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Pencaitland road works set to close A6093 in January

Due to planned works to extend a gas main to Glenkinchie and upgrade the road surface, the A6093 at the Tyne Bridge will be closed.

The A6093 at the Tyne Bridge will be closed to road traffic (but open to pedestrians) from January 20th to February 10th.
The A6093 at the Tyne Bridge will be closed to road traffic (but open to pedestrians) from January 20th to February 10th.
Carried out by contractor Fulcrum, information began to emerge earlier this week with the appearance of signs at the eastern entrance to the village explaining some of the details to motorists. The most significant disruption occurs between the 20th of January and 10th of February when the Tyne Bridge will be closed to road traffic but, crucially, it will remain open for pedestrians, cyclists and anyone using a pram or wheelchair.

Outside the actual road closure dates, roads works begin on the 6th of January and are expected to finish by the end of February with most delays expected during rush hour, as work on other parts of the A6093 through Pencaitland will use temporary traffic signals.

Today the Community Council received a more detailed breakdown of what is set to happen and when from Bill Laird, the Road Network Officer at East Lothian Council, which we are reproducing below.

The closure will be from Lempockwells Road at the west end eastwards to the west side of the entrance to Pencaitland Parish Church / Old Pencaitland House where the carriageway widens sufficient for the use of traffic signals.

During the closure the residents of the lodge house of the estate and Dovecot Way will still have access .

Pedestrian access will be unrestricted.

The contractor will also take the opportunity to carry out works at the junction with Lempockwells Road in preparation for the remainder of their programme – this will ensure that they are clear of this junction when the other works commence.

Works are likely to commence in the village week commencing 6th January – under standard 2-way traffic control but with a suspension of parking – Main Road – (Church to crossroads), then after the closure week commencing 10th February on Lempockwells Road (Main Road to Huntlaw Road) and Huntlaw Road (Lempockwells Road to railway bridge at No 45)

EL Road Services will surface the closed section of road week commencing 3rd February – 1 week only this is part of our capital programme of surfacing works and we are taking the opportunity of the road closure to complete the works and reduce the impact on the residents of the village. At this time the works will NOT include anything other than surfacing of the carriageway and re-applied road markings.

Apart from reinstating any excavations Fulcrum will not be undertaking any works on our behalf.

The contractor has also been asked to produce a letter to be issued directly to those properties adjacent to the streets listed and to supply a copy to me so that I can pass it on to you. They have also agreed to consult with the community council, school and bus companies – advance warning signs are already in place.

Where possible I want to make sure that as many people are aware of the works and effect it will have on their daily travel.

Bill Laird

The Community Council has also been contacted by contractors Fulcrum. The company’s Project Manager for this work, John McLuskey, is keen to hear from anyone with specific questions about the planned works which he will endeavour to answer. John can be contacted via email.

Please remember to share this information with any neighbours and friends living locally, to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of the expected disruption in advance.


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Pencaitland Community Council proposes road safety measures to ELC

Last year ELC’s Transport team provided the community with drawings suggesting a number of road safety changes. Your Community Council wants to hear your views before a response is sent.

An alternative roundabout layout at the eastern entrance to Pencaitland would avoid relocating the war memorial. For details of other provisional recommendations click here.
An alternative roundabout layout at the eastern entrance to Pencaitland would avoid relocating the war memorial. For details of other provisional recommendations click here.
In July last year, after a request from Pencaitland’s Community Council for joined up thinking on how to improve overall road safety across the village, ELC’s transport team responded with drawings outlining a number of ideas. You can see those original plans and what was proposed by clicking here.

In response to these suggestions the Community Council set up a Roads Working Group (RWG) to review the thoughts and comments of local people which have come via this website, social media and through word of mouth.

The Roads Working Group now has a provisional response to the ELC’s initial plans which it is ready to share with you (see map below), before a final set of recommendations is sent to ELC Transport for consideration.

These include:

  • A roundabout at the eastern entrance to Pencaitland to replace the current crossroads. The RWG agrees that this is a good idea but could be achieved without moving the War Memorial to a different location, as originally suggested in ELC’s plans.
  • Road narrowing on the A6093 inside Pencaitland. The RWG believes this is unwise in light of the need for parking which already acts to slow traffic. Instead it is seeking the introduction of a painted cycle lane would achieve the same ends and benefit all concerned, at much less cost and disruption.
  • Further restrictions on speeds should be considered in areas where there are large numbers of kids/pedestrians, in some cases (such as the B6363 through Boggs Holdings) with no pavements for a measure of protection from road vehicles.

Please share this information with your neighbours, especially those who are not comfortable using the web, and encourage everyone who has an interest in road issues around Pencaitland to send us feedback. Tell us your views via email to website@pencaitland.org, by replying below in the comments or simply leaving your views in a dedicated comments box that will shortly be found in the local Pencaitland Post Office.

What is the Roads Working Group proposing to ELC?

The issues surrounding traffic and pedestrian safety can be best summarised visually with the map below. Click the blue lines on roads or the markers to see details of what the RWG is planning to send to ELC. Whether you agree or disagree we want to know. Equally, if there are issues that you believe have not been picked up by the RWG please inform us.

If you find it too difficult viewing the map below, you can view a larger version by clicking this link: Pencaitland road traffic calming measures.


View Pencaitland road traffic calming measures in a larger map

A printed copy of the map and a list of the proposed responses to ELC Transport’s original suggestions will also be available for review at the Pencaitland Post Office.


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ELC proposes traffic calming measures for Pencaitland

Traffic plays a big part in the concerns of many locals. In an effort to have a number of issues addressed the Community Council sought the recommendations of East Lothian Council’s Transport department. Here’s the suggestions it came up with in response to this request.

Beech Terrace - moving speed sign and adding rumblestrips - click to view full PDF plan1. Easter Pencaitland Roundabout: Entering Pencaitland from the Haddington road ELC is proposing a roundabout with a proper central island. The current recommendation would necessitate relocating the war memorial and seating to a different corner. Additionally speed restrictions would be extended so that the 30mph limit would not cease until after leaving the village and would come into force before entering.

2. Pencaitland village road (Easter): After entering the village ELC is proposing traffic calming measures which are a combination of road narrowing and forming parking bays to the south side of the road in two locations.

3. Wester Pencaitland: Entering Wester Pencaitland ELC is proposing to move the speed restriction signs further west so that they come into force before vehicles arrive at houses. Additionally, in the run-up to the 30mph speed sign there would be 3 sets of rumble strips.

Community Comments to date

Continue reading “ELC proposes traffic calming measures for Pencaitland”

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Floodwaters fill bend into Wester Pencaitland (Video)

Some locals will already be familiar with a bend on the way into Wester Pencaitland that tends to flood badly with heavy rain. This morning was no different, at one point covering three quarters of the road’s width.

The problem stems from the large field to the immediate north. It forms a large catchment for any downpour which then inevitably works it way down to this poorly drained bend at one point on the road.

If you’ve experienced problems with this stretch of road we’d like to know about it. Comment below or email website@pencaitland.org.

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Pencaitland traffic nears 4,000 vehicles daily

Residents of Pencaitland may have noticed the recent appearance of a pair of black wires running across the main road in the village near to the entrance to the Carriage House.

ELC carried out a new Traffic Survey in Pencaitland in March.

This was part of a recent road traffic survey being carried out by East Lothian Council over the course of a week in March.

Here are some of the interesting stats to come out of the survey which ran from the 2nd to the 8th.

The average speed of vehicles was 31.1mph which is generally good news. However, this is an average so some would have been travelling faster, whilst others would be slower.

Of course, the location is fairly close to the lights at the bridge which may be an influencing factor in terms of speed measured at this point.

The percentage of heavy goods vehicle traffic remains fairly constant at 11 percent out of a total 5 day average count of all vehicles of 3,900. This counts traffic travelling in both directions and isn’t hugely different from the measured numbers in 2009.

Nevertheless it’s hard to believe the reality of a daily figure just shy of 4,000 vehicles per day travelling through Pencaitland in both directions.

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Crash highlights danger at Pencaitland crossroads

The latest road accident to take place at Pencaitland’s now infamous crossroads involved a young man who crashed into the War Memorial at around 8.20am today. Unfortunately it adds to an ever-growing list of incidents which have occurred at the crossroads as you enter Pencaitland from either Haddington or Tranent.

The car ended up backwards on top of Pencaitland War Memorial - Click for further pictures

Despite recent improvements to the tarmac and road markings, these did little to prevent the latest incident. As resident and community councillor Fiona Tennick explains,”I heard an enormous bang outside my house which is on the corner by this crossroads, and knew immediately that there had been yet another accident at this busy junction.”

“Seeing a car up on the War Memorial, I immediately rang 999 and the emergency services were present within minutes. The vehicle had travelled down the B6355 towards the junction, crossed the central reservation, hit the second flower-tub and spun backwards across the junction, riding onto the War Memorial.”

“By some miracle, given the amount of traffic at that time of day, no-one else was hurt, and the young driver was pulled out of the wreckage by drivers on the scene at the time, before being taken off in a blue-flash ambulance.”

To their credit the emergency services were quick to respond to the incident. A police officer in attendance summed up the problem with the view that it was high time the Council looked at placing traffic lights at the crossroads to slow everything down.

As Fiona Tennick sums up, “I have lived at this corner for more than six years and never cease to be amazed by the speed of traffic travelling out of the village and down the hill towards it. I have lost count of the number of bumps at the junction, on several occasions attended by my daughter and son-in-law, both of whom are doctors. We need a set of traffic lights before there is another death here.”

Q. Have you experienced an incident at these crossroads? If you have please tell us about it with a comment below.