Traffic calming hasn’t made it safer

A Cambuslang road has been labelled “an accident waiting to happen” – and worried motorists believe recent work by South Lanarkshire Council designed to improve safety has only increased the risks.

The Reformer has been contacted by several concerned residents about Gilbertfield Road, and the effects of a “rat run” on nearby Woodlands Crescent – two years after a schoolboy was struck by a car there.

The council recently introduced traffic calming measures, but locals believe that adding speed bumps and narrowing the road has only made it more dangerous.

And some residents insist they have been warning the local authority about the road for years.

Stephen Allen said: “Since it reopened the road is now shorter and they have added speed bumps.

“There is a blind bend there and you are coming right round the corner into it. Neither driver can see through the trees there, and they won’t see the other coming for right of way.

“There will be an accident sooner or later. What the road needs is to be widened, not having a traffic calming island on a bend, which is absolute stupidity.”

There are also concerns of a knock-on effect at Woodlands Crescent.

The Reformer understands the speed bumps on the road there have already been altered after complaints they were initially too high.

Resident Stephen Towill led the Save Gilbertfield campaign against Persimmon Homes’ plans to build more than 400 homes in the area.

Mr Towill believes the curent problems are no surprise.

He said: “There were a lot of objections to the development, and at the time we highlighted that these roads are not fit for purpose.

“There are very dangerous bends there, and as soon as people move into those houses then the problem is going to get much worse.

“Now, if you’re going westbound and come round you can get stuck in one lane while others are coming towards you.

“This is a problem that needs looked at, and should have been looked at years ago.”

Social media has already been abuzz with locals expressing their fears about the road.

Cambuslang East councillor Walter Brogan said: “I wrote to South Lanarkshire Council when the road reopened, saying that it should be shut again, because it was not fit for purpose.

“There are still major concerns about it, particularly with the chicane in the road.

“I had expected a wider road, for a start, but that problem was not dealt with.”

Gordon Mackay, head of roads and transportation at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “Traffic calming was required to enhance road safety on Gilbertfield Road as a result of the new housing development.

“The measures, including a new 30mph speed limit, are having a positive effect at reducing vehicle speeds and we are satisfied that there is now adequate signage and appropriate visibility for drivers approaching the new features.

“Further traffic calming is planned as the development progresses and this will assist in encouraging drivers to adjust their behaviour on Gilbertfield Road.

“Gilbertfield Road has been widened along the frontage of the housing development and there are no other proposals to widen the road.”