The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Council resists calls to use £600k Sustrans cash boost to close off Angus town centres.
Closed-off Angus town centres and pavement widening will not be a widespread response to the area’s emergence from the coronavirus pandemic.
The local authority has been given more than £600,000 from a government scheme to make the country’s streets safer and encourage people to walk and cycle, but councillors have shied away from projects such as those which have closed-off key thoroughfares in cities including Dundee.
Angus plans will see at least six more villages added to the list of 20mph zones across the district but the proposals have been branded a “missed opportunity” to tackle hotspots where safety fears have been raised.
The Scottish Government’s Spaces for People funding, through charity Sustrans, is now £789,000 in Angus.
Communities convener Mark
Salmond said: “The total funding we have successfully secured is in addition to the significant investment that Angus Council is making in active travel and road safety. It demonstrates our determination to create a safe environment for all road users across Angus and support and promote the take-up of cycling, walking and wheeling in the county.”
A previously successful £110,000 bid brought funds for temporary 20mph speed restrictions in all seven burgh towns and the villages of Edzell, Friockheim and Liff.
Glamis, Hillside, Kingsmuir, Letham, Newbigging and Newtyle will now be added to the list.
A council spokesperson said: “The use of barriers and widening footways in all burgh towns was considered but following discussions with elected members, not progressed to avoid reducing on-street parking spaces and any adverse impact on our high streets.”
Brechin Community Council chairwoman Jill Scott said: “I welcome any funding that helps improve safety in our town, however it is extremely disappointing that the busiest walking and cycling areas have been ignored.
“It is another indication of the lack of interest in our area by our local councillors and officers and yet another missed opportunity.”