KEY ROAD CLOSES FOR CROSSING SAFETY WORK
Work to improve safety in a city centre street took a step forward this week as a key road was shut for two weeks.
Stirling Council last month started work to realign the kerbs and pedestrian crossing at the junction of Murray Place and Station Road.
Now Station Road has been shut to traffic to allow work to progress. The route was shut on Monday and will be closed to traffic each day between 8am and 5pm. This is part of the overall works on the realignment of the kerbs and pedestrian crossing at the junction of Murray Place and Station Road. Following the realignment of the crossing there will be a requirement to close Murray Place for a further day to allow for re-lining of the roads. Footpaths along the street remain open to the public.
The work, estimated to cost around £70,000, comes after a number of accidents and near-misses at the zebra crossing at the top of Station Road, at its junction with Murray Place.
The Observer reported last month how a First Bus boss threatened to withdraw bus provision from the area unless even more was done to ease safety concerns there.
The first stage of the work saw the relocation of the bus stop from Murray Place, near to the Station Road junction, to a new location in front of the Spar shop.
Work includes; moving the zebra crossing approximately four metres down Station Road; installing a short section of barriers to minimise the risk of pedestrians crossing either side of the crossing; and improving the road surface and road markings to highlight the junction and zebra crossing.
In 2017, work was carried out to introduce a one-way system in Barnton Street, Murray Place and Station Road as part of Stirling Council’s £730,000 Gateway project. The work also included the pavements in Murray Place and Station Road being widened, roadside barriers removed and bus stances, the taxi rank and pedestrian crossing re-located.
As the work continues, Zulafuar Mubashar, from the Costcutter store in Murray Place, says the work has led to the restriction of movement of pedestrians trying to cross the road in Station Road.
However, Grant Reid, of the Calluna shop in Murray Place, welcomed the move. He said:“It’s been a blessing in disguise really. It’s going to be a lot safer for turning down Station Road from Murray Place.”
He added that the relocation of the bus stop from outside his shop to further along Murray Place, outside the Spar store, will be a“massive improvement for tourism”, saying that tourists heading from Stirling station up Station Road towards Murray Place will be more likely to turn right and visit premises in Murray Place, Barnton Street and Friars Street, adding“It’s a brilliant thing. Stirling Council have done a good job with it.”