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Opinion

Opinion: Secret Thinker says priorities wrong as Thanet Way faces traffic chaos for pointless roadworks while potholes elsewhere go unfixed

By: Secret Thinker opinion@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 05:00, 24 April 2024

There are potholes in my road so big and so plentiful, negotiating them is trickier than making your way out of Hampton Court Maze.

So, is the council doing anything about them? You bet it is.

Potholes are a big issue in Kent

In fact, they’re already doing two things – firstly, they’re paying out a fortune to drivers with smashed suspensions and, secondly, to give everyone false hope, they came out months ago to decorate the worst craters with a lovely, albeit pointless, white ring.

At the same time as making absolutely no effort to mend potholes, the A299 Thanet Way has been turned into a car park so workmen can, theoretically, fix the road surface on the coast-bound carriageway.

I fully realise the different works I’ve mentioned might well be the responsibility of different agencies, but I still can’t get over the fact humungous potholes are celebrating their first birthday while, at the same time, drivers are having hours added to their journeys so contractors can earn a fortune fixing a road which frankly doesn’t need mending.

Sure, the stretch of road, up a hill near Whitstable, undulates a little, but it’s not dangerous and doesn’t pose a threat of damage to your vehicle.

According to the signs, this seemingly pointless work will continue until the end of July so traffic chaos will be part of east Kent life for months yet.

The Thanet Way works have caused frustration among drivers

I’ve had to travel this route quite a bit recently but apart from being dismayed by the delays, what’s really got me agitated is the complete lack of work taking place at so many times.

I’m led to believe road workers have recently been the subject of considerable abuse from some motorists infuriated by the delays they’ve faced.

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This is clearly unacceptable and I wouldn’t condone such behaviour, but I can understand why the patience of motorists is being stretched to breaking point.

More often than not I see workers, dressed every inch in hi-vis clothing, sitting in their vehicles on their phones, drinking tea or just chatting. I’ve yet to see anyone actually doing any work.

Perhaps, rather than paying their workers to spend time on their mobiles, take tea breaks and gossip, the bosses should consider paying them to pretend to work so motorists don’t become so hot under the collar.

If not, they might need to consider ditching the hi-vis safety clothing in favour of camouflage gear so their lack of activity isn’t so blatantly obvious.

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