Pedestrian crossing at Moss-side Rd Co-op: "such a feature at this location would actually put pedestrians at greater risk"

Suburban Community Council wish to see a pedestrian crossing at the Co-op on Moss-side Road. Their ambition to see this  road safety measure installed  took a major knock at their regular meeting on Tuesday night in Nairn Academy. Colin told them:

“Our principal traffic officer has been out and looked at the situation; he’s the guy that advises the council on the locations of crossings. His last sentence: “The site is extremely difficult to locate such a feature due to the proximity of private accesses, junctions, bus stop, etc. I can see no suitable location that would safely serve the pedestrians near the Co-op. In fact, I believe that such a feature at this location would actually put pedestrians at greater risk.”

Colin then continued: “I haven’t let go of it yet, but what he is saying is that it’s dispersed just now and people know the junction and people are crossing at different places and they are familiar with it. If you put in a crossing people slow down for it and then they speed up after it. Because of the nature of the dispersal, his professional view is that it puts people at greater risk.”

Despite this advice Colin is still supporting Suburban in their desire for a crossing at this point. He had had a meeting with Inspector Murdo MacLeod at the site and he said: “Murdo and me are agreeing that because people are slowing at the bend the line of sight can be shorter, if folk are flexible.”

Colin also mentioned that these things were weighed on accident statistics and there was only one recorded accident which was to a dog. Colin is now researching previous decisions elsewhere on granting and refusing crossings. The fight for a crossing at this busy junction goes on but it looks like it has suddenly got a lot harder for the Suburban watchdogs.