MINUTES of SPECIAL MEETING of the PETITIONS PANEL Held in the MCLINTOCK HALL, BALFRON on THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2013 at 2.00 Pm
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STIRLING COUNCIL MINUTES of SPECIAL MEETING of the PETITIONS PANEL held in the MCLINTOCK HALL, BALFRON on THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2013 at 2.00 pm Present: Councillor Steven PATERSON (in the Chair) Councillor Corrie MCCHORD (Substitute) Councillor Mark RUSKELL Also present: Councillor Graham Lambie Councillor Ian Muirhead In Attendance: Stuart Geddes, Road Safety Engineer, Environment Les Goodfellow, Head of Environment Alix Mathieson, Trainee Committee Officer, Governance & Resources Claire Dunbar, Committee Officer, Governance & Resources (Clerk) Petitioners: Mr James Allan Mr John Blanche 9 members of the public Apologies: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Neil Benny and Johanna Boyd. PT13 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest. PT14 URGENT BUSINESS BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE CHAIR There were no items of urgent business. PT15 PETITION – ROAD SAFETY BETWEEN KILLEARN AND BALFRON A valid petition entitled “Road Safety between Killearn and Balfron” was submitted for the Panel’s consideration. The petition had received the support of Killearn Community Council. The completed petition form was attached at Appendix 1 to a report by the Head of Governance & Resources. A briefing note from Environment Services on the background to the petition was attached at Appendix 2. The Council’s Guidance on Submission of Public Petitions had been circulated with the agenda papers for the meeting. The Petitioners had stated that:- “We, the undersigned residents of Boquhan, Balfron and Killearn, request that Stirling Council consider the issue of improving road safety in the stretch of the A875 between Killearn and Balfron. Currently this stretch of road is subject to a 60m.p.h. limit, with the village of Boquhan restricted to 40m.p.h. We have surveyed the bends on this stretch and the nature and condition of the existing road signage. Our evidence suggests that the twisting nature of the road the poor quality of existing signage and road markings and the high incidence of accidents necessitates urgent measures to improve road safety. We understand that the road through Boquhan is to be resurfaced in July, 2013 and, whilst delighted by this improvement, are conscious that this will also allow motorists to drive more speedily with greater ease. We therefore believe that now is an opportune time to consider what measures might be put in place to improve road safety in the area. To this end we would propose that the following measures be considered for implementation:- • speed limit between Killearn and Balfron be reduced to 40m.p.h., with the village of Boquhan reduced to 30m.p.h.; • road signage be improved to indicate clearly the complex nature of bends and the existence of concealed exits from Jenny Gunn’s Loan and residents’ driveways; • road markings be improved, including double white lines through Boquhan; • speed-activated warnings be erected as appropriate; • rumble strips as appropriate be introduced in Boquhan.” The Chair advised those present of the remit of the Petitions Panel and the meeting format. Mr James Allan, Principal Petitioner was given the opportunity to speak. Mr Allan began by thanking the Councillors for their attendance. He also thanked the officers for their correspondence to date. It was understood from that correspondence that rumble strips would now be installed during the resurfacing works and this was appreciated. He was also pleased to note that officers recognised that the signage required to be improved. Residents had been advised that funding was not available for additional works that would allow the speed limit to be reduced. Mr Allan hoped that in view of the road safety issues being experienced in the area the monies could now be made available in the current or next financial year. It was thought that Boquhan had a number of factors that made it suitable for a 30m.p.h. speed limit:- • The nature of the road, with bends at both the North and South ends of Boquhan. • Frequent accidents – in the past 10 years approximately 60 accidents had been logged by the community with cars landing in fields, gardens and, on one occasion, a porch. Cars frequently crossed the road into the path of pedestrians. Fortunately there had been no pedestrian injuries to date. All of the residents present at the meeting could provide evidence of dangerous driving/ speeding. • Officers classified Boquhan as a settlement rather than a village. The Government’s view was that fear of traffic could seriously affect a person’s quality of life. People in Boquhan did not feel comfortable walking on the pavement, especially if they were pushing prams or were walking with toddlers or dogs. Mr Allan was aware of the guidelines that were used to define a village and Boquhan came very close to meeting that criteria (see Mr John Blanche’s comments below). He asked that the Council use the discretion given to it by the Scottish Government to class Boquhan as a village. Mr Allan was accompanied by another petitioner, Mr John Blanche, and Mr Blanche was also given the opportunity to speak. Mr Blanche tabled a copy of his comments at the meeting and these are set out in full below:- “And sent him homeward to think again - Flower of Scotland! Speed Limit between Killearn and Balfron The speed limits allow National Speed Limit (NSL) from Killearn to Boquhan and from Boquhan to Balfron but in each of these two sections there is a series of dangerous bends. In effect there are really four sections of NSL plus the Boquhan section. Examining the four sections of NSL in detail it is apparent that 40mph is the appropriate speed: Section Section (NSL highlighted) Metres 1 Killearn NSL to Black Hill 560 2 Black Hill Bends 360 3 Black Hill to Boquhan 40m.p.h. 200 4 Boquhan Village 728 5 Boquhan NSL to Endrick 320 6 Endrick Bends 232 7 Endrick to Balfron 30m.p.h. 320 Total distance 2720 NSL sections distance 1400 The only section where over 40m.p.h. is near safe is section 1 but it is very short and speeds much over 40m.p.h. present a dangerous situation for drivers approaching Black Hill as several have found and landed in the field. This is exactly what the David Coulthard campaign is designed to avoid. Furthermore the seven changes of speed will encourage drivers to disregard the need to slow down and revert to the NSL. In all over the last 12 years there have been 57 recorded crashes between Killearn and Balfron. Generally the speeds on section 1 are in the region of 40 to 45m.p.h. Is Boquhan a Village? There is a feeling that community perception of speed differs between drivers and pedestrians and the Council endeavours to determine appropriate speed limits (SC policy 1.2). The Scottish Government (1/2006 section 6.3/100) says the fear of traffic can affect people’s quality of life in villages and it is government policy that where appropriate a 30m.p.h. speed should be the norm in villages. The residents of Boquhan are extremely scared of the traffic volume, speed and size of vehicles passing through the village and wish to see a specific review of speed limits between Killearn and Balfron. Crossing the road beyond the Jenny Gunn’s Loan bend to the bus stop is hazardous as is exiting Jenny Gunn’s Loan and gardens near the bends. The types of vehicles range from 12-wheel tankers to vans with trailers to cars. Stopping distances are affected by both sizes of vehicle and weather conditions. A definition of a village is defined by Stirling Council (SC policy 5.2.1) with reference to the Department of Transport leaflet 1/04 “Village Speed Limits” and by the Scottish Government’s circular 1/2006. It is suggested that the definition of a village should be based on simple criteria as follows: • Number of houses to be 20 or more – Boquhan has 18 on the main road and 7 in Jenny Gunn’s Loan • A minimum frontage of 600m – Boquhan frontage is 480m on the main road • A density of 3 houses per 100m – Boquhan complies A number of Councils are using a minimum length of less and it is suggested that the minimum recommended length might be 400m. Leaflet 1/04 encourages local authorities to use their discretion where the character of the village falls outside this definition.” The Head of Environment responded to the points raised. He advised that there were 1110 kilometres of road in the Stirling Council area the situation in Boquhan was broadly similar to that in other communities. In 2006 the Government had asked Councils to review the speed limits in their areas. Officers examined all 162 sections of Stirling’s roads paying particular attention to A and B class roads as in general they had higher speeds. A report was submitted to Council in 2011, which updated Stirling Council’s speed limit policy guidance. Each road was given a priority ranking and Boquhan was ranked 40 th out of 162. Therefore, although the Head of Service accepted the points raised, if funds became available they would have to be directed to an area with a greater priority need. The Head of Environment added that Boquhan was almost unique in the Stirling area in that there were only properties on one side of the road. There were open fields on the other side, giving drivers the impression that they were on a rural road. It was often how drivers perceived the road that determined how fast they drove. He suggested that rumble strips, new signage, white lining and delineation markers be added on the approaches to Boquhan when the road maintenance works were carried out in July, thus encouraging drivers to slow down.