Temporary traffic lights are in place on Marine Terrace in Margate for yet another round of works outside Dreamland.
SGN will be carrying out gas main repair and maintenance works from today (June 5) until June 12.
One motorist said traffic has been backed up to the Winter Gardens and to the roundabout to Shottendane, branding it: “absolute carnage and chaos.”
Works were carried out at the same site in January and July last year.
Great ,took me 35 mins to drive from Margate hospital to the vets,a few hundred yards,,why not do the work in one go, instead of keep stopping movements,a ambulance with blue lights had trouble getting along ,st Peter’s road,because of the hold ups
Fleet road also now closed due to chemical spillage
As a nation, we have chosen to Bury our services (gas, water, sewage, electricity) under the road, instead of ducts under the pavement.
Everything something goes wrong, the road has to be partially closed, so that it can be dug up.
Essential works = everyone moans.
Film a movie for months = everyone cheers.
Just shows how good they are being this is the 3rd time fixing the same problem.definitely lessons need to be learnt as to properly fix a gas mains totally muppetery as Steve wright would say
Took me 40 minutes to get from Cecil Square to Dreamland this afternoon. Absolute joke!
Just shows how poor the thanet road network is when a simple set of temporary traffic lights on the sea front brings grid lock to roads no where near where the gas works are . It might help if the double roundabouts in college road were patrolled by police or traffic wardens to stop cars blocking the round and letting the traffic flow slightly better .It took me 45 minutes to travel from the pedestrian crossing on St peters road to the double roundabouts at 5pm this evening causing chaos for an ambulance travelling under blue lights to make it’s way on the wrong side of the road for the entire length of the road dodging oncoming traffic.
It’s about time a better road network was constructed not only where new housing developments are happening.
What ‘s needed is better public transport.Contact your MP about it.
I agree.
Building more and more roads to accommodate more and more cars is not the way forward, especially on our crowded island. One bus holds about the same number of people as 50 cars, but only takes up the space of 2 cars.
It’s not rocket science as to where the solution lies.
We had and still have better transport in Thanet with stagecoach Alrough it’s in new hands get ready for cuts unfortunately with motorists today snobbery comes in to.it I don’t want to sit next to such common people we are all Commeners won’t car share having everything delivered to there doors the mains were always under the pavement bad example is marine terrace where digging up the pavements for power to apartments on the other side of the road not levelled properly.
So you think that all those vehicles are private cars. A bus service is not the available option for many people and have you any idea how much the bus service is affected by this too they get held up just the same, try living in the real world.
Well said david
I expect a large percentage of vehicles on local roads consists of private cars. As a public transport user, I am perfectly aware of the disruption caused to buses when there are roadworks.
Ah. The real world.
The one where 100 people choose to drive in 50 cars, occupying a road space that would accommodate 25 buses. Add to that the vehicles of people who really do need to drive (trucks, delivery vans, tradesmen) and you’ve got gridlock.
My fantasy world is one in which people choose, as a first option, to use public transport, because it’s efficient, fast, and cheap.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
And so, 100 people sit in 50 cars, blocking up the road for people who *really* need to use it, including bus passengers.
Fortunately no-one has to live in your “fantasy” world.
Having used public transport and many moons ago even being a bus driver for slavecoach. I can safely say, I’d sit in my car for an extra 10 minutes than be on a bus with you morons.
All I ever see on this platform is that ‘M.M Rees’ complain, moan and push his thoughts on everyone because he takes pictures of busses as a past time.
Do they have a job I wonder? Are they capable of driving a vehicle themselves? Food for thought. The roads could be gridlock with busses as far as the eye can see, but can bet your bottom dollar he’d still find something to say. What a waste.
Carlson, I am a woman. I cannot drive a car and have never needed to. I do not take pictures of buses- In fact I hardly ever take photos of anything. I am now in my 70s, and do not have a job.
I am astonished by the blinkered attitude of many people on these comments thread. It is as if they simply do not see the damage that the use of private cars has caused to this country.
My apologies for assuming you was a man.
Perhaps your comments come off as blinkard to the younger generation, but im assuming that doesnt cross your mind because its your opinion and you’re the one whos correct in all this?
I’ve seen you post many times on this platform and it’s almost always negative. Which, you’re entitled to do of course. However, you need to realise that you’re not correct all the time and not everyone agrees with you.
I also put it to you. That if you think cars are whats damaging this country. You should go and have a quiet word with yourself. Because this vendetta you have isn’t healthy.
What’s needed is someone with a brain to organize a one way circular road, I doubt if the council could do that!
If only the bus routes went anywhere near to where people want to get too and not everyone works locally within thanet which makes using public transport a completely impossible option . Public transport has it’s place but a decent road network to get in and out of thanet is essential it’s not about more roads it’s about a better layout of the ones we’ve got or all commercial businesses will not be able to operate efficiently due to bad traffic hold ups which could stop new businesses starting up and established ones going bust or moving out of town to make a living that is the real world.
When I worked in Canterbury, I got the No 9x bus from Ramsgate. No problem.
There are trains as well as buses.
I think the last 2 replies have missed the point I said public transport (busses,trains) has a place but more important is a good road infrastructure which would be more helpful to all allowing the prosperity of thanet to grow which helps everyone living on the island.
I think the point is that building mire and more roads doesn’t resolve the problem.
The M25 is an orbital car park, and the M1 northbound from London is mile after mile of nose-to-tail (four lane) grind.
You could add another lane or rwo, and have a five or six lane traffic jam. Or you could encourage people who really don’t need to drive to get the bus or train instead.
We are not talking about the m25 or m1 it’s just a couple of decent roads to get in and out of thanet and not bringing gridlock to the town when a ste of temporary traffic lights go up it stops the whole town not just the road they are in .
Fortunately I am sure that my opinions about car usage are indeed healthy.
I mean that’s debatable.
You steered from saying your opinions are correct though. At least you’re not that deluded.
Of course I think my opinions are correct. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have them.
Then I retract my last statement.
Carlton appears to think that everyone who holds an opinion is deluded.
Not everyone… you, on the other hand. Most certainly are.
Logically, if I am deranged because I think that my opinion about something is correct, then so is everybody who thinks their opinion is correct. You do realize “Carlton”, I hope,that I don’t care at all what your opinion of your me is.
Logic doesn’t come into a concept that is void of logic in itself.
“Let’s do away with private vehicle use” can you even begin to imagine how many buses we’d need for that?
“Oooh don’t forget the trains” one of the most unreliable forms of transport for a variety of reasons.
I’m glad you don’t care what “my opinion of your me is”
Because a vast majority, including the mp you keep writing to, couldn’t give a flying…. for yours.
Fortunately you’ve not got long left.
‘Let’s do away with private vehicle use” can you even begin to imagine how many buses we’d need for that?’
Yes.
A bus can hold up to 75 people. According to the government, the average car occupancy is 1.6. So one full bus will take about 45 cars off the road.
What the hell are you talking about? I have never written to any M.P.
Thanks so much for reminding me that I “haven’t got long left”. I’m not sure if you mean “to live” or “before you go even more gaga than I think you are”. But I am sure my friends and relations will be very amused when I tell them about you.
I still don’t care what your opinion of me is, by the way.
Then why are you encouraging others on here to do so?
Are you one of those people who will happily complain (which my god, you do a lot on almost every article) But then never do anything about it yourself through sheer bone idleness or am I missing something?
Discussing isle of thanet news forums with loved ones. How precious. Perhaps you could show it to other regular bus goers too?
What’s “precious” about discussing things with your family and friends?
Correct, 1 double decker bus can hold that. 45 cars probably equates to 0.005 of the private cars on the road. So again, how many buses?
It would be the exact same situations we have now, if not worse. Just with buses and not cars.
The loop for example, plenty of them on the road. But all it takes is one wheelchair user to get on and the other one is breathing down its neck playing leap frog. people thumbling around trying to find their pass because they didn’t bother to get it ready whilst waiting for the bus you guessed it. Another loop up your backside.
The old adage goes, ‘you wait 20 minutes for a bus then 4 come along at once’
Now I’m not saying at all that public transport doesn’t have its uses or want them banned like some here Want people’s private cars to be. I’m just saying, it currently cannot work how you want it and quite possibly never will around here.
“equates to 0.005 of the private cars”
But most private cars don’t spend their time on the road. Most spend their time parked up (23 hours a day, on average)
So you wouldn’t need that many buses.
And as to delays? The delays caused by the very occasional wheel chair user are nothing as compared with delays caused by other traffic.
If people are fed up with traffic jams, they should to try to bring about a situation where the traffic will be less dense. That means more public transport. That is why I suggest that people should lobby their MP for better public transport.
So, why do you care about people having them if “23hrs a day” they’re not on the road?
I used to be a bus driver, sadly.
Wheelchair users are only one of a large amount of things that hold drivers up. However, I didn’t think I’d need to state that to a man of your caliber.
Traffic to the point it’s a hindrance doesn’t just appear. There is always something at the root, I.e poorly designed roads, bottle necks, not very well planned roadworks etc etc..
It’s a complex issue, and subpar suggestions like, I don’t know.. say ban private cars isn’t the solution.
Could just as easily say, well stop building all these new houses and desecrating our countryside without upgrading roads as Thanet is over populated as it is for the infrastructure it has. But doesn’t really solve anything does it?
Which I’d argue is a better case for debate but then I’m biased towards it as I’m not a fan of nature being destroyed.
However, sadly… money talks and that’s what’ll always prevail.
Why doesn’t KCC ensure these services dig the road up and get the work done at night when there is not so much traffic on our clogged up roads? Why don’t they ever have everything ready to get the job done quickly? Why are there always 3 guys in Hi viz standing around doing nothing while there are miles of traffic jammed up waiting for their turn to get past?
The UK is just a big joke when it comes to workers hanging about holes in the road while queues are so long. Does KCC even care? Of course not !