In 2012 the Transport team from East Lothian Council submitted suggestions for road safety improvements. Your Community Council recently responded and we’re sharing this with you.
The subsequent report from the Roads sub-committee of Pencaitland Community Council, called “COMMUNITY CONSULTATION TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS”, can now be read online [PDF] and you can view a Google Map which illustrates where the sub-committee believes ELC can implement improvements and make both pedestrians and road users safer.
Below we are reproducing the covering letter which recently went to ELC along with the Roads sub-committee report.
| “This is the community’s response to the plans originally presented to Pencaitland Community Council back in July 2012. Since receiving these plans we have reported on it and shared it widely via traditional methods, such as posters and suggestions boxes in the local post office and shops, as well as through the local school and online/social media.
Now, after quite a lot of consultation we’re reverting to your department with our thoughts in the attached PDF, taking into consideration the views from across the spectrum of the community. Our primary concern is that we ensure you have time to consider our views prior to the skimming of the A6093 through Pencaitland later this year, in order that any measures we are seeking from Transport can be factored in as part of that scheduled work. On the whole, within Pencaitland proper we are seeking road traffic measures which involve far less additional work than I think was envisaged when ELC Transport was proposing physically narrowing the road and widening the pavements. However, apart from the addition of painted cycle paths we are seeking two double D islands and a further pedestrian crossing (Zebra) at Pencaitland Park. The latter would not only slow traffic entering/exiting Pencaitland but also provide a safe crossing for children using the pick up/drop off point for school buses. For the rest of the village we would like to see a consistency of approach in terms of positioning speed signs and rumble strips at all entrances to the village, with the exception of Huntlaw Road which is too minor. Some of this work has already been carried out but it is apparent that elements have yet to be completed, such as rumble strips and the painting of relocated 30mph white on red signage directly onto the tarmac. Of great concern was the recent accident that put 11 year old Harry into a coma on the B6363 through Boggs Holdings shortly before school broke up for the summer. We had already extended the scope of your department’s original plan to include the Boggs, and would ask you to give serious consideration to how we improve the safety of both pedestrians and cyclists, young and old, on these stretches of road. The B6363 leads to and from many residential properties which currently lack a defined pavement or even a painted cycle lane. Lastly, there is the big ticket issue of a roundabout over the current crossroads. Many people welcome your department’s original suggestion of a roundabout at the eastern entrance into Pencaitland. However, a significant proportion of people have expressed concern about the necessary relocation of the War Memorial that this plan would require. We would like to propose a slightly altered version of the roundabout plan which would obviate the need to relocate the War Memorial from it’s general location today. Once you have had time to digest the views and proposals in the attached document and the associated visual on the map, we would appreciate the opportunity of having a follow up discussion with you to consider next steps and what your department can do to meet the desires of locals for safer roads and pavements for those living in and around Pencaitland. All the best Ralph |
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