Our streets are becoming car-azy with traffic volume

Many of our local streets are becoming increasingly unpleasant, awkward and dangerous places for pedestrians due to the growing volume of traffic which they were never designed for.

Drivers are affected too as they encounter congestion, negotiate difficult and dangerous junctions, squeeze past parked cars, and struggle to find space to park themselves.

Pedestrians are ever more marginalised on what were once-quiet residential streets.

Excessive speed on top of the sheer level of traffic makes crossing roads a difficult task for anybody.

But for children, parents with prams, the elderly and disabled, it is even more hazardous.

Parked cars obstruct the view for people crossing the road and block pavements, particularly for prams and wheelchairs, forcing pedestrians to risk life and limb by walking into the road.

Surely it is time that these traffic danger spots were addressed?

The problem gets worse every year.

As one road fills up, those around it become congested too as drivers look for alternatives.

And these are alternatives that are almost certainly even less appropriate than those they are avoiding.

Many people do take the train or bus, but with limited possibilities for park and ride this can lead to ever more cars parking on residential streets, narrowing these and creating problems for residents.

We cannot suddenly get rid of all the cars and lorries, nor is it easy in a built-up area to provide alternative routes for them, but we can make streets safer for pedestrians in residential streets.

Pedestrian crossings; parking restrictions and enforcement of the law on parking on pavements; increased provision of suitable parking space; speed cameras; and altered road layouts to direct traffic away from streets used as rat-runs can all be helpful in the right places.

Surely too, we can find ways to encourage more people to walk and cycle, use public transport and make school accesses safer for children?

But most of all we need a change of culture, from one which prioritises the needs of cars to one which puts pedestrians first.

A comprehensive review of traffic across the whole of Rutherglen and Cambuslang is needed to address these problems; one in which vehicles are not given precedence in residential streets.

Our local streets need to be returned to people, with the safety and comfort of pedestrians prioritised.

Surely we can find ways to encourage more to walk and cycle, use public transport . . .