MSP calls for traffic lights to be returned

Fears for the safety of '¨constituents has prompted local MSP Rona Mackay to call for traffic lights at a '˜shared space' junction to be returned.
30-04-2015 Picture Roberto Cavieres.   Protest at Council HQ against Catherine Street junction plans30-04-2015 Picture Roberto Cavieres.   Protest at Council HQ against Catherine Street junction plans
30-04-2015 Picture Roberto Cavieres. Protest at Council HQ against Catherine Street junction plans

The Strathkelvin and Bearsden politician has written to Chief Executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, Gerry Cornes, to request the lights are switched back on at 
Catherine Street/Kerr Street.

The SNP MSP told the Herald many constituents are worried about the safety of both pedestrians and motorists at the shared space scheme in Kirkintilloch town centre, which is still under construction.

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She said: “I wrote to the Chief Executive to ask for the traffic lights to be re-instated at their original location at the Catherine Street junction as a matter of urgency.

“Many constituents have expressed their safety fears to me and I have personally witnessed a bus turning left into Cowgate having to take up the entire opposite lane due to the narrowed road layout.

“Without the traffic lights, or a white line to stop the traffic, I believe this is an accident waiting to happen.

“The connections for the traffic lights are still in the 
infrastructure and re-instating the lights would not be a major task.

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“Crucially, it would alleviate the many fears of the 
visually-impaired and less able residents who have rightly been protesting against 
this new initiative from the outset.”

Sandy Taylor, Chair of East Dunbartonshire Visually Impaired People’s Forum, said: “I welcome any initiative by MSP Rona Mackay to bring sanity back to our town centre.

“It beggars belief how a road engineer could have possibly designed this 
nightmare. I will be presenting a petition on September 29 at the Scottish Parliament which calls for a moratorium on all shared space schemes, until Equality and Safety issues have been addressed.

East Dunbartonshire Council Chief Executive Gerry Cornes said: “We have received Strathkelvin and Bearsden MSP Rona Mackay’s letter and will respond to her in due course.”