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Fake speed bumps in Lower Road, East Farleigh and Ashford Road, Ashford could be seen across Kent

11:32, 09 September 2019

updated: 12:31, 09 September 2019

A fake speed bump scheme could soon be rolled out across the county.

The traffic calming measures were put in place in East Farleigh and Ashford.

The fake speed bumps which could be rolled out across Kent
The fake speed bumps which could be rolled out across Kent

Now, Kent County Council says it expects to use the measures on more roads.

Implemented in March, by the council, it involves painting on road markings which looks like a bump in the road. They deceive the driver into slowing down.

Funded by East Farleigh Parish Council, the installation on Lower Road cost £70,000.

The site, along the B2010, was not suitable for physical speed bumps, so was ideal for the more innovative and less intrusive traffic calming measures.

The issue of traffic speeding through the village was one of the prime points addressed when the council prepared a Parish Plan back in 2009.

The markings are reinforced by two mobile SID cameras (Speed Indicator Devices) which are moved between seven different points every eight weeks.

They have been installed in East Farleigh and Ashford
They have been installed in East Farleigh and Ashford

The SIDS cost an additional £12,000, partly paid by a grant from the village fete committee and from a personal allowance grant from County Councillor Paulina Stockell.

The parish council took out a community loan to pay for the work, which it will pay back over the next 50 years at the rate of £2,400 a year.

It is also being used in Ashford Road, Bethersden.

A spokesman for Kent County Council said: "We are continuing to monitor the site and currently aim to evaluate the scheme 12 months after the implementation date.

"We anticipate more psychological traffic calming measures being implemented at sites across the county which aim to encourage a reduction in vehicle speed through changing the driver’s perception of the road environment."

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