Safer Roads in Sir Moses Montefiore Ward

Residents of Sir Moses Montefiore ward have banded together to form a pressure group, calling itself Dumpton Park Drive Safer Roads Action Group. The group is supported by local Councillors, Pat Moore and Pat Makinson.

This is in response to the death of a cyclist in Dumpton Park Drive earlier last year. There were also other deaths in the recent past and many near misses and damage to properties.

The aim of the group is to reduce the speed of vehicles travelling along Dumpton Park Drive. The road engineer, Peter Borrough, who is a Ramsgate resident, came along to advise us and suggested that chicanes would be the most effective way to make the road safer. He referred to the traffic calming measures in Cliffsend, which were the result of local action. They have speed bumps, a chicane, and a mini roundabout – all features which the Dumpton Park Drive Action Group aspire to!

The group is chaired by local resident Bob Barras and they have distributed 800 leaflets to local residents. A Facebook page has been set up: Make Our Road Safe! Dumpton Park Drive Safer Roads Action Group - www.facebook.com/groups/386421873628707

A minor achievement due to the work of the ward Councillors is that Kent County Council have agreed to install double yellow lines at all the junctions along the road. The lack of sight lines was a contributory factor in the death of the cyclist in January 2022. Unfortunately, as many residents have pointed out, enforcement is conspicuously absent.

Written by:
Councillor Pat Makinson (Sir Moses Montefiore Ward)