Crossing agreed after blind OAP’s struggle
Stirling Council is to install a temporary pedestrian crossing in a city centre street that has been closed to pedestrians and traffic since December.
The move comes after the daughter of a partially-sighted elderly Stirling woman called for safety measures to be put in place.
Marion MacAllister says her 87-year-old mother, Jean Clark, was forced to step out in to the road in Port Street to negotiate her way around a ‘safety exclusion zone’ there.
Safety concerns about the structure of a building there were raised on December 20 and the section of pavement outside the Let’s Party store, at 75 Port Street, has been closed to the public since then due to the risk of falling masonry from a property above the shop.
Council building standards officers then discovered a structural defect at the property.
The road there has been shut in one direction, meaning vehicles travelling from Dumbarton Road and Upper Craigs are unable to turn on to Port Street.
However, Mrs MacAllister was left upset when she discovered that her mother was forced to walk into oncoming traffic to make her way around the barricade.
Mrs Clark, a resident at Allan Park House, is blind in one eye and partially sighted in the other.
She had attempted to make her way to the Iceland store in Pitt
Terrace last Thursday, January 9, when she reached the ‘safety exclusion zone’ and had to make her way around it. She stepped out in to the road, where vehicles are still able to travel and access Dumbarton Road and Upper Craigs.
Mrs MacAllister said: “There really needs to be a temporary crossing put there to allow the elderly, the disabled or those with prams to cross the road. It’s not easy for some of my mum’s age to turn back and walk back to the traffic lights to cross to the other side of the street, walk along Port Street and then try to cross back over again.
“It was quite upset when I found out. Just thinking about my mum having to walk out in to oncoming traffic is scary.
“I have been in contact with Stirling Council. I’ve spoken to them and asked for a temporary crossing to be put in place and they have promised me that one would be, but there’s still nothing.”
Following discussions with Mrs MacAllister, the council has agreed to put the crossing in pace close to exclusion zone.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “There are signs already in place directing people towards the permanent crossings and we would encourage pedestrians to follow them.
“Protecting the public while ensuring as much business continuity as possible is our paramount concern. We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of the public during this period of unforeseen disruption.”
Permanent pedestrian crossings are also available at each end of Port Street.
The Observer reported last Wednesday how traders in the area of the exclusion zone have been hit hard during the closure.
Businesses there claim to have seen takings fall by as much as 50 per cent.