Kirkcaldy junction call

Transportation officials at Fife Council need to put their hands up and admit they got it “badly wrong” when they installed a junction as part of £830,000 of improvements near Kirkcaldy town centre.

TRANSPORT OFFICIALS at Fife Council need to put their hands up and admit they got it “badly wrong” when they installed a junction as part of £830,000 of improvements near Kirkcaldy town centre, a councillor has said.

Kirkcaldy North councillor David Ross told The Courier yesterday that criticism of the new traffic lights at the Adam Smith Theatre junction was one of the most common issues raised with him on the doorsteps of Kirkcaldy during the election campaign.

As reported by The Courier, the traffic lights were installed at the end of last year to replace a roundabout, with the aim of making crossing the road safer for pedestrians as part of Fife Council’s “green corridor” project to encourage more people to walk, cycle and use public transport.

But the lights have caused frustration for motorists, with some choosing to take a shortcut through a petrol station forecourt.

The Courier has been told that an estimated 10 cars a day drive over the forecourt to avoid waiting at the lights.

Mr Ross said: “The changes to this junction are still causing considerable frustration to motorists and pedestrians alike.

“It was one of the most common issues raised with me on the doorstep during the recent election campaign.

“I have been critical of this scheme since it was put in place.

“We were told to give it a chance to settle down and that people would get used to it. But it clearly isn’t working.

“The council’s transportation officials need to put their hands up and admit they got this scheme badly wrong.

“Many drivers are cutting through side streets to avoid the lights, the garage at the junction is suffering, and the queues are causing problems for drivers wanting to turn into nearby properties.”

Bus drivers are also understood to be losing patience with the crossing, round the corner from Kirkcaldy Bus Station.

Fife Council said the traffic lights are being monitored and conceded that drivers had been experiencing delays.

Transport chief Bob Mclellan said: “We are continually making minor changes to the timing of the lights to improve the flow of traffic through the junction.

“There is a high use of pedestrians in this important area of town so this is a controlled environment to give higher priority to pedestrians and cyclists between the town centre, bus station and the railway station.”

He added: “We have consulted with the public and stakeholders all the way through to implementation of this scheme from when it was identified in 2003.

“The state-of-the-art equipment reacts to changing traffic conditions which should increase the traffic flow at the junction. However, we will continue to monitor the lights and adjust their timings as necessary.”

After the junction was overhauled, there were concerns that the road had been made too narrow.