Residents want 20mph limit on the main street

A call has been made to bring the speed limit in Bridge of Allan’s main street down to 20mph.

It was made as the issue of heavy goods vehicles using Henderson Street and traffic speed in the town was raised at the town’s community council last week.

Earlier this month town couple Jim and Margaret Leishman had highlighted the matter – stating that living on Henderson Street felt like residing alongside a bypass.

Mr Leishman told the Observer there should be a bid to limit the amount of trucks passing through Henderson Street to and from the M9 Keir roundabout.

A Callander haulier however had asked residents to think about the impracticality of lorries having to get on to the motorway via the A91 Stirling bypass.

Mrs Leishman told Bridge of Allan Community Council last Tuesday: “We are really concerned about the speed of traffic along Henderson Street and the number of lorries that go through the town as well.

“Traffic speeds up as they are approaching Pullar Memorial Park. A lot of families use that park and people walk their dogs there. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

“The lorries that use the road are huge. It’s unbelievable.

“They are not delivering stuff, but using it as a short cut to and from the M9 motorway.

“I cannot see why there cannot be a restriction on it in some kind of way.

“There are Twenty’s Plenty signs elsewhere. I would really like to see (these signs) in Bridge of Allan.

“Bridge of Allan is more vehicle friendly at the moment than pedestrian friendly. We need to encourage people to come into the town, but the level of traffic going through is a concern.”

Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache pointed to a previous campaign to stop heavy goods vehicles using Henderson Street.

He said: “We couldn’t stop lorries because it is a trunk road.”

Councillor Tollemache however pointed out that 20 miles per hour would be “quite a slow journey” for lorries and would discourage them from using Henderson Street.

Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Conservative councillor Douglas Dodds has already raised the issue of speeding on Henderson Street with Police Scotland and arranged for Stirling Council to record traffic data including speed.

He told the community council meeting: “The figures haven’t come through to me yet.

“When we get the figures on speed we can put that to the police. The divisional assistant commander wouldn’t do anything about [speed] until we get facts.”

•Following Tuesday’s meeting councillor Tollemache pointed out that Airthrey Road, a continuation of Henderson Street, will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph, effective from June 8.

The section involved extends from the outskirts of Bridge of Allan past the university roundabout to just before Wallace High School.