Controversial Medway £805k red routes scheme to come into force in May

A controversial traffic management scheme accused of being a council money-maker will come into force from next month. Medway Council’s long-debated red route scheme which will see drivers fined for stopping on certain roads will start in May.

Red routes like those on Corporation Street and Star Hill will fine drivers who stop unnecessarily or park outside of the allocated loading bays or parking spaces

There will be five areas where drivers will face fines if they stop unnecessarily, park, and load or unload their vehicle. Corporation Street and Star Hill in Rochester, The Brook and Best Street in Chatham, and A2 Rainham High Street will all have double yellow lines replaced with double red lines.

The routes will be monitored by cameras which will identify rule-breakers and the decision to fine will be verified by traffic enforcement officers.

The council has not confirmed how much people will be fined but based upon other areas with red routes, drivers flouting the rules have been hit with a penalty of GBP160 – which is the current fine in London where this measure has been in place since 1991. The cost to paint the lines, add the signage and install the cameras in Medway comes to GBP805,000.

The A2 Rainham High Street red route faced the most opposition during consultation

No specific date has been set for when the regulations will come into force, but the council has confirmed it will definitely be in May. The authority says the measures will reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and improve safety – and the money raised from the penalties will be re-invested into the Towns’ road network.

Cllr Simon Curry (Lab), portfolio holder for climate change and strategic regeneration, said: “The new red routes are great news for residents and everyone using Medway’s roads.

“Yellow lines are already in place in these locations, restricting vehicles from parking there and causing an obstruction, so this scheme will help reinforce existing restrictions. “By tackling congestion, we can help people get where they want to be faster, while simultaneously making our roads safer.

Cllr Simon Curry. Picture: Medway Council

“This can only improve quality of life for people living and working in Medway, and I look forward to seeing the impact of the new routes.” The proposal was first put forward when the Tories ran the council in late 2022, but they now say, in the face of resident opposition, they would have not pursued the policy.

Consultations took place in July and December last year when people gave feedback, raised issues and suggested amendments to the plans.

Following these, the routes were amended and extra loading bays and disabled parking bays were added. Of the 975 responses, the majority said they had experienced congestion on the five suggested routes, but did not support the introduction of the scheme.

The Brook and Best Street red routes where double yellow lines will be upgraded to double red lines and monitored by cameras

However, the Medway Tories have said they only oppose the A2 Rainham High Street route because it faced the greatest negative response from residents.

The Conservative group called in the decision around the red routes, asking for it to be reconsidered by cabinet, however this attempt was quashed when the Labour majority on the regeneration, culture and environment overview and scrutiny committee voted down the call in. Deputy Tory leader, Cllr George Perfect, said: “The Conservative opposition are against all anti-motorist measures where there is clear opposition to the scheme.

“64% were against the red route in Rainham, which is why we called it in and provided countless opportunities for the administration to halt their plans. “The scheme will impact businesses and harm our local economy.

Cllr George Perfect (Con) said the red routes which faced local opposition from residents should be scrapped.

Credit: Medway Council.

“It shows how this Labour administration might talk a good game on consultation but really has no interest in listening to residents.”