Thousands of workers on the Medway City Estate have faced traffic misery but there is light at the end of the tunnel - a 30mph hour flashing one.

Following the Medway Messenger’s campaign, calling for urgent action to tackle the congestion on the business park in Strood, Medway Council has introduced new measures to help get the ease the jams.

At peak times a 30mph speed limit has been introduced in the Medway Tunnel to slow down the traffic coming from Gillingham to Strood.

This will make it easier for traffic queuing to get off the estate in Anthony’s Way to get on to the roundabout. A lorry, also displaying flashing 30mph signs, is also helping to slow traffic down in the tunnel.

The idea was trialled on Wednesday evening helping to reduce the queues. It will continue to be used between 4.15pm and 6.15pm each weekday until the roadworks in Station Road and Banks Road in Strood have finished.

Andy McGrath, assistant director of frontline services, said: “We are well aware that the gas works being carried out in Station Road have had a severe impact on the traffic leaving the City Estate in the early evening.

“While the experiment in the tunnel did lead to tunnel users having to slow down from the limit of 50mph our evidence showed that getting traffic to flow off the City Estate more easily was helped by this experiment.

“We hope that once the gas works move on traffic will get back to previous levels but we will continue to monitor the situation.”

Frustrated motorists have been queuing for over an hour to get off the estate each night. Some companies have tried staggering their working hours but it just results in queues from 4pm until after 6pm.

Former Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless, now UKIP candidate, has written to communities secretary Eric Pickles, about the bus lane on the estate being opened to cars to help ease the jams.

He said: “I asked the council to open the bus route up last week but they have said it is a decision which needs to be made at a national level. I have this week written to Eric Pickles to get this addressed.”

He added: “It is not acceptable that we have people waiting two hours in traffic to get home from the Medway City Estate.

“We should open up the route to get people home so they can spend more time with their families rather than sitting in a traffic jam.

“Despite David Cameron promising in 2010 we would see more power moved from national government to local government, we have not seen this.”

Almost 1,100 people have added their names to the Medway Messenger's petition calling for action.

To sign the petition, visit www.gopetition.com/petitions/get-the-medway-city-estate-moving.html