OK for plan to ease congestion hotspot
Queen Street give-way scheme gets backing
Proposals for a possible solution to ease traffic congestion on Queen Street in Coupar Angus were backed by the town’s community council at its most recent meeting, held last week in the town hall.
The proposals, which were put forward by Perth and Kinross Council roads officers, involve creating a priority give-way system on the road, widening the pathways on both sides of the road by the steeple and narrowing the carriageway.
The proposed build-out would be around 20 metres along Queen Street from the traffic lights.
The council’s original proposal had been to widen the pavement on the steeple side of the road only.
However, the decision was taken to put the build-out on the other side of the road as well following feedback from local people at the November meeting of Coupar Angus and Bendochy Community Council.
Locals and campaigners have been calling for action to be taken at the junction of the A923 and the A94 for several years, pointing out the dangers from large farm vehicles and lorries that struggle to get along the road and often mount the pavement to pass other vehicles.
As well as the potential threat to pedestrians using the pavements along the road, residents have also complained that their properties are being damaged by the heavy vehicles, with cracks appearing in their walls.
Chair of Coupar Angus and Bendochy Community Council, Wendy McCombes, presented the revised plans from PKC at the community council’s December meeting.
Commenting on the plans, which will see the road narrowed to a width of 3.5 metres, Mrs McCombes expressed concerns that wider farm vehicles will not be able to get through the section.
However, she went on: “My view is that we have to do something.
“We have talked about the issues here for so long and it would be better to try something rather than say no to every proposal.”
Members of the public who were at the meeting raised concerns that access to their driveways - and to businesses located on the street could be blocked by traffic queuing up for the priority give-way system and the traffic lights.
The community council agreed that the local authority’s suggestion be implemented “with the proviso that measures are taken to ensure that access for residents and businesses is not blocked and that PKC convince us that the road is wide enough for the heavy farm vehicles, including combine harvesters, that use the road”.
The proposals will be considered by the council at committee level prior to progressing any further.
Meanwhile, proposals to address road safety issues on the Forfar Road
It would be better to try something than say no to every proposal Wendy McCombes
are also still being considered by PKC’s roads team.
At the community council’s November meeting, PKC roads officer Chic Haggart said that the team was going to carry out an audit of the whole area before drafting any proposals.
Mrs McCombes reported to those attending the community council’s December meeting that the audit was ongoing but that PKC had “nothing to come back with just yet”.
However, she added that she believed the council officers “have taken cognisance of suggestions put forward by members of the public at the meeting in November.”
Councillor Dennis Melloy was at both meetings. He said: “It is important to get this right. There’s no point in half-measures.”