Rainham florist faces closure if red routes go ahead
The proposals could see four stretches of roads across the Medway towns where motorists won't be able to stop at the side of the road or risk facing a fine.
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00:00 Those in favour, yes.
00:02 Those against.
00:09 The moment to bid to stop a controversial traffic scheme coming to Medway failed.
00:16 Please don't do it. Please don't. It's not just the businesses that are going to be affected, it's the residents.
00:24 And the reaction from a local business. It's about the long-awaited and debated plan for Red Roots.
00:30 The £805,000 plan to reduce traffic, avoid congestion and stop illegal parking.
00:36 And after nearly two hours of discussion at a council meeting last night, the plan was marginally approved with eight votes for and seven against.
00:46 So what do those who will be impacted by this decision think?
00:51 The council have turned around and said that there's parking bays, but they're at opposite ends of the high street, not actually on the high street.
00:58 So people getting deliveries locally, not very good at all.
01:02 We've got plenty of free parking, plenty of buses, a train service. You don't need to be parking in the high street and causing the congestion that we've got at the moment.
01:11 With my shop being where it is, sort of like on the top road, you can't really park there anyway. However, it can affect obviously deliveries.
01:20 But the portfolio holder for community safety and enforcement at Medway Council says it's a tried and tested method.
01:27 Look at where they work. So Medway Hospital, for instance, in this location and also in London, where they've been run now since the early 1990s.
01:37 So this is not a new concept. This has been established for many years.
01:41 In many of these cases, parking restrictions already exist. So we already have double yellow lines in many of these cases.
01:48 What we're doing here is simply enforcing through a different means.
01:51 If these yellow lines here on the A2 in Raynham are to be painted red, many businesses say their deliveries won't be able to stop it because they'll be fined.
02:00 And it's left companies like Floral Times worried for the future of their business.
02:05 If we can't get our suppliers to come to us, then we will have to look at closing.
02:10 Where else will you go?
02:13 We wouldn't be able to. There's nowhere else in Raynham that is viable for a florist shop. I'd have to go work elsewhere.
02:21 It would break my heart. Absolutely break my heart.
02:24 For Kerry, replacing those double yellows with double reds on her doorstep would be the final straw.
02:32 All she can do is hope and wait for the next consultation.
02:36 Abbey Hook for KMTV in Raynham.
02:39 in Reynham.