Train Station Car Plans Released

Head of Planning James Freeman has been kind enough to let us have a copy of the Council’s current thinking on the solution of the Train Station’s Pick-up / Drop-off point.

This is not set in stone but does allow us some insight into how this solution could work and I for one believe this to be a significant improvement over what was proposed and approved last March.

I’m not saying it’s perfect, but I can at last see something here that has the potential to work.

Right, so let’s explore how this would operate.

Firstly, the existing entrance will now remain, albeit only as a one-way entrance and I’ve highlighted in green the six spaces allowed for the Pick-up / Drop-off point.

Looking at the realignment of the spaces adjacent to the perimeter there is, I would speculate, potentially enough room a little further down for additional cars to pull over should those six spaces be occupied without causing much of a problem.



The major change is the connection with St Michales Car Park which provides the exit and additional entrance. The car parking spaces in St Michaels Car Park have been completely realigned and whilst I have not actually counted them it does appear that there might actually be a minor gain in provision, although obviously a few are lost in the main station car park.

The only issue that comes immediately to mind is the proximity to the Forum Shopping Centre Junction and the issue of the increase in traffic exiting or entering from St Michales Car Park.

You have to consider that the new multi-storey is to be located opposite and therefore there is an issue with the existing middle lane and traffic attempting to turn right into St Michaels Car Park across traffic queuing to enter the multi-storey.

I am not aware of the plans for what happens when the replacement bus service is in place and what effect that might have on the number of spaces available to commuters but given the plan we have in front of us I am struggling to come up with a better suggestion than what is proposed here.

I still think that there are others issues to be resolved, but on this one, perhaps this is the best we can hope for, what do you think?

Andy Hudson
Sittingbourne.Me