Fears of an

Community hit out at rail

of the potential negative impact the development would have on separating Forth Park and Vale Grove from Bridge of Allan.

Mr Glencross said: “Some of the residents of Forth Park and Vale Grove have family in the village who often rely on our support or from whom we receive support. Many will be unable to manage the five per cent incline created by the proposed pedestrian bridge.”

He told the meeting: “Accessibility is the main issue here – there is a strong dislike of this proposal among the local residents but we just wonder if anyone is actually listening. This is a unique situation and it requires a unique solution. This is the type of thing you see up and down the country, however, in this case they are proposing to separate a community from their village.

“In terms of the figure for the detour I was told 900 metres at first – then 600 metres – and, after looking myself, I found it was nearer to 1.4 kilometres.”

Sam Shortt is an independent traffic and transport consultant who lives in the area and he questioned Network Rail’s comments about the risks such crossings pose. He added: “Claims that this is the most dangerous crossing in Scotland have never been substantiated. I think the general public perception of safety is different to that of Network Rail.

“The accidents they quote are miniscule in comparison to what goes on in roads on a daily basis. To say there are a significant number of incidents just isn’t right.”

He claimed there would be an