Closures of roads for an indy march is a concern
A councillor has raised concerns about the possible impact on Stirling of road closures to be put in place during this month’s pro-independence march.
Stirling North Labour representative Danny Gibson, depute leader of Stirling Council, is worried about the implications the measures could have on the area which is already having to cope with the Kerse Road closure.
All Under One Banner have announced that a march will be taking place in the city on the afternoon of Saturday, June 23.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the event which is entitled‘Annual Bannockburn March and Rally’.
Earlier this month around 10,000 people took part in a march organised by the same group in Dumfries while 60,000 people attended a Glasgow event.
A number of roads will be closed to traffic and several streets will be packed with supporters of Scottish independence.
This is likely to add to traffic woes of those motorists within the city with a section of Kerse Road remaining closed until October.
Councillor Gibson said:“Whilst I am no independence supporter, I’ve no issue with the nature of the march. We live in a free society and have the reasonable right to assemble.
“My concern has been around the Network Rail bridge closure and the potential impact on our area of the combination of any further road closures and people trying to arrive, get around and leave the area.”
Councillor Gibson says he has also asked questions about the ratio of stewards to expected marchers.
The march goes through the ward of Stirling West Tory councillor Neil Benny who said:“People in Stirling are used to marches like this one or similar ones like the Orange Order marches.
“The right to march is to be respected, but only when marchers act respectfully.
“I hope that the march passes off without incident and that they show our city and it’s people the respect we deserve.”
News of Stirling’s upcoming proindependence march generated some debate and discussion when the story was posted on the Stirling Observer social media channels. While some people are looking forward to the gathering, there are others who disagree with the event.
The march will start near King’s Park before heading through Torbrex and St Ninians and finishing up near Borestone Place at the Robert the Bruce Statue in Bannockburn.
A number of roads will be off limits from 1pm to 3pm on the day of the event. King’s Park Road, Polmaise Road, Torbrex Road, Coxithill Road, Cultenhove Road, Barnsdale Road, Newpark Road, Nailer Road and Borestone Place will all be affected.
Police are warning motorists to expect disruption on the day, leave extra time for their journey if they need to travel and avoid the area if at all possible.
Officers will be on-hand, working with stewards and teams from Stirling Council, to ensure that the march runs smoothly.
Organisers All Under One Banner describe themselves as a“pro-independence organisation whose core aim is to march at regular intervals until Scotland is free”. They say they are open to everyone who desires to live in an independent nation.
They added that people are invited to “bring your banners, flags, pipes and drums”.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said last week:“A series of rolling road closures have been pre-approved while discussions continue between the Safety Advisory Group involving key partner public agencies, including Police Scotland and organisers of the procession.”