Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Road death warning
‘Is it going to take someone being killed before action is finally taken?’asks Councillor Coyle
IAN BUNTING
Worried Calderbank residents have claimed ongoing issues with speeding vehicles and the volume of traffic on the village’s Main Street is a “fatality waiting to happen”.
Their concerns include the street being used as a “through road for hundreds of cars and heavy goods vehicles” (HGVs) and how a recent reduction in the road’s speed limit from 60mph to 40mph has made “no difference”.
Villagers Paul Sweeney and Graham Rennie have launched petitions calling for traffic calming measures to be put in place – a plea backed by Airdrie’s MP and MSP.
Residents are also concerned over the impact the recent installation of chicanes and speed tables on Chapelhall’s busy Woodhall Street could have in Calderbank, claiming traffic may now come through their village instead.
Paul told the Advertiser: “I have lived on the Main Street for more than a year and the traffic issues are getting worse.
“Cars are using the road as a race track and I’ve seen or heard many collisions; there was one night a car smashed into the side of a house and it sounded like an explosion.
“The roads entering Calderbank had their speed limit changed from 60mph to 40mph recently but so far this has made no difference.
“The Main Street is being used as a through road for hundreds of cars and heavy goods vehicles.
“My main concern during the day is the sheer volume of traffic, while at night you get the boy racers whizzing through.
“I created an online petition to call on the council to put speed bumps on the Main Street; it has been signed by more than 80 people so far and received a lot of positive feedback.
“I’ve spoken with people who stay in Cairnhill and they say the traffic situation really improved after they had speed bumps installed.
“You can’t completely eradicate careless and dangerous driving but if motorists go over bumps at speed it will wreck their cars and stop them from doing it again.”
Fellow resident Graham Rennie added: “I have campaigned against the traffic issues for years and it’s as bad as ever; this is a fatality waiting to happen.
“At around 6-7pm every night drivers seem to start speeding down the Main Street as if they see it as a race track.
“My own car was written off three years ago when it was struck by a car while we had it parked outside the house.
“The recent traffic calming measures in Chapelhall are good for them but will only compound our situation.
“Cars that were travelling through there at speed will now come through Calderbank; the volume of traffic here is already ridiculous.
“I’ve put a petition to sign in shops around the village and most villagers I’ve spoken with share my concerns.”
Airdrie South councillor Michael Coyle has been a long-term campaigner for traffic calming measures in Calderbank.
He said: “Is it going to take someone being killed before the council finally take action?
“The amount of HGVs travelling t h ro u g h Calderbank is ridiculous and there are so many drivers bombing through there at breakneck speeds.
“I’ve been calling for a pelican crossing on that road for a long time but, as of yet, nothing has been done.”
Airdrie MP Neil Gray backed Paul and Graham’s views that the installation of chicanes and speed tables in Chapelhall will impact on the volume of traffic in Calderbank, adding: “We understand that the speed limits have been reduced on the roads entering and leaving Calderbank but this has done little to make Main Street safer.
“The number of cars and HGVs passing through a narrow village road is at an unacceptable level.
“While companies are looking to make savings where they can, going through Calderbank rather than round the back of Chapelhall along Lancaster Avenue is putting people’s lives at risk with children trying to cross the road to get to and from school, not to mention people getting to shops or the doctor.
“It is time the council took steps to prevent HGVs passing through the village and implement proper calming measures.
“Do we really need someone to be seriously injured or, heaven forbid, killed before action is taken? Surely prevention is better that cure in cases such as this?”
The town’s MSP, Alex Neil, said: “We have been dealing with numerous traffic issues in and around Calderbank which constituents have brought to our attention.
“The current situation is still unacceptable and there are too many dangerous spots on Calderbank’s roads.
“It is time Nor th Lanarkshire Council and Transport Scotland put a comprehensive road safety plan in place as urgently as possible.”
A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council commented: “We have no immediate plans for traffic calming in Calderbank, however, our tra f f i c management team has been working on the feasibility of a puffin crossing on Main Street, which we would look to install in 2020-21.
“We do not anticipate a knock- on effect from the traffic calming works in Chapelhall, where we installed chicanes to dissuade freight traffic away from the village centre.
“This issue was identified through public consultation as a concern for residents and is intended to improve air quality in the area.”
Visit www. gopetition. com/petitions/calderbankroadhtml to view Paul’s petition.