New bollards are‘waste of money’

Milngavie trader Gilbert McVean, who owns the Iron Chef cookshop and hardware shop on Mugdock Road - along with Travel-Lite which transports bags for West Highland Way walkers - was puzzled when the bollards appeared and concerned about how much they cost.

He says other things are far more urgent in the area - including pothole-strewn roads, the closure of the public toilets in Milngavie and the uncertain future of the tourist information centre due to the Unique Company business, which is currently based there, moving out.

He said: “Why did the council put in these bollards?

“The precinct is pedestrianised so why do we need them?

“Why is East Dunbartonshire Council spending money on this when the infrastructure in the district is falling apart?

“We have no public toilets in Milngavie despite the fact that thousands of tourists visit to walk the West Highland Way.

“This money would have been much better spent on a number of things.

“It’s just absolutely bizarre and very hard to fathom.”

Grace Irvine, director of neighbourhood services, said: “Bollards have recently been installed on two bridges on Douglas Street for safety reasons.

“Following recent detailed inspections the load capacity of both bridges was assessed, as they are used by service and emergency vehicles. While the main sections of both bridges were found to be satisfactory, the edges are not suitable for vehicles to drive on.

“Following this inspection survey, we installed bollards to prevent vehicles entering these areas and protect the bridge from damage, at a cost of around £5,000.”