Why does McDonald's close at 3am?

After a night enjoying some of Maidstone's finest bars and club you find yourself desperate for a large Big Mac meal. But you get to McDonald's and find it's closed.

In February, an impatient customer couldn't wait any longer for a McMuffin, and smashed a window of the fast food franchise in Week Street - eight minutes before it opened.

The McDonald's in Week Street

8. Chequers Bus Station

The dark and drab bus station isn't the best welcome for visitors new to the town.

Before and after school the centre is filled with school kids pushing and jostling their way onto the dozens of buses which pass through every hour.

The Chequers bus station

9. Train travel

Anyone who travels by train would have spent time wondering why it takes so long to get between Maidstone and London.

The 65-minute journey to travel the 39 miles between the stations compares with a two-hour and 10-minute journey to travel the 209 miles between London and Manchester.

Train travel is another moan

10. Traffic again... just because it's so bad

Traffic congestion on the one-way system

Next month we'll look at the 10 best things about the County Town.

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