Truckers park up in a village street Outrage at lorry invasion as residents’
Drives blocked
Furious neighbours this week claimed their lives were put in danger when a convoy of parked trucks arrived in a residential street.
Residents say they couldn’t get out of their driveways after about half dozen heavy vehicles blocked access and visibility in Biggar Road.
And the move was slammed by North Lanarkshire Council and police bosses who both described the activity as ‘unacceptable’.
Earlier this month, the Wishaw Press reported how fed- up residents vowed to form a human chain in protest at an increase in HGVs using the road.
It comes as two village yards will be used to help Network Rail carry out vital works to electrify the Glasgow to Edinburgh line.
Anxious neighbours fear that extra HGVs and lorries going into the two sites in Foundry Road and Biggar Road could lead to a fatality.
Patrick Ferguson, secretary of Cleland Community Council, said: “Residents cannot enter or exit properties along the road.
“They are having to take their lives in their hands to exit onto oncoming traffic without sight lines.
“Schoolchildren are weaving their way between lorries onto this already congested road.
“Lorries began arriving just after 7am and all parked up with engines running disrupting people from their sleep and business owners couldn’t access their property.
“This situation is now out of control and lives are being put at risk.
“This cannot be allowed to continue.
“The movement of lorries on this scale is unacceptable in a residential street.”
Ward councillor Robert McKendrick said: “This latest episode is absolutely disgraceful from Network Rail but nothing surprises me anymore about the way they go about their business.
“Blatantly putting two fingers up to the community of Cleland and endangering people time after time with their appalling behaviour is outrageous.
“The Scottish Government needs to quickly get a grip of this company before there is a fatality in the village”.
Mr Ferguson sent an email of complaint to the council’s road department.
In an email to Mr Ferguson, Campbell Dyer, the council’s Senior Roads Officer, replied: “I would advise that North Lanarkshire Council consider this activity to be unacceptable and where multiple deliveries such as these are required, then vehicles should parked within the closure or parked in a suitable waiting area off the public road.
“I will contact Network Rail raising our concerns over the situation and I will ask them to take action to remove vehicle stacking from the public road.”
Inspector Alistair Anderson, of Wishaw Police Office, said his officers will monitor the situation and anyone flouting road laws would pay the penalty.
“I will engage with partner agencies around the issue to identify solutions,“he added.
“We will monitor the situation from a policing perspective starting from tomorrow ( last Wednesday) morning.
“We will offer advice and guidance to educate those involved in the activity, however, if this does not have the desired impact we will look at a more robust approach.
“To echo the comments of the roads department this is completely unacceptable and presents a risk to the community and other road users.”
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We apologise to the community for the unacceptable level of traffic entering the site last Tuesday morning and we are working with our contractors to ensure this does not happen again.”.
Network Rail confirmed contaminants including asbestos had been discovered in the ground at the Foundry yard site in the village’s Biggar Road.