A ROAD notorious for minor accidents and now two deaths in less than a year, could be reclassified to help reduce heavy traffic.

The whole of the A227 Wrotham Road could be downgraded to a ‘B’ road if the Kent County Council Joint Transportation Board approves the proposal.

This would include the stretch called South Street, which runs from Meopham through Culverstone Green, and where residents claim to witness minor accidents on a regular basis.

However, in a more serious incident on Thursday, August 14, Tom Hole, 96, was killed as he tried to cross the road in Culverstone Green on his way to buy a paper.

• Village's oldest resident killed in road crash >>>

Peter Baird, who lives on the opposite side of South Street to the Hole family, said he has witnessed and heard about several minor accidents along the stretch.

He said: “When the road was widened some years ago they only built a pavement on one side because they said they had run out of money.

“People living on the side with no pavement have to cross the busy road in order to walk safely.”

In November 2007 father-of-three Paul Philpot, 46, was killed when the motorbike he was riding collided with a car along the A227 at Wrotham Road.

The incident occurred on the main road just outside The George Inn pub.

Speed limit changes

The stretch of road from Meopham Secondary School to Newlands Lane in Culverstone Green is approximately 2.3 miles long with three speed limit changes three times.

Mr Baird added that traffic tends to speed along the straight stretch of road and this has resulted in several instances of cars ending up in people’s front gardens and knocking down walls and fences.

“It is a very dangerous road, no one sticks to the speed limit. We need a speed camera up here.”

'He was taking his life in his hands'

Mrs Cleggett agreed and said she always worried about her dad on his morning walk.

“My dad found it difficult to get across, he was taking his life in his hands every morning getting over that road,” she said.

Mrs Cleggett also revealed she is planning to write to Gravesham MP Adam Holloway and the Highways Agency about her concerns.

Leader of Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Councillor for Culverstone Green, Mike Snelling, said: “As chairman of the KCC/Gravesham Joint Transport Board, I had already asked for a report at the next meeting on September 10 to include an update on the proposal in the current “Kent Local Transport Plan” to downgrade the A227 to a B road throughout its length."

• Mr Hole’s funeral is taking place at Medway Crematorium tomorrow (Thursday) at 2.40pm.