EMAIL TO JEREMY KITE, LEADER OF DARTFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

Dear Mr Kite,

I listened with interest to your comments on the BBC Radio Kent Breakfast Show on May 21, 2016 during which you seemed very knowledgeable of Option A14. I would therefore be grateful to you for answering some questions for me.

Given your involvement with the Kent Thameside Strategic Transport Programme Steering Group perhaps you could explain what strategies exist to move continental freight traffic onto modes of transport other than our struggling road network?

Can you explain how a tunnel from 800m south of junction 2 to 1.3km north of junction 30 would cause “years of disruption” on the existing approaches as you claimed on May 21, 2016?

What are you doing to take Highways England to task over their abysmal management of traffic at the Dartford Crossing? Do you trust them to choose the right long-term solution?

Given the frequency of road traffic incidents at the Dartford Crossing and the severity of the resulting congestion, what are you doing to take Highways England to task over their failure to plan any improvements to the existing crossing?

Since the M20 is the main freight route from the Channel Ports, in the event of disruption at Dartford Crossing, do you believe the road freight industry will find a 20 mile detour via the proposed Option C acceptable? Do you think that the A2 and A13 have sufficient capacity to carry all M25 traffic in addition to the normal traffic on those roads in the event of congestion at the Dartford Crossing?

Do you not understand Option A14? Can you not see that it is the best solution for the people of Dartford and Thurrock – less congestion, less noise, less pollution?

On a scale of 1 to 10 to what extent do you value the Green Belt? (10 = value highly).

Much has been made by Highways England of the economic growth benefits they claim their proposals would bring, but they have been unable to explain exactly where such growth (assumed to be housing and commercial development) will actually take place. Are you any the wiser?

Do you accept that with no plans for further investment at the existing Dartford Crossing the frequency of disruptive incidents there will continue to increase at the present rate?

Do you accept that the B260 and New Barn Road, Longfield within your own Ward will become one of the many rat runs car and HGV drivers are likely to use to access the proposed Option C, when the anticlockwise queue on the M25 stretches back to junction 3 or beyond? Do you believe your constituents will be happy with this?

Regards

​Gravesend resident

Read Mr Kite’s response here.