Traffic calming at Westwood falls by wayside
A council roads chief has slammed the brakes on plans for traffic -calming measures in a Newmains street that is home to a new mobile speed camera.
The camera has been set up in Westwood Road over the past few weeks to combat speeding drivers on the road.
However, the community council stepped in and wrote a letter to North Lanarkshire Council asking for a more permanent solution to the problem.
The response was read in full at this month’s community council meeting in the NCT Centre.
The council’s road and transportation manager Dave Smart said: “Artificially changing a junction from one type to another in the expectation that this alone will address road safety concerns in relation to vehicle speeds is not necessarily effective or appropriate.
“Furthermore as the A73, Westwood Road, is a major route, the design parameters would require a roundabout of a size which would not be achievable within the existing road boundary and would likely not be feasible without affecting existing buildings.
“Westwood Road currently benefits from carriageway narrowing along its entire length, protection is given to right turning vehicles with right hand turn storage bays at junctions, three puffin crossings and a number of pedestrian refuge islands.
“I can advise that Westwood Road will continue to be monitored with speed surveys being undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the mobile speed camera site and checks of the Police Scotland database.”
Newmains Community Council chairman John Harper admitted he was disappointed in the council’s response and that the community council would continue to call for traffic calming measures in the street.
The mobile speed camera was given the green light after a survey showed 44 per cent of drivers were speeding on the road.
West Safety Camera Unit manager Alan Thomson also told community council members that the data which had been obtained by his unit showed up to 80 vehicles per day were travelling at 45mph and above on the 30mph route.