More than 35 people took their anger to the streets on Monday to protest at the lack of progress in making their road safe.

The residents say they were promised traffic-calming measures in Fant Lane, Maidstone, over a year ago but nothing’s happened.

The problem is the time it takes pedestrians, particularly the elderly, to cross a wide junction, in the face of oncoming traffic, on their way to nearby bus stops.

Kent Highways earlier said it might be possible to place build-outs near the junction to lessen the width of the carriageway, a move that would be welcomed by 87-year-old Joyce Whitehead, one of the protestors.

Peter Carroll, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald, joined Mrs Whitehead at the picket in Fant Lane.

He said: “This is a really serious problem and it’s about time something was done.

“KCC are always reluctant to act until there have been a few deaths.

“My view is that they need to change their systems so that the views of local people - who after all know more about their area than officials - can get some funding for these types of situations.”

The protest appears to have brought results. Cllr Keith Ferrin (Con), the KCC cabinet member for highways, later said that a “pull-out” scheme would go ahead in the next financial year.

A KCC spokesman explained: “Cllr Ferrin is aware of the public’s concerns. The pull-out scheme was considered for this year, but did not win sufficient prioirity under the Pipkin process - the council’s assessment scheme, but it will go ahead next year.

“However, some residents are now beginning to talk about a possible pedestrian crossing. That is different from the approved scheme and if they wish to proceed with that, then any new scheme will have to be re-submitted to the Pipkin scrutiny.”