Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Road safety petition is turned down
Traffic calming rejected
Hundreds of Glenboig residents who signed a petition calling for traffic calming measures in their village have seen their request turned down.
A total of 386 people signed a “slow down” call, entitled “making roads safer” and asking North Lanarkshire Council and Police Scotland for action to be taken on speed in Glenboig and Ramoan.
Last Christmas we reported how Glenboig couple Jim and Helen Hughes implored the local authority to act after a bus crashed through their garden wall – the third time in four years such an incident had occurred.
The petition recent l y went before the authority’s infrastructure committee, but a majority of councillors agreed with officials’ recommendation not to implement any new measures.
The report for councillors noted: “The speed limit on roads through both communities is 30mph along its entire length; although not explicitly requested, the petition header suggests that residents wish the limit to be reduced to 25mph.
“Roads through Glenboig are part of the principal public network serving North Lanarkshire and have features that inhibit speed including roundabouts and traffic signals.
“On-street parking at some locations will also inhibit the speed of passing traffic.
“Police records indicate that for the three years to May 30 2018, there were two slight injury accidents, with the contributory factors relating to poor turning manoeuvres and other nonspeed related factors.”
It added that a priority list of sites had been determined in 2011, on the basis of there being more than five injury accidents over a three-year period, which is the “basis for tackling associated road accidents within North Lanarkshire Council”.
Councillors have clashed over the decision, after Coatbridge North SNP representative Allan Stubbs proposed that the requested traffic calming measures should be installed as requested, only for the suggestion to be outvoted.
Par ty colleague Greg Lennon, who represents the Glenboig ward, criticised the decision of the infrastructure committee – chaired by fellow ward representative Michael McPake, who he believes is “in a unique position to do something to deal with the issues people are facing”.
Councillor Lennon said: “Nearly 400 signatures is a huge number for a small village and it shows the strength of feeling of the people of Glenboig and Ramoan that traffic calming should be introduced.
“We can only hope that no-one is seriously injured, or worse, as a result of the decision to do nothing to slow down traffic on these roads which were not designed to handle the volumes and types of traffic travelling on them every day.”
Labour representative Councillor McPake responded: “Perhaps if Councillor Lennon had spoken to me or council officers about this, he would know that the main roads in Glenboig and Ramoan do not currently meet the criteria for traffic calming measures, as no accidents have occurred there due to excessive speed.
“He would also know that the situation is being monitored to respond to any future changes in that regard. The decision [ was] made by a committee of democratically- elected members.
“I will continue to work with all my constituents to listen to their concerns about this and any other issues they may have.”