Proposal for kids roundabout in King’s Park rejected

Stirling Town councillors voted against a proposal to erect a roundabout for children in King’s Park, the Observer of January 1930 reported.

The move had come from the parks committee who recommended that one `box joy wheel’be purchased at a cost of £47, just over £3000 in today’s money.

However, some councillors were unhappy about the proposal and one, Judge Macintosh, said there were many types of `joy wheel’but none provided the means with which speed could be regulated. Until they had `complete control of any machine with regard to speed’then they were a danger to children of all ages, said the judge.

Other councillors said they could find no evidence of problems associated with the use of the roundabouts and Ballie Jenkins said all other towns had joy wheels and he could not see why Stirling shouldn’t have one.

Councillor Weir thought there was a greater need for a joy wheel at the Cowane Street end of the town where children had no attraction to take them off the street while another council member said money would be better directed towards building houses and creating jobs.

Councillor McElfrish said a joy wheel had been erected in Callander but a small girl using it was so severely injured it was removed.

He said the people living around King’s Park did so because they wanted peace and quiet `and that was reason enough why they should not erect a joy wheel’.

Although that claim was contradicted, a `no joy wheel’motion was carried by 11 votes to eight.