Sunday, September 27, 2015

What is the best way forward for the removal of traffic lights? What does the community tell the Scottish Government experts when they come to Nairn?

In a previous post we reported how Fergus Ewing MSP had recently received a letter from the senior official in the Scottish Government Transport Trunk Roads division which confirms that there will now be a fresh consultation with local people on the thorny Nairn traffic lights issue.” 

The senior official concerned states: “Transport Scotland will establish a local focus group involving the community, local councillors, council officials and other parties at which a number of options/scenarios for the traffic signals that the community wish to have examined can be considered, agreed and then progressed to a modelling exercise. Results from this can then be presented back to the group (noting issues like the impacts on trunk and local traffic flows, where delays might occur or be transferred to, impact on ability for school children/pedestrians/cyclists/disabled people to cross the A96 etc).”

So when the community engages with the experts just what do we tell them? What would you replace the traffic lights with? 

Fergus also told the Gurn:

 “This issue has been pursued by me over this period with the Transport officials, and I am very pleased that they have now recognised that change must be seriously considered. The letter confirms that the transport officials will at long last consider alternative options - such as fewer lights, and different locations - and modelling will be undertaken of those options, and the results of that modelling shared, before putting conclusions to my colleague and friend Derek MacKay the Transport Minister. Many different opinions have been expressed to me about the lights. Some say there are just too many. Others argue that they are wrongly situated. The Mobility access panel have pointed out failures to take account of needs of persons with particular needs. And some people have argued all these points!” 

What would you say to the officials? Any Gurnites out there with ideas about what would come after lights were removed? What are the priorities for removal and what could be done quickly and effectively? Very soon it will be time for us to tell the experts our thoughts. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps along with a review of the location and number of lights, the panel could consider peak time use only of the minor junctions e.g. seabank road, Albert street etched.

Anonymous said...

Remove lights at Seabank Rd and Albert Street, should never have been put there.
Change the timing of the lights at the bottom of the High Street, they appear to sit at red longer than most crossings?
Remove the lights at the Merryton/Broadhill Junction and replace with a Mini Roundabout.

SORTED.

Last time i saw so many red lights, was in Amsterdam... oooh err.....

Neenanoo

Anonymous said...

Just remove all the lights, Nairn was ok for long enough without them

Anonymous said...

Get a chain attach one end to a car the other to a traffic light and pull.

Anonymous said...

were the lights not put there so people getting onto the A96 from their homes , could do just that, get onto it, rather than having to wait a considerable length of time before some kind soul(s) would let them in.

the high street lights at both ends could be removed if they pedestrian the high street, there is plenty of access from the library/co-op car park direct onto the high street, and only disabled badges could use the high street if required.

sainsburys pedestrian lights could be an underpass , and the lights near the shell station could be a mini roundabout quite easily.

the simple fact of the matter is the a96 should not go through nairn at all.
but the council buried its head in the sand, just like the White Bridge newar Cawdor and any kind of real walking/cycling/bus/public transport infrastructure for us to ditch the car and use the feet/bike/train&bus