Silence was once the domain of libraries and sponsored events organised by teachers who want a bit of hush.

Now it is set to fall on a countryside road which could become the first its kind in Swale.

Plans are being put together to officially designate Munsgore Lane in Borden as a “Quiet Lane”.

The project is being led by Cllr Mike Baldock (Ukip).

“Residents were concerned about the speed of the traffic going down the road,” said the county and borough councillor.

“It’s really narrow. There aren’t many passing places and there’s a lot of people who go horse riding down there.”

The intention of Quiet Lanes is that they are somewhere people can safely walk, cycle or horse ride.

They were originally part of the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s Safer Country Lanes Campaign, which seeks to deal with the problem of speeding motorists and supports a 20mph limit.

Cars are not banned from using them but drivers are encouraged to use alternative routes or to slow down to respect the fact the lane could be used by other modes of transport.

Munsgore Lane runs between Oad Street, at its junction near the Plough and Harrow pub, and School Lane.

Cllr Baldock added: “We’re looking at reducing the amount of traffic that goes down there and this will deter drivers from using it unless they need to for access.

“We want bike riders, horse riders and walkers to feel more comfortable using the road.

“This can be done only on roads that are not important access roads. Munsgore is perfect for that.”

A pilot scheme for quiet lanes more than 10 years ago involved a number of rural routes in West Kent.

In a report on their impact commissioned by the Government, they were said to have been a partial success but there was also a degree of apathy towards them.

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