The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Bumps in the road for congestion-cutting ambitions on Tayside
At least when they were circles all that had to be done was to go around again if you missed your turn-off.
But the guddle which is the Kingsway junction with Forfar Road has taken that away and it’s a daily disaster area.
Drivers unfamiliar with the locale and layout frequently get confused which green light is theirs and charge straight on through; city-bound traffic coming from the north often finds itself straddled across the carriageway.
Then there’s the complete unpredictability of those who realise they’ve gone wrong and think an instant U-turn against all the signals and every rule is fine and dandy.
It’s hard not to have sympathy with those caught in that type of panic at the height of the dreich tea-time commute, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pose a danger to themselves and other road users.
It seems, however, we’ll all just have to turn the radio up, stay patient and wait our turn at the lights.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has said there are no plans for either a Kingsway-lite upgrade or full fat relief road, first flagged up more than a decade ago with a whopping £250 million price tag.
He pointed to other areas of major spend on the A90 – the completed Aberdeen western peripheral route and still-to-be-constructed Laurencekirk junction – but was criticised for a “disappointing” response on the Dundee issue.
A wee bit up the road and things have also been a bit sticky regarding progress over proposals for an economy-boosting artery from the dual carriageway near Brechin cross country to Montrose.
The timetable for that scheme has slipped a bit but, by the time gritters are finally parked up in early 2020, there should be a bit more clarity around which of more than a dozen possible routes to the coast is the best option for drivers.
Unfortunately there’s a rather bigger obstacle for Angus Council to negotiate – the pertinent question of who’s paying for it.
It had been hoped Tay Cities Deal cash might pave the way but it’s no longer in that mix.
The council is looking at a number of potential funding options, but given the fact the update report came to the same committee which raised eyebrows over the £112,000 cost of tarring 850 metres of Arbroath path, it’s safe to assume we’re not talking small numbers here.
There will be a lot of twists and turns yet for Angus and Dundee to get where they want to be.
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