City link road plan belongs in the last century

Dear Editor

Stirling Council’s plans for a major new road between Burghmuir Road and St Ninians Rd (Viewforth Link) are disturbing, particularly to residents of Kings Park, Braehead and St Ninians but also to all living in Stirling with environmental concerns.

This project has been vigorously opposed by Kings Park Community Council since 2012 and Stirling Council has never responded to our detailed objections.

The building of a Viewforth Link would be an inordinately expensive engineering project due to the difficult terrain and would create many problems and have many undesirable consequences.

It would eat into Stirling’s already minimal ‘green lung’, trashing an important Conservation Area; drive increased and heavily polluting traffic into and through a high amenity densely populated residential area; create further dangers at the already dangerous main entrance to Stirling’s major public park.

The much needed infrastructure improvements required to support cycling and pedestrian traffic are in no way dependent on building a Viewforth Link, although they are confusingly presented as a package.

The concept of building ‘inner city ring roads’ to reduce traffic congestion is outdated and reminiscent of 1960s town planning, when we should be looking forward to reduced vehicular traffic, less pollution, more electric vehicles and (certainly within twenty years) driverless vehicles.

The whole idea is misguided and belongs in the last century. Stirling Council must rethink its transport strategy and not inflict this environmental disaster on the people of Stirling.

William Ruddell