Lynsted could get A2/M2 link road

"A2/M2 link road could go through Lynsted, but it will be 30 years away so please don't worry"

Judging by comments made by Andrew Bowles leader of Swale Council and Gordon Henderson conservative spokesman their favoured route for an A2/M2 link would be through Lynsted.

Andrew Bowles said that “he had been fighting for an A2/M2 link road for 19 years based on problems at Ospringe and the economic development of Faversham.”

He went on to say “that both Teynham and Lynsted have wanted a link road to the motorway for some time because of potential traffic problems created by the Northern Relief Road when it’s completed.”

Personally I don’t quite see how a road in such a location would be of any benefit to the economy of Faversham, and it’s perhaps interesting to note that this road would fall entirely within the Thames Gateway while Faversham is firmly outside of the gateway development.

I also don’t understand the motivation of the residents of Teynham who may on one hand mitigate some traffic coming out of Sittingbourne, but would also surely attract more traffic from Ospringe and Faversham who would want to use the road.

But finally I would just like to point out that if in the entire nineteen years Andrew Bowles and Co at Swale has dreamed of this road, why has not a single shred of evidence or study ever being produced to prove the viability of this road. This fact was acknowledged by Andrew Bowles himself last August when he stated “the need for it was yet to be proved. It could become necessary, but only in many years to come.”

It will be interesting to see quite where this will leave the residents of Lynsted especially now that Andrew Bowles is their Kent County Councillor.