A councillor used a public meeting to blast lorry drivers across the county for “ruining the lives of people in Kent”.
Cllr Seán Holden, the member for Cranbrook at Kent County Council, said one lorry causes more damage than 10,000 cars driving through his village.
He claimed drivers knock down hedges with wing mirrors and cause potholes - and called for the council to follow the actions of other local authorities which have banned lorries from some areas.
He also suggested that if a ban were enforced, there would be statues across the county of the councils’ cabinet member for highways and transport Cllr Mike Whiting.
He told the environment and transport cabinet committee meeting it is “time for lorries to get out of lives in Kent”.
He said: “It’s time that the economics of haulier business stops trumping the quality of lives of our people.
“One 40-tonne lorry causes the same damage as 10,000 cars.
“When you see a lorry going down the roads, like I do, between Cranbrook and Benenden knocking down the hedges on both sides with its wing mirrors, that’s doing the equivalent to, if you have half a dozen of those down there over a day, around a year’s worth of cars.
“Those roads are not built for that. The potholes, that are the bane of the lives of everybody, costs us millions of pounds.
“This is a direct consequence of heavy vehicles using those roads. I want to see a strategy come into place because people’s lives are being ruined.”
Cllr Holden suggested that the council follows Leicestershire County Council’s policy and restrict access to lorries on roads in Kent.
He said: “87% of the lorries that come into this county are not coming to Kent. They are going straight through.
“They are causing damage but most important - they are ruining the lives of people.
“It’s a consistent harm on people’s lives such as the pollution of air, pollution of noise and the severance of communities. For example, Sissinghurst the village is basically divided in half by a major road.
“Get lorries out of lives in Kent. People will thank us for it until the end of time. If Mr Whiting could put it about I bet there would be statues of him.”
Residents worried about the impact of lorries in their area can join the volunteer service Lorry Watch who report on inappropriate driving to Kent Police.
Lorry drivers are recommended to plan their routes through the council’s online Freight Gateway, available at [freightgateway.co.uk/kent/].
I quite fancy joining that Lorry Watch scheme Harry.
Sounds a good gig, grassing all the lorry drivers up to Kent police 
You just gotta love these people! The same people who expect their shops to have full shelves and their local petrol stations to have fuel, not to mention their bins emptying.
I don’t know about you lot but if I ever find myself on an unsuitable country road it’s because I need to be there, it’s not 'cos I’m bloody sightseeing or I’m bored with motorways!
You gotta love these people, the hauliers should just blacklist the area and inflate the delivery costs, I’m sure they will soon realise that they need these big bad trucks.
A pompous jumped up self important little nimby prick of the highest order. …aka a typical Councillor jumping on any bandwagon to keep his job.
Would love hauliers to call their bluff and boycott the ■■■■ hole to see how long they’d last before begging for lorry loads of supplies 
I support the councillor. Hope he wins.
Kind of stuff that happens when people are too comfortable and have too little real things to worry about.
Can’t recall last time I saw a village or town weight limit in Northern Ireland, if ever? I know tanks weigh a bit, but all that stuff left ages ago 
I actually got into a bit of a fracas with someone in a Range Rover while delivering to Friday & co, the egg people down in Cranbrook.
The normal (if you can call it that? road was closed by the electric board and I spent ages wiggling down tiny lanes that were doubling up as the ‘detour’ (I use the term loosely!) when almost at the last blind bend this Range Rover overtook me and stopped dead. The driver got out and told me my trailer was damaging the trees and that I had no right to be down lanes like that and demanded to know where I was going.
I told him I was following the official detour as supplied by Friday’s as they were on the phone (Bluetooth through the radio…dont panic) guiding me in.
He got back into the car and shot off.
When I got there, the same vehicle was parked in front of the offices, I found out from the goods in guy that he worked for Fridays!
That area of Kent is not really suitable for trucks IMHO, but it does not stop large businesses from operating out of the same area does it!
the maoster:
You just gotta love these people! The same people who expect their shops to have full shelves and their local petrol stations to have fuel, not to mention their bins emptying.I don’t know about you lot but if I ever find myself on an unsuitable country road it’s because I need to be there, it’s not 'cos I’m bloody sightseeing or I’m bored with motorways!
[emoji106]
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Freight Dog:
Kind of stuff that happens when people are too comfortable and have too little real things to worry about.Can’t recall last time I saw a village or town weight limit in Northern Ireland, if ever? I know tanks weigh a bit, but all that stuff left ages ago
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
even if there was,in north or particulary the south,nobody would care…road closed means just crack on anyway as itl probably be ok.different laid back world once your off the ferry.
It’s called Karma.
For years people sold their votes for their pieces of silver, the new rich enjoyed having their cheap and plentiful employees, those horrid factories that actually made things were sold off and wonderful office blocks shopping and leisure centres went up in their place, the economy became dependant not on production ie making things people wanted to buy but by selling things made in cheap countries at inflated prices.
They voted in their legion for parties with no sustainable economic model other than increasing the population via unlimited immigration which in turn fed their greed for a constant housing shortage and ever increasing house prices, mammon they worshipped at the altar of.
White flight it is known as but they won’t admit it, this has destroyed everything great about our cities and those who benefitted made money and got out of cities into their quaint little villages, eager to live the squire’s life from their false god, money.
Well, an extra 10/15/20 million people, who’s counting by the way, the answer my friends is no one, but you might get a fair idea of the true increase in population should you search out the figures for national insurance number issues and not believe the lies those in charge of the destruction of the country have told you.
Those people, they have to live somewhere and where they’ve congregated they have replaced natives who have moved away, the better off to places like in the OP, or Devon, Dorset, the Cotswolds with call me Dave, for the ones who really made a financial killing.
Did those who found their utopia in Englands villages with perfect cricket pitches really think the resulting wave of sheer numbers wouldn’t affect them.
They sowed the seeds for what has happened to their new found life of peace and tranquility.
I have no sympathy, they had no thought for the working class people who did not have the means to escape from the hell the worshippers of mammon helped create, they as they always do used them and dropped them, so finally the false utopia they created is starting to affect them.
Good, Karma’s a bugger innit.
It’ll never happen but I so dearly wish we could all go sick on the same day. I mean all drivers, owner, employed, self employed all of us just to show these pricks that we do actually serve a purpose. Really makes you hate society at times hearing this kind of nonsense.
Juddian:
It’s called Karma.For years people sold their votes for their pieces of silver, the new rich enjoyed having their cheap and plentiful employees, those horrid factories that actually made things were sold off and wonderful
They voted in their legion for parties with no sustainable economic model other than increasing the population via unlimited immigration which in turn fed their greed for a constant housing shortage and ever increasing house prices, mammon they worshipped at the altar of.
White flight it is known as but they won’t admit it, this has destroyed everything great about our cities and those who benefitted made money and got out of cities into their quaint little villages, eager to live the squire’s life from their false god, money.
Well, an extra 10/15/20 million people, who’s counting by the way, the answer my friends is no one, but you might get a fair idea of the true increase in population should you search out the figures for national insurance number issues and not believe the lies those in charge of the destruction of the country have told you.
Those people, they have to live somewhere and where they’ve congregated they have replaced natives who have moved away, the better off to places like in the OP, or Devon, Dorset, the Cotswolds with call me Dave, for the ones who really made a financial killing.Did those who found their utopia in Englands villages with perfect cricket pitches really think the resulting wave of sheer numbers wouldn’t affect them.
They sowed the seeds for what has happened to their new found life of peace and tranquility.
I have no sympathy, they had no thought for the working class people who did not have the means to escape from the hell the worshippers of mammon helped create, they as they always do used them and dropped them, so finally the false utopia they created is starting to affect them.
Good, Karma’s a bugger innit.
Nail on head there.
“It’s a consistent harm on people’s lives such as the pollution of air, pollution of noise and the severance of communities. For example, Sissinghurst the village is basically divided in half by a major road.
Sissinghurst is divided in half by the A229 which was first built by the Romans in 1760 so he can’t really blame lorries for that
Juddian:
It’s called Karma.For years people sold their votes for their pieces of silver, the new rich enjoyed having their cheap and plentiful employees, those horrid factories that actually made things were sold off and wonderful
They voted in their legion for parties with no sustainable economic model other than increasing the population via unlimited immigration which in turn fed their greed for a constant housing shortage and ever increasing house prices, mammon they worshipped at the altar of.
White flight it is known as but they won’t admit it, this has destroyed everything great about our cities and those who benefitted made money and got out of cities into their quaint little villages, eager to live the squire’s life from their false god, money.
Well, an extra 10/15/20 million people, who’s counting by the way, the answer my friends is no one, but you might get a fair idea of the true increase in population should you search out the figures for national insurance number issues and not believe the lies those in charge of the destruction of the country have told you.
Those people, they have to live somewhere and where they’ve congregated they have replaced natives who have moved away, the better off to places like in the OP, or Devon, Dorset, the Cotswolds with call me Dave, for the ones who really made a financial killing.Did those who found their utopia in Englands villages with perfect cricket pitches really think the resulting wave of sheer numbers wouldn’t affect them.
They sowed the seeds for what has happened to their new found life of peace and tranquility.
I have no sympathy, they had no thought for the working class people who did not have the means to escape from the hell the worshippers of mammon helped create, they as they always do used them and dropped them, so finally the false utopia they created is starting to affect them.
Good, Karma’s a bugger innit.
Well, there’s another splendid, insightful and well reasoned contribution from our friend Juddian.
I have to say that this latest piece only serves to reinforce my suspicion that your man is, in fact, a professor of moral and economic philosophy, and is only pretending to be a driver in order to communicate at first hand with the lower orders of society.
Only joking of course, bloody good piece though!
I have thought for some time now that the road transport industry and those who work in it, are some of the least valued members of society. Yet, at the same time are working in what is probably the only body of industry left in this country which has, by the simple expedient of just not turning up for work for a fortnight or less, the ability to bring the entire nation to a grinding halt. The surprising thing is that, with that knowledge, we all continually trot happily along, attached to the nether regions of the dog, whilst being vigorously wagged.
So, courage brothers, forward as one, up the workers, keep the red flag flyiiiiii. Oh bugger, the Laudanum seems to be wearing off. Oh well , it was good while it lasted.
I have thought for some time now that the road transport industry and those who work in it, are some of the least valued members of society
That’s strange, I have thought the same, just can’t work out why■■?.
highly understandable you cant work it out due to the apparant low inteligence and lemming like attitude of some of the posters in here representing a cross selection of lorry drivers in general,even if some of them are the same person.
a sad reflection on how the educational system in britain went into a downward spiral years ago with some of the more major players dumbing the job down in every aspect removing rational thought and initiative from drivers in general.
thankfully there are some of the more prolific and genuine posters contributing to the posts to bring the standards up to a tolerable level with obviusly the multiple account trolls being outwith that perimiter.( or peramater) im not so good with me letters… 
Twoninety88:
I actually got into a bit of a fracas with someone in a Range Rover while delivering to Friday & co, the egg people down in Cranbrook.The normal (if you can call it that? road was closed by the electric board and I spent ages wiggling down tiny lanes that were doubling up as the ‘detour’ (I use the term loosely!) when almost at the last blind bend this Range Rover overtook me and stopped dead. The driver got out and told me my trailer was damaging the trees and that I had no right to be down lanes like that and demanded to know where I was going.
I told him I was following the official detour as supplied by Friday’s as they were on the phone (Bluetooth through the radio…dont panic) guiding me in.
He got back into the car and shot off.
When I got there, the same vehicle was parked in front of the offices, I found out from the goods in guy that he worked for Fridays!
That area of Kent is not really suitable for trucks IMHO, but it does not stop large businesses from operating out of the same area does it!
Interesting post. Just goes to show as I have always believed that the Planners are just stupid and shouldn’t allow businesses to be there if the infrastructure is not right. Either improve the road or put in a lorry weight ban (which of course penalises the firm) but don’t blame the truck driver ffs.
There is a little problem in that area where trucks on the south coast looking for the shortest route back to Dover with car sat navs and ending up going through goudhurst to get to j9 M20 or going thru Boughton Monchelsea then thru Leeds to j8 or getting stuck at hawkhurst in rush hour but that’s more down to badly parked cars .