Air quality issues under the microscope at well-attended meeting in Crieff

Strath residents have been praised for an improved turnout at an event designed to canvass opinion on key issues affecting Crieff.

Organised by Perth and Kinross Council (PKC), a local authority spokesperson said approximately 50 people attended Saturday’s air quality action plan community engagement event at Strathearn Community Campus.

In addition to PKC, other agencies represented included BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland and engineering consultancy SWECO.

Local resident Craig Finlay launched a petition prior to the event in an attempt to highlight the need for improved crossings along the A85 and has also stated the case for the speed limit on part of the road to be cut to 20 miles per hour.

After attending on the day, he said: “Previous consultations were poorly attended, but promotion of this event was much better and I was pleased that turnout was far higher than before.

“Any action which might be taken to improve air quality in the town should always take into consideration other issues, such as pedestrian safety.

“I was pleased that so many people had the opportunity to put their concerns directly to the responsible agencies.”

Strathearn ward SNP councillor Stewart Donaldson said the key issue in relation to the air quality in the centre of Crieff was cars travelling too slowly as a result of the volume of traffic, causing potentially poisonous particles to build up.

He added there were “a number of factors” which needed to be looked at and concluded there was “no magic bullet”.

The PKC representative said feedback given on the day will be used to inform any future improvement measures.

She also said further discussions would be required and what was described as “additional modelling exercises” may be needed before any further information is available.

She went on to explain: “The event held in Crieff on Saturday was extremely valuable in gaining the views of local residents and businesses in what areas of the air quality action plan they felt should be prioritised.

“Workshops were focused around the causes of congestion associated with parking and unloading in the High Street and adjoining junctions.

“In addition there were significant discussions regarding the location of bus stops, signage and concerns regarding the access into town from the east of the town.

“All of the feedback will be collated, reported back to the community and will be used to help inform what improvement measures will be considered for implementation first.”

Anyone unable to attend has until March 21 to complete an online survey.

It can be accessed via the following link: https://consult.pkc.gov.uk/housing-environment/crieff-air-quality-community-engagement/