Driver's Eye View - Ashford Ring Road, Kent, UK

[@neilthegooner2871]

Must be quite embarrassing for the council watching this and how well it flowed compared to the total carnage they have created nowadays with all the traffic light they have put up.

[@paulhatcher8450]

This was the Ashford I remember. I love this place

[@bobbob6559]

Interesting to note how many perfectly useful roundabouts have given way to ATS controlled junction now.

[@jamiepenfold5793]

Wow! This is superb! I moved to Ashford in June. Fascinating to see how it used to look! I’d love to do a “now” version of this!

[@schillaci5590]

Thank you for this. Soothing as heaven

[@tigershoot]

02:14 Four lanes wide. Now it's one lane each way. Progress?

[@q3b26]

I moved to Ashford only at the beginning of this year, I didn't even recognise the first bit until I saw the station... I was looking to see what was at the site of the Brewery before it was built and I was so surprised to see a row of nice looking houses. Quite different from the huge hotel and apartments that are now there.

[@platformstrange1794]

The brewery site was empty, it used to belong to south kent college. The buildings you see are houses but also a newsagents (kennetts) butchers cafe, and the large building was the Victoria pub which stood roughly where the junction of Victoria road is today. These buildings were demolished by 2000/1 and only just been built on 18 years later!

[@karaoketrucker1162]

Not so nice it was the butcher Hotel. Had every drop out in South Ashford living in it lol. Then next door was kennets newsagents. Use to go in there to buy sweets before going in the cinema (flea pit) other side of the road.

[@TheMiserablegit]

Memories come flooding back. When the in-laws were alive we used to go there shopping from Romney Marsh, but the traffic became so bad that we ended up going to Folkestone instead.

[@markymali]

Traffic flows both ways now. In the early 80's it was like a race track. Ford Capri's, Mk1 Escorts, Opel Manta's and Dolomite Sprints would fly around the ring road on Saturday nights!

[@veggie42]

Mark Mason yes and Stanhope had bad trouble

[@davidknell9676]

And the odd Scimitar

[@meadroad]

Then all down to ‘Dustys’ after a race around...

[@PaisleyParkGirl]

Wow this brings back some memories 😯

[@emmabeatriceroberts9085]

When visitors used to get lost in Ashford's one way system! I moved away in 1993, so a few things are different from "my" Ashford, but still lots of memories.

[@lazer5582]

Think i can see the old Hobbs Parker auctioneers building at 1.39,not sure if theyd moved to their new site when this was made.

[@pambogord4204]

It would take you a lot longer now to go around the ring road, thanks for posting it as i had never seen the ring road how it was and some things are so different with road lay outs.

[@pmstone123]

That's not the ashford I know, you was going way too fast. I'm gonna do that same journey now and time it! I might even video it and put it on here.

[@omahonyfamily]

would be great if someone could do an updated one of now, to see the changes.

[@jamiepenfold5793]

I was just thinking the same!

[@golfgtidrives]

@@jamiepenfold5793 Might do this!

[@golfgtidrives]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5LJfIWOnLalodU done ;)

[@petemk73]

You always forget the International Station went up when the Victoria pub and Butcher's hotel were still there

[@veggie42]

stantz and Kennett's and the shoe shop later demolished and the land has been empty since

[@petemk73]

@@veggie42 Not any more. I'll be happy when they finish that hotel now. Looks very shabby when you get up close

[@golfgtidrives]

Uploaded an updated version on my channel, with links to this original!

[@os_cy7]

1997? I was born Jan 2000 at William Harvey and this is almost almost unrecognisable. Imagine what it’s gonna be like when I’m 70

[@wilsonflood4393]

I visited Ashford in 1963. Hasn't it changed?

[@eurostar3739]

Jeez it’s changed sooo much

[@lammydave]

the new layout is dreadful... I could never see anything wrong with the way it is in the video... millions of pounds totally wasted

[@veggie42]

David Bray and it's being changed AGAIN disruption to transport

[@ccasel81]

Never a truer comment was said, ever!

[@daniluvsuall]

What year was that? It's pre-outlet but post Safeway/Lidl transformation.. 1997? 1998?

[@veggie42]

Daniel Collins I had moved away in 1997 and a clue would be what shops and buildings were still there

[@veggie42]

The bowling alley was there but the shops in Beaver Road near BP were still there

[@Jimbo-gi7xn]

Outlet opened in '99 and looking at some the cars I'd say that's 96/97

[@SuperDancingdevil]

So sad so much of Ashford Gone forever.

[@AdamGC225]

@ Daniel Collins - Can't seem to reply directly but I think you're pretty much spot on with 1997 :-)

[@Intbel]

Could drive around the ring-road forever and it'd only be necessary to change lanes once each circuit.

[@markbphilip]

Great film, brought back memories, thanks. The nighttime circuits of the ring road were a lot faster 😎

[@ianlacey11]

You''ll never match it lol.After what Ashford Council has done to Elwick Road and West Street,the 20 mph space zone its now a crawl over the cobbles.Mace Lane and Somerset Road are also two way again.Confused me to bits first time I drove through after the changes

[@veggie42]

ianlacey11 three lots of lights, one from Debra to East Hill, two bowling alley ones and three to Tannery Lane yet only one lot over Elwick then Shared Space.

[@veggie42]

The shared space is ok, the 3 sets of lights are dreadful and unnecessary!

[@karaoketrucker1162]

Much preferred it like that.

[@clairewilson2408]

Was so much better before the changes

[@tigershoot]

Since they 'improved' it they have now gone about 'improving' the junctions on the northern side. It's now a total shambles. It gets worse with every 'improvement.'

[@veggie42]

tigershoot Correct andKennetts where I used to get sweets and the shoe shop or trying to get a underground drink in wig and gavel pub!

[@markwagar8735]

Do you mind if I use this film to compare it to the new layout

[@TheConfidentNoob]

Anyone know what the building at 1:15 is and what it was used for? What stands there now is the new Ashford college, but I have no idea what was there before. If anyone knows and could reply, I'd really appreciate it

[@slaxxxer]

it was a college building!

[@TheConfidentNoob]

slaxxxer Aznarder Wait no way! Why did it get shutdown? Do u know?

[@slaxxxer]

@@TheConfidentNoob It was derelict for ages and was & was demolished with the town alterations 10 years ago or so i believe

[@TheConfidentNoob]

slaxxxer Aznarder I don't think it was demolished because if u go into street view and go back to 2009 u can see it's still there but it's boarded up!

[@slaxxxer]

@@TheConfidentNoob I am no longer is Ashford but I am pretty sure that that building is no more , just check out recent trips around the new ring-road.

[@ashfordmarketofficial9610]

Great

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

Its a shame in 2020 its all flatened to make way for a Tesco Superstore.

[@dazp1]

Fond memories, but it was bad at night with racing and some idiots going the wrong way for dares....Don't get that now. I remember that petrol station just before the Fat Fiddler that must've closed down 1998/99

[@veggie42]

You mean Crouches?

[@oscarfish38]

Surely better music could be put to footage of the Ashford GP circuit ?

[@simongleaden2864]

I thought the music was nice and soothing - I couldn't tell you what it was though. Debussy?

[@majorkilljoy]

What year was this?

[@AdamGC225]

Late nineties - 97 seems about right.

[@scottchampion3511]

Omg this looks so wired to watch 😂 was born in 1999. Born in Ashford and never moved away to this day. Got to be honest though, I prefer the way it is today. One way systems are just annoying😂. But this was incredibly nice to watch.

[@Mako_Diaries]

i miss the old world where kids were not chavy and women were not outside and hairy

[@welshjim22]

Shame the changed it for the worse.

[@jcs3330]

2022.....An 'empty, vacant, rundown kent town, that needs to be policed and completely sanitized of the anti-social scum!.

[@oldtechnobodycaresabout]

Just shows how much worse Ashford was! It's still pretty bad and overran with roads but it used to be so much worse