Background:

Traffic Implementation Group (TIG) progress has been very slow against our Alkham Parish Council (APC) agreed schedule, set back in late 2018 and continuing into 2019. It was only in Nov 2019, after more than a year of a lack of response from KCC to APC correspondence that APC tried a different approach and were able to get support from our ward councillor and local MP, both appreciating Alkham residents traffic concerns and lack of progress towards resolution. Additional advice from the cabinet member for transport, who was in receipt of a copy of the Traffic Action Group (TAG) report, was received following his involvement by our MP. KCC were also requested to provide both the cost and feasibility of possible measures detailed in the TAG report.   

The overall outcome has been KCC offering out a Highways Improvement Plan (HIP) initiative to the PC as an opportunity to try and get TAG priorities delivered. The TIG team were involved in the consultation process with APC and the team views and comments were reported back.

The next step was for APC to review the complete report from KCC and discuss and decide the best way forward for the negotiating APC team. The complete report would have includes the traffic survey data collected by KCC, which was anticipated to be available early Spring 2020. That data will be crucial in determining the best way forward for the submitted APC HIP.

However, the covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have meant that that several initiatives have been delayed. One of these is the traffic survey. The survey will now take place once the current covid restrictions are lifted.

APC are currently negotiating the submitted draft HIP directly with the KCC Scheme Planning and Delivery Team. As a result the TIG group has been closed.