Safety summit on safari junction
Options to be discussed
Two MSPs are to hold talks with transport bosses to discuss fears over the safety of the junction on the A84 at Blair Drummond Safari Park.
Stirling SNP MSP Bruce Crawford and Mid-Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Dean Lockhart are to meet with officials from Transport Scotland to voice concerns over the entrance to the popular tourist attraction.
Worried residents say the stretch of road has had a number of near-misses and is a potential danger to pedestrians who use the area to access public transport.
Mr Crawford and Mr Lockhart have both written to Transport Scotland bosses urging them to assess the safety of the road.
They are to hold a meeting in the coming weeks with Transport Scotland officials, area councillors, community representatives, Gary Gilmour, manager of the safari park, and park director Hector Muir.
Mr Crawford said: “I’m looking forward to discussions to make progress, further to my previous calls for action. It’s important that all options can be considered to find a safe and suitable resolution to this issue.
“Cross-party agreement on this issue is necessary and I look forward to working towards a solution to this problem for my constituents”.
Mr Lockhart added: “I’m delighted that Bruce and I are working together alongside the community to find a solution to this problem, which I know is an issue to locals and commuters who use the road on a regular basis.”
Nearby residents have said that long queues of traffic frequently form on the road, particularly at weekends or holidays when the number of visitors to the safari park is high.
Residents have also complained that queues sometimes stretch as far as the outskirts of Stirling.
In August this year, one resident, who stays yards from the junction, said action was required, adding: “Queue warning signs seem a slight improvement but until Transport Scotland use their eyes rather than ‘criteria,’ the risk of a young family on a day out dying is real.
“Can Transport Scotland and Stirling Council get together and resolve this problem before blood is spilled?’’
Important all options can be considered