Cheriton Interchange Pedestrian Crossing Dangerous: Confirmed!
Since the junction at Cheriton Interchange was configured to add a right turn onto Cheriton High Street from the direction of Tesco, local campaigners have said the pedestrian crossing point there was unsafe.
Now, an official safety audit has backed that view, and calls for action.
Cheriton, Sandgate and Hythe East County Councillor Tim Prater has welcomed the audit and its findings. He said.
"Alongside local residents, the local Lib Dem team, Peter Gane and I have long been saying this junction was unsafe for pedestrians. I'm delighted an official inspection has finally accepted that and made recommendations to make it safer.
"You gamble with your life at the moment crossing from The Range towards Tesco. There is no pedestrian phase time to allow peop[le to cross. There are no clues as to which approaching lanes are on green. You have to guess and go. That's ridiculous. The junction should never have been built that way. Hopefully now we will get it changed.
"I totally agree with other findings too. Ihe lights approaching that junction from J12 of the M20 ARE confusing. It didn't take a specialist safety audit to tell you that - any local driver could have told you. But it is good to see it acknowledged.
“I hope this audit will be taken seriously, and acted on quickly. I'll push to make that happen. We've waited too long for changes here. I'm pleased we have progress former Councillors did not, but now we need to see change delivered.”
The Stage 3 Road Safety Audit (RSA) carried out on the S278 works completed on Cheriton Interchange was commissioned on behalf of Taylor Wimpey South-East following years of requests via Kent County Council and Folkestone & Hythe District Council. Late in 2025, it was agreed a safety audit would be undertaken.
On the key issue of pedestrians crossing at that junction, the audit was damning. It said:
A series of uncontrolled pedestrian crossings are provided across the signalised junction. These crossings are not incorporated into the signal staging, meaning that pedestrians must independently judge gaps in traffic to be able to cross. The presence of multiple approach lanes increases the complexity of this decision, as vehicles in one lane may obscure the view of traffic in the adjacent lane. This creates a risk that pedestrians may incorrectly assume that both lanes have yielded when only one vehicle has slowed or stopped. The arrangement increases the potential for pedestrian–vehicle conflict, particularly during peak periods when lane utilisation varies, or when drivers focus on the signal aspects ahead rather than pedestrian activity at the uncontrolled crossing.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that a survey is undertaken to establish to pedestrian usage through the junction. If the usage is low, it is recommended that further measures are introduced to discourage pedestrian usage – this could include offering an alternative crossing location elsewhere and removing the existing uncontrolled crossings. Alternatively, introducing a pedestrian phase to the existing signals may be a viable option.
For the crossing point between Samian Crescent and Tesco / McDonald's, the audit was similarly critical. It said:
This uncontrolled crossing is not fit for purpose. The central island is not wide enough to accommodate users (on site observations noted a mobility user crossing within the island which resulted in overhang of their scooter within the running lane), and high levels of standing water and a large pothole was also noted within the vicinity. With the concern due to the lack of pedestrian phase within the signalised junction alongside the existing attractors (i.e. McDonalds and Tesco) there is a concern that there is an increased risk of pedestrian strike/injury at this location.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that this uncontrolled crossing is upgraded.
Amongst other conclusions, the audit found the lights coming from the M20 junction 12 in the direction of Folkestone and turning right were confusing. They said:
It is recommended that a review of signal head positioning and visibility is undertaken. Signal heads may need relocating, re‑orienting, or adding a secondary signal head to ensure clear visibility of the controlling signal from the stop line.