Temporary speed restriction plans take a step forward
Winter pursuits
This popular old photo of a curling match on Lawers Pond from the collection of William Gardiner is a favourite of the Herald’s
A key step on the road to temporarily reducing the speed limit through parts of Crieff and Comrie has been completed.
Temporary speed restrictions are in place in more than 40 places in Perth and Kinross as part of the £1.1million Spaces for People project, which supports active travel during the Covid-19 crisis.
Perth and Kinross Council has said the delay in implementing the 20mph zones in the two Strath communities is a result of issues associated with the A85 trunk road, which runs through both locations.
The council has been working with roads agency Transport Scotland – which manages the A85 – to carry out a road safety audit in order for the required signs to be installed.
And the local authority told the Herald that the independent survey has now been completed.
A PKC representative said:“We can confirm that the road safety audit for the proposed 20mph speed limit in Crieff and Comrie has been carried out, and we are in discussions with Transport Scotland at this time.
“Once that process is complete, and we have agreement from Transport Scotland, we will look to implement installing the 20mph speed limit as soon as is practicably possible.”
Maps on the council’s website illustrate the area covered in Crieff as starting from near the junction of Leadenflower Street and East High Street and running through the centre of the Strath capital until Lodge Street meets Burrell Street.
James Square, King Street, Union Terrace and Comrie Street are also included.
The maps for Comrie illustrated the revised limit will cover School Road and Dalginross Street.
Local resident Craig Finlay has written to both the council and Transport Scotland several times to request updates in relation to the project’s progress.
He has also repeatedly called for a new pedestrian crossing to be installed in East High Street, an issue which has previously been the subject of a petition signed by hundreds of locals.
In recent correspondence sent to Mr Finlay, seen by the Herald, a Transport Scotland spokesperson said:“Transport Scotland is working closely with Perth and Kinross Council to introduce the temporary 20mph limits in the retail centres of Crieff and Comrie.
“They are specifically being created to facilitate social distancing and we agree with the council that the boundaries chosen are the correct ones for this purpose.
“It is not our intention therefore to consider any changes to East High Street for this purpose at this time.”
Reflecting on recent developments, Mr Finlay pledged to continue to push for the creation of the crossing.
He said:“In 2019, over 300 people signed a petition seeking pedestrian crossing measures in East High Street, near Dollerie Terrace and Perth Road.
“The issues which cause difficulty to some when crossing in that area haven’t gone away, and the proposed temporary speed limit reduction to 20mph won’t cover this part of town.
“It’s something I intend to keep chasing as Transport Scotland still doesn’t have an answer as to how they’ll alleviate the problem, other than to say the monitoring of the temporary 20mph speed limit, if implemented, might show that traffic does flow too fast along East High Street and an extension of the 20mph speed limit may be required.”
He continued:“Some might say I’m ‘moaning’, but it’s only by this persistence that things get done – the road changes in and around Broich Road would never have happened without my concerted efforts, so I will keep trying.”