Never mind the bollards
Public pressure signals the end of the road
The “hated” chicanes on Hamilton’s Sherry Drive are to be removed following a public consultation.
As previously reported in the Advertiser, South Lanarkshire Council spent thousands of pounds maintaining “regularly demolished bollards” along the street.
A Freedom of Information request obtained by a resident of Torhead Farm showed that £13,000 had been spent replacing or repairing 46 bollards along the road over the past decade.
Fed-up residents also slammed the measures as “dangerous” and “poorly implemented”, and called for their removal.
Following a council review, a consultation was launched offering locals the chance to vote for an alternative traffic-calming measure.
An option to remove the chicanes and introduce a part-time mandatory 20mph speed limit over the frontage of St Mark’s Primary School and a further two vehicle activated signs (VAS) downhill from the school was the preferred option, with 49 per cent of the 707 votes.
It will also see a hatched area with coloured surfacing over the length of Sherry Drive from Nevis Avenue to Stewart Avenue.
A number of responses highlighted speeding traffic concerns, so a further two VAS signs will be introduced taking the number to four. Work is expected to start on October 1 with preparatory works followed by carriageway resurfacing on October 13, and work on road markings from October 22. Leader of South Lanarkshire Council, Councillor John Ross, said: “We want to thank everyone who participated in the survey, either online or by attending our two open evenings at St Mark’s Primary School. “We have listened carefully to the feedback we have received and are confident that this option is the best one.
“It should be noted that some elements of the works are weather dependant and it is also likely there will be significant disruption during the works but these will be kept to a minimum where possible.
“Sherry Drive will require to be closed at certain periods during the works, and details will be communicated in due course.
“We will make every effort to accommodate all road users, but some disruption will be inevitable and we would be grateful for the cooperation of anyone affected during these times.
“We would request that all road users allow additional time for all journeys and that they plan their routes accordingly. We apologise for any inconvenience that may occur.”
The move has been welcomed by Hamilton West and Earnock councillor Mark Mcgeever, and Hamilton South councillor Josh Wilson.
Councillor Mcgeever said: “It’s a huge relief for the community that these hated chicanes will finally be a thing of the past.
“For years residents made clear they felt the layout reduced visibility and actually caused drivers to speed through gaps in traffic. People simply did not feel safe.
“Since last year’s election I and other councillors have made clear it had to change and we strongly believed the new layout had to be based on what local people want.
“I’ve had a huge number of emails and Facebook comments about Sherry Drive, which shows how much it matters to residents. The public overwhelmingly supported a particular alternative and it is right that will now be delivered.
“There was a real cross-party push to get this done and hopefully all those efforts will make the situation better for the community in the years ahead.”
Councillor Wilson added: “I welcome the removal of the chicanes on Sherry Drive and congratulate local residents for their relentless and lengthy campaign to have them removed.
“The road redesign is well overdue and means that my constituents will not have to face another winter navigating the dangerous road.
“I would like to thank council officers for their approach to this process and for their willingness to engage constructively with me over a number of months.
“The safety of constituents should always be our number one priority and with the new package of measures replacing the outdated chicanes, I believe that my constituents will travel safer as a result.”