by political editor Paul Francis

County transport chiefs are promising action to ease the plight of villages and towns plagued by the increasing number of lorries travelling through Kent.

KCC is to tackle the growing problems of congestion and hold-ups caused by HGVs with a wide-ranging overhaul of its lorry route map, which directs lorries on to the most appropriate roads.

Transport bosses are to examine around 1,000 traffic restriction orders to see if they are effective. More could be introduced where problems are identified.

These limit where lorries go through width and height restrictions.
KCC hopes its review will also help minimise incidents in which foreign lorry drivers are misdirected by satellite navigation systems down narrow lanes.

A dramatic rise in the number of businesses operating out of rural industrial units and farm buildings over recent years has worsened the problems caused by lorries using country roads.

An estimated 8,700 freight lorries travel through Kent each day.

Cllr Nick Chard, cabinet member for highways, said: "Lorries can cause tremendous problems for residents and businesses when they use the wrong road and get stuck.

"They also rumble through our small villages day in, day out, in some cases causing damage to property.

"Of course, businesses have to use our roads as part of their normal operations, but at the moment we do not have a full picture of the best routes for them.

"We want to put lorries on the best available routes for them. We will look at where HGVs want and need to travel and map out routes that will minimise disruption to residents and other businesses."

KCC also says it wants more say on planning applications for industrial units that might increase lorry traffic.

Last year nearly 3.2 million freight lorries passed through the ports of Dover and Ramsgate and the Channel Tunnel.

Dover, meanwhile, expects to see an increase of around 50 per cent in the number of HGVs using the port over the next two decades.

KCC's review will be completed in about a year.