Following years of campaigning  for safety improvements on the A257 through the KCC Highways Improvement Plan scheme with Parish Councils with no positive results achieved thus far, the A257 Traffic Group are calling on KCC to act and improve safety on The Roman Road, through the hamlet of Shatterling and on the Ash Bypass.



The petition is supported by Sir Roger Gale MP and our Neighbourhood Beat Officer PC Bowler.

CORE GROUP Members are representatives of the following Parish Councils and Associations (in alphabetical order):-
• Adisham Parish Council
• Ash Parish Council
• Bekesbourne with Patrixbourne Parish Council
• Ickham & Well Parish Council (Bramling)
• Littlebourne Parish Council
• Littlebourne & Stodmarsh Roads Community Association (LSRCA)
• Preston Parish Council
• Staple Parish Council (Shatterling)
• Wickhambreaux Parish Council
• Wingham Parish Council
. Woodnesborough Parish Council

FULL GROUP In addition to Core Group members, the Full Group members include:-
• District Councillor for Little Stour & Adisham Ward, Canterbury, currently Cllr Lee Castle
• District Councillor for Little Stour & Ashstone Ward, Dover, currently Cllr Martin Porter
• Kent County Councillor for Canterbury City South, currently Cllr Mel Dawkins
• Kent County Councillor for Canterbury South, currently Cllr Mike Sole
• Kent County Councillor for Sandwich, currently Cllr Sue Chandler
• MP for Canterbury/Whitstable, currently Rosie Duffield
• MP for Herne Bay & Sandwich, currently Roger Gale

MEETINGS are held every other month in January, March, May, July, September and November with Full Group Members attending every other meeting in January, May and September only. These are not public meetings. Other Councillors and/or interested parties are invited to attend according to the agenda.

A257 PLAN
The Group produced and launched the ‘A257 Plan’ in 2018 which documents issues surrounding congestion, accidents and pedestrians, providing fact-based information and proposals for improvements on the road to make it safer for all users.

LATEST UPDATES AND INFORMATION
MEETING UPDATE: Saturday 21 March 2026 CORE GROUP MEETING 
The Group agreed to upload their public petition to the KCC Highways online petition portal requesting safety improvements on the A257 from Gobery Hill in Wingham through to the Sandwich Roundabout at the end of the Ash bypass.  This will be shared publicly as soon as possible.
Updates from Group and Village representatives were received from Ash, Bekesbourne with Patrixbourne, Bramling, Littlebourne, LSRCA, Shatterling, Wickhambreaux, Wingham and Woodnesborough:-  Ash noted they are expecting pedestrian warning signs to be completed at the end of March. They submitted an FOI request regarding average speed camera criteria for St Nicholas at Wade and Birchington. Ash reps will be attending the Road Safety & Active Travel Group seminar in April. The 20mph resident consultation is live and ends 31 March. KCC have been clearing detritus from kerbs on the Ash bypass. 3 directional signs have collapsed on the bypass and reported with no sign of replacements.  Bekesbourne with Patrixbourne: Highway improvements have been made including replacement of roundels following resurfacing, cleaning of signs and verge clearance. Their 20mph consultation has concluded and this will be going ahead.  Bramling: The Cherville Lane junction remains the top priority on their Highways Improvement Plan.  Littlebourne: Approval of the Gladman development on The Hill was noted following the recent enquiry, subject to reserved matters.  The Council continues to push for 20mph throughout the village.  LSRCA: The representative noted their attendance at the recent Gladman hearing, noting how often the A257 was mentioned. The lack of footpaths and concern for pedestrians. Shatterling:  The representative spoke about the use of video evidence. Wingham: noted they would not be going ahead with a KCC scheme of works for their HIP priority 1 on the Roman Road as Councillors felt the £5.2K scheme offered no safety improvements to help prevent further crashes.  Woodnesborough: noted their forthcoming HIP meeting.
Next Meeting Date: Saturday 16 May 2026 for the Full Traffic Group members.

KCC'S VISION ZERO ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY Please visit the KCC VISION ZERO page to find out more.  An excerpt from the KCC page reads as follows:- There are on average just over 45 deaths on Kent’s roads each year. Kent County Council (KCC) is setting the target of zero, or as close as possible, fatalities and life changing injuries by 2050 with a 50% reduction by 2030 and a target of no more than 39 traffic fatalities by 2026. Vision Zero is not just about focussing on the date we achieve zero, but the recognition that deaths on the road are not an acceptable price to pay for mobility.  We will follow the Safe System Approach which understands that people make mistakes and aims to ensure these mistakes do not cause a death or a life-changing injury.

CONTACT THE A257 TRAFFIC GROUP
The Group Administrator is Kerry Coltham, the Wingham Parish Council Clerk. Please use the CONTACT PAGE for your enquiry