Council consults on closure

ACCESS to a Perth neighbourhood could be sealed off permanently after a faulty bollard left council bosses with a hefty repair bill.

Local authority chiefs are considering closing part of Florence Place to stop vehicles using it as a thoroughfare to busy Dunkeld Road.

It follows a series of problems with an electronic bollard which was installed on the road in an effort to ease traffic.

One driver reported that his BMW suffered £4,500 of damage when the bollard suddenly raised, smashing through the car’s engine.

Councillors deferred a decision on whether to close off the street for good to give locals the chance to have their say.

Residents are now being asked to voice their opinion on three options: keeping the automatic bollard; blocking it off; or opening the route to two-way traffic.

Proposals have been put to the local community council and a final decision will be taken at a later council meeting.

Xplore Dundee is l ooking to improve the reliability of services 32 and 33, which the firm’s bosses have admitted rarely run on time.

Proposals were unveiled at public meetings where the company revealed it intends to cut out Forfar Road on the 32 and 33 routes.

Congestion on Forfar Road was previously identified as the main cause of bus delays.

Following the meeting, a petition calling for the current route to be saved has been launched.

Already, it has gathered almost 100 signatures.

Mill o’ Mains resident Michael Hughes, 54, who created the petition, said under the new plans he would have to walk 20 minutes from his house to the nearest bus stop.

He said: “As I stay at the back of Mill o’ Mains, to get to the new nearest stops at Charles Bowman Avenue and Fintry Road would be at least a 20-minute walk.

“The only other bus that serves the area is the 236 which only comes every hour — if I miss that, it will mean a lengthy walk.

“I started the petition mainly for pensioners and disabled people. But people with children will also be affected.”

At a recent public meeting on the planned changes, Xplore presented two proposed routes, both of which use Pitkerro Road as a means of cutting out Forfar Road.

In the first plan, there would be a two-way split at Glenconnor Drive.

The 32 would go along Glenconnor Drive, Fountainbleau Drive and then continue along Fintry Road to terminate at Findowrie Street.

A PETITION has been launched in a bid to stop two Dundee services from being rerouted.