Residents urge action after another crash at Kempe’s Corner, a known accident spot with increased traffic.
The junction joins Wye and Boughton Aluph. The speed limit there is 40 mph. Signs flash when drivers go too fast. Kent County Council said drivers must follow signs, adding that this will improve safety the most.
Residents want the council to check the spot because they often see drivers speeding. At least ten crashes occurred since 2015, with six happening after the pandemic began. Crash data says seven crashes were minor, while three crashes were serious.
Last month, a two-car crash sent one person to the hospital. A local leader, Noel Ovenden, thinks traffic causes crashes. He says it has been an accident blackspot and wants the council to study traffic there.
Ovenden wants to know traffic volume and speed so the the council can consider more safety steps. He noted that Wye has three schools now. School traffic makes it busy in the mornings and evenings.
Another resident, Etienne Pradier, agrees with Ovenden. He thinks lowering the speed would help and says he is very careful driving there. Others say cars speed when leaving Wye and they feel cameras would enforce speed limits.
Kent County Council said they take road safety seriously and they work with the public on their safety worries They put up digital signs at the spot. But they expect drivers to obey the speed limit and right now, they don’t plan any other changes. The 40 mph limit and signs are there since 2008 and new road markings went in in 2014.