Dual The A75 highlights traffic light plan in A75 villages are a ‘short term solution’ to a ‘long term problem’
Dual The A75 leading campaigner Danny Pool has said that plans to introduce special traffic lights in the villages of Crocketford and Springholm are a step in the right direction however cannot be used as a solution to a long term problem.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf suggested traffic light signals when visiting the villages and talking to village campaigners last week. The lights would turn to red if a vehicle was speeding and are being considered to be introduced to combat speeding motorists.
Danny launched the campaign to upgrade the A75 to a dual carriageway alongside friends Adam Little and Lewis Irving in February of 2016 and want to see both the villages of Crocketford and Springholm bypassed by a dual carriageway. The campaign now consists of ten campaigners who are constantly fighting for action to be taken across the entire A75 route from Stranraer to Gretna.
Danny said “We welcome the suggestion to introduce traffic light signals in the villages to help stop motorists from speeding. We acknowledge that villagers have been campaigning for a very long time to see drastic action taken to make their communities safer.”
“However whilst we welcome this improvement we must not forget about the bigger picture and the continual dangers that are still present. Although motorists might be driving more carefully and slowly the overall standard of living will still be affected by thousands upon thousands of vehicles passing houses as little as two metres away from the road each and every day.”
“Adding traffic lights to the villages is a short term solution to a long term problem.”
“Aswell depending on the time of day if the traffic lights appear to be red then this could cause queues of traffic and add to driver frustration with journey times being delayed. We all know that when drivers become frustrated they take overtaking risks so we do not want to see an increase in accidents and deaths.”
“The traffic light solution will be well received by villagers however the fact that a euro route which carries thousands upon thousands of vehicles everyday still goes through these villages cannot be forgotten. Dual carriageway bypasses must be built in the near future to reduce the risk of fatal accidents.”
The Transport Minister has suggested that bypasses will be relooked into, particularly during the update of the ‘Strategic Transport Project’s Review’ which sets out the plans for transport projects up until 2032. Dual The A75 campaign want to see the A75 upgraded to a dual carriageway appearing on this update.
