A lone dog walker strolls along the middle of a road – but he has no need to fear being hit by a car.

Today, as it has been for the past seven years, Rutledge Avenue in Ashford is closed to traffic.

The eerily quiet route – connecting two incomplete new-build estates – has been unused for so long that moss has started growing on the tarmac.

Only dog walkers and joggers are able to bypass the barriers and use Rutledge Avenue and the adjacent Avocet Way, which link the Finberry and Bridgefield developments.

The roads were put in place by housebuilding giant Taylor Wimpey in 2017.

Eventually, they will be adopted by Kent Highways, with Rutledge Avenue open to all traffic, while Avocet Way will be for buses only.

Some residents have become so used to the situation that they argue the routes should stay permanently closed, fearing they could create an unnecessary set of rat-runs.

Meanwhile, others say they could be a desperately needed solution to end tailbacks heading into Bridgefield.

Mark and Donna Saunders from Park Farm use both roads on their daily walks.

Mr Saunders, 47, told KentOnline: "If it links up to the new estate, it makes perfect sense to open it.

“We walk down here all the time.”

Mrs Saunders, 44, added: "Rutledge Avenue is only really used by walkers at the moment, but there is a big enough pathway so there is enough room for everyone.”

Bridgefield resident Mark Twomey says opening Rutledge Avenue would be particularly helpful for residents who have no choice but to sit at problematic traffic lights on Finn Farm Road – which is currently the main route into the estate.

The 55-year-old regularly walks his dog Raya along the “ghost roads” and says opening them should be a priority.

“This road would allow an alternative access route into the estates,” he told KentOnline.

“The roads are here – they should be used. I can’t see what safety concerns there would be.

“It should open, especially as they want to shut part of Finn Farm Road, which is completely wrong.”

Last year Kent County Council (KCC) consulted on proposals to shut a stretch of Finn Farm Road, between Rutledge Avenue and Brockmans Lane.

It means the three-way traffic lights on the bridge over the A2070 and railway line heading into the estate will instead become two-way traffic lights in a bid to make the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Residents who usually turn left at the lights will instead have to access their homes by turning right and going through the estate via a longer route through Heritage Road.

The proposed closure of Finn Farm Road comes as part of a highways agreement when the estate was approved.

But ward councillor for Kingsnorth Village and Bridgefield Ray McGeever (Ash Ind) says the issues with this road are all linked to concerns over Avocet Way and Rutledge Avenue.

“I’ll support the opening of Rutledge Avenue and Avocet Way if the timing is right, but at the moment all the plans are out of sync,” he explained.

“There is reason to want the crossroads at Finn Farm Road closed because pedestrians will be able to walk through, but ultimately it would serve a greater purpose if they made the changes later when all the developments are complete and Avocet Way and Rutledge Avenue are open.

“It's logical traffic should go through those two new roads, but with the way things are now I can understand why people in Finberry don't want it – just the same as people in Bridgefield don't want the Finn Farm crossroad to close.”

Bridgefield can also be accessed via Cheeseman’s Green Lane, however the narrow country road is scattered with potholes and has poor visibility, so many choose to avoid it.

The closure of Finn Farm Road is something resident Jacob Reading thinks should be taken into consideration before the new roads are adopted.

The 55-year-old, who has lived in Bridgefield since 2018, said: “If they open these two roads, what they will be doing is creating an enormous number of rat-runs out of the estate.

“When we moved we were aware those two roads were going to open but we weren't aware that the Finn Farm exit was potentially going to be closed.

“I have no problem with there being additional exit routes, but the route that is bus-only needs to be policed because at the moment it is quite dangerous.

“You already have Deliveroo drivers using the pavement to get down that route.

“There needs to be restrictions like cameras.”

While Avocet Way will be for buses only, none currently serve Finberry.

Improving access to public transport is something Finberry resident Ben Thompson says needs urgently addressing.

The 36-year-old said: “Finberry has been open since 2015 but we still have no bus.

“People have moved out because there are no bus services. It was promised but never materialised.

“They are supposed to be promoting sustainable transport but no one in Finberry has any other choice than to use a car.”

Mr Thompson says there is now no need to open Rutledge Avenue after work to replace Ashford's Orbital Park roundabout on the A2070 with a traffic light-controlled junction was finally completed last summer.

The scheme, named ‘Bellamy Gurner’, also saw the exit from Finberry onto the A2070 upgraded so drivers could turn right out of the estate for the first time.

Mr Thompson said: “People in Finberry did previously want another exit because we were stuck when you could only turn left out of Finberry, but the new traffic lights and the right turn have fixed the problem.

“We don't feel trapped any more, so we don't really need that other exit.

“When Rutledge Avenue opens to Finberry, it will be great for people in Bridgefield because they won't have to use that awful Finn Farm Road junction anymore.

“But they will rat-run through Finberry and we could have hundreds more cars a day coming through.

“I moved here because I'm a wildlife and countryside person and I like the quietness but as the estate expands it is becoming a less desirable place to live.

“There needs to be further thought on traffic calming in Finberry and making Finn Farm Road more desirable because at the moment no one wants to use it.”

Dog walker and Bridgefield resident of 13 years Peter Whitehouse told KentOnline he also fears Rutledge Avenue could become a rat-run.

“There is only one exit out of Bridgefield at the moment and the congestion is a real problem,” he said.

“They have plans to alter the current access so I reckon the new road will be abused.”

Rutledge Avenue resident Neil Whiteley-Bolton would rather the routes remained closed entirely.

“We have lived here 13 years and I agree traffic going through to Finberry would not be a good idea,” he said.

“I'm a driver but I still don't support it.

“I would rather they stay closed because people use roads as a racetrack anyway.”

Finberry resident Nicholas Street also worries the estate won't cope with the extra through traffic.

“Rutledge Avenue is fine – the trouble is the roads drivers would have to go down after in order to get out of Finberry,” the 57-year-old said.

“They are small residential roads with cars parked and they are windy and narrow – they are not fit for more traffic.”

He is also concerned about the additional impact of 364 new homes on and around the former Ashford International Truckstop site on Waterbrook Park, after plans were given the green light last month.

Another link road allowing access to Finberry could be built as part of the new estate.

Mr Street said: “They will also want access to Finberry’s roads and that's not even taking into consideration Bridgefield which is the same, if not bigger than Finberry.”

In response to the concerns, Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con), ward member for Mersham, Sevington South with Finberry, said: “The roads were always planned in their original design so people from both estates could have greater access to the surrounding area.

“It's so Bridgefield can easily access the M20, because at the moment they have got to sit at the traffic lights and go through the A2070 which is a bit of a nightmare, to put it mildly.

“Equally, people in Finberry will be able to access the surrounding villages and there are some great opportunities for people who live in Finberry to access Aldington and Mersham, so the design was valid and was done for the right reasons to avoid much longer journeys.

“I can give residents complete assurance that the impact of additional traffic will be very carefully monitored, including the speed through Finberry when the roads do open.

“There are speed reduction activities on Rutledge Avenue already but if KCC feels more needs to be done, then action will be taken.”

In terms of the bus route in Avocet Way, he says cameras are on the cards similar to those that have recently been installed through the bus-only junction in Beaver Road.

He added: “All of the work is being done on Beaver Road to ensure the new enforcement system works appropriately. It should be going live in the spring.

“Once that is shown to work, the idea will be rolled out to Avocet Way and the bus services can start.

“With Rutledge Avenue for example, residents have lived on a dead-end cul-de-sac for 15 years and the idea of it all of a sudden opening to traffic – I absolutely understand it is a change to their way of life.

“I can only assure them we will keep a careful eye on the impact this has on their quality of life and respond accordingly.”

The last remaining part of Rutledge Avenue connecting to Swift Avenue is set to be built by Crest Nicholson once new houses around Bilham Farm are completed.

They will then need to be adopted by Kent Highways before they can be opened but the authority could not provide an update on when this might happen.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “As part of the Bridgefield development, we constructed the sections of Avocet Way and Rutledge Avenue that we are responsible for in 2017.

“We will continue to maintain both of these roads until they are formally adopted by the local authority."