Calderbank to get new crossing

A new pedestrian crossing is to be installed and traffic studies carried out to assess the need for further safety measures on a busy road through an Airdrie village.

New traffic signals are to be put in place on Main Street in Calderbank, just south of New Lane, with the public consultation notice needed to start the project being published this week.

Roads officials will also undertake vehicle and pedestrian surveys along the village’s stretch of the B802 in September.

North Lanarkshire Council’s plans were set out in a reply to Alex Neil MSP and Neil Gray MP, who wrote to the council and Transport Scotland outlining constituents’ concerns following the completion of the nearby M8 improvement project.

Mr Neil said the road is “no longer fit for purpose” and that “the levels of danger are unacceptable”, with the route having become even busier, particularly with lorries, since the installation of traffic calming in nearby Chapelhall.

Council officials have had “a number of similar enquiries” and the new crossing – delayed from its intended April start date due to the Covid-19 pandemic – is being proposed after an assessment of junctions along the road carried out last year.

A council statement added: “To enable us to fully address the road safety concerns raised, we will undertake a detailed study of traffic conditions through Calderbank – this will include traffic and pedestrian surveys at a number of locations, including all major junctions along the B802.

“We will prepare a report which sets out the findings of the study and any potential road safety improvement measures; it is anticipated that this will be completed by mid-November, and at that stage we will seek feedback from the community.”

The traffic survey will be carried out after schools have returned “in order to obtain data representative of normal conditions”, with officials adding: “Normal patterns have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions and this may also be the case in September – however, the origin and destination surveys will provide us with a good indication of the volume and type of through traffic movements on the B802.”

Roads officials are also working with local police, who “are aware of the road safety concerns”, and added: “Officers and the road safety camera partnership team have undertaken recent speed checks in the village, and have given assurance that they will continue to prioritise this area for speeding checks and enforcement activity.”

Calderbank residents launched two petitions last autumn calling for traffic calming. They told of their worries about the speed, volume and type of traffic passing through the village.

Mr Neil said: “I have been inundated with correspondence from constituents concerning traffic issues in Calderbank, such as noise, pollution and off-street car parking.

“Traffic through the village has significantly increased since the redesign of the M8/A8, and the combination of all these factors means that the B802 is no longer fit for purpose – the levels of danger are now unacceptable.

“Urgent action is needed to reduce the volume and speed of traffic through the village and to deter heavy goods vehicles from using the road altogether.”

Mr Gray added: “Following the increase in correspondence from residents in Calderbank since the new measures were installed in Chapelhall, I think it’s high time Calderbank received similar consideration.

“The last time we raised this, measurements were taken which showed no need for new traffic calming to be put in place – but this has changed as Calderbank is now seen as the quickest way to get to Cumbernauld off the M8.”