Residents are demanding changes to a “dangerous” roundabout near Bluewater they fear is “an accident wating to happen”.

Villagers in Bean venturing out onto the London-bound A2 say you “take your life in your hands” as the recently revamped design is proving too wide for cars to cross safely.

They also claim speeding cars “fly up” from the slip road and regularly fail to give way with plenty of near-misses reported.

Residents are calling for better signage to encourage motorists to slow down and an adjustment to road markings to avoid cars ending up in the wrong lane as they come off the carriageway and onto the feeder junction headed towards Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe.

National Highways maintains the new road layout has improved the flow of traffic in and out of the quarry but added it understood “people will need to adapt to the design”.

However, Bean resident Karen Baynes told KentOnline something needs to be done urgently before someone is seriously injured.

She said: “I have seen four accidents since they changed the roundabouts.”

Karen travels to work between Bean and Bexley every day and has to leave earlier than she used to due to the increased time it takes to get onto the roundabout.

And she said she is scared every day when she attempts to cross the “wide lanes” from Bean to head onto the A2 towards London.

“People drive so fast off the A2 as if there is no give way there,” she said. “They come hurtling round. You have to always be aware.

“The road markings say to keep clear but no one keeps it clear so when you are attempting to get across the three lanes of traffic you have to take your life in your hands.”

At the top of the A2 slip road she said “the signage is terrible”.

“I have seen four accidents there as people end up in the wrong lane,” she explained. “I always hold back and make sure no one is coming up my left hand side. It’s a nightmare.”

Data from from a study conducted by car repair agency MotorEasy previously found the Bean Interchange to be among the most accident-prone roundabouts in the UK.

Between 2010 and 2020 there were 184 reported accidents at the roundabout interchange.

It prompted the multi-million pound A2 Bean and Ebbsfleet junction improvements which opened last year and increased capacity by adding new lanes to the existing roundabouts and slip roads.

But Karen believes the system worked much better before the changes.

“It was much better when you could just go the whole way round without stopping. It seems simple to me.”

Fellow resident Margaret Stilwell said: “It’s worse now than it used to be at Christmas before the lights were installed around the roundabout.

“They also need to put lights up to stop cars flying up the slip road from the A2 London bound.”

Fellow resident Loki Smith agreed, adding: “The roundabout in its previous format was only an issue at peak shopping times, mainly Christmas.

“Since the new roundabout it has been an issue weekly at peak traffic (commuting/school run) and peak shopping events and weekends.

“Currently the issue is constant due to the closure of the road connecting Gravesend to Greenhithe and it seems reduced both North-bound traffic light timing reductions all day.”

Loki is desperate for someone to come and take a look at ways to improve traffic flow at the roundabouts.

She said: “We would greatly benefit from a Bean to A2 overbridge and a protected lane forcing A2 London-bound exit traffic to merge instead of a “he/she who dares” roundabout priority.”

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson has also acknowledged problems with the new layout.

He said: “While there have been some benefits from the new layout, some aspects of it are causing concern.

“I have taken these concerns up with National Highways to see if there are any improvements that can be made to the junction that would alleviate these concerns.

A spokesman for Kent County Council (KCC) said: “During the initial consultation of the design in November 2018, KCC expressed concern that the geometry of the junction would impact its efficient operation.

“We understand the concerns of residents and will seek to discuss these with National Highways.”

Peter Phillips, Network Highways, route manager for the South East, said: "Safety runs through everything we do at National Highways but we're not aware of any issues at this location.

“When making modifications to our network we carry out safety audits of those changes to ensure the continued safety of all road users.

“The new road layout has improved the flow of traffic in and out of Bluewater shopping centre but we understand people will need to adapt to the design.

“We will continue to monitor the safety of this location and look at ways to encourage motorists to alter their behaviours and follow the correct lane discipline.”

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