Two new roundabouts and a pedestrian crossing with signals are being proposed for the main road in Calderbank following an assessment prompted by residents’ road safety concerns.
Roads officials are proposing roundabouts at the junctions of Main Street with both Crowwood Road and Calder Street, as well as upgrades to the existing mini-roundabout at English Row, to “improve the operation of these junctions and act as a traffic-calming measure”.
The plans also include new traffic lights north of Park Road, close to Calderbank Primary, as “a location with no crossing provision and [which is] shown to have pedestrian demand”; plus improved speed limit signage and road markings at the entrances to the village.
A public consultation to gather the views of resident and road users on the proposals is currently taking place online and runs until March 21.
It comes after studies were carried out along the length of the main B802 road through Calderbank in September in response to safety concerns raised by local residents – who highlighted vehicle speeds and the growing volume of traffic using the local route since the completion of the nearby M8 improvement projects.
Council officials say: “The consultation will give the community the opportunity to provide feedback on a range of potential road safety improvements; following [its closure] we will review the responses and finalise the agreed proposals.”
Researchers measured the traffic using Main Street in over a 12-hour period and found that the overall volume had reduced by nine per cent or 92 vehicles per hour since a previous study in March 2019 – but that heavy goods vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes had increased by three per cent in that time.
Click here for more news from the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser
They now account for more than one in 10 of the vehicles on the village route; while the study also determined the number of “through trips” not starting or ending in the village and calculated that three quarters of the 10,024 vehicles using Calderbank’s main road during the survey period did not have a stopping point in the area.
Analysis to find the speeds “at or below which 85 percent of all vehicles are observed to travel” showed that most traffic moves along Main Street at between 32 and 38mph, with the highest speeds of 41mph being recorded at the village’s southern end, closest to the motorway.
Researchers concluded: “It needs to be recognised that there is currently no obvious and attractive alternative to the B802 [and] there are limited options to influence the numbers of vehicles passing within the village.
“From the review of the speed and flow data, the recommendation to introduce mini-roundabouts at two locations would provide a level of traffic calming and help to discourage through vehicle movements.
“The only location where speeds are significantly higher than the posted limit is at the Calderbank village entry sign where [it] changes from 40mph to 30mph – it is recommended that additional signage and road markings are introduced to reinforce the transition.”
Pedestrian surveys also showed that the already-planned crossing near New Lane “will serve an existing demand”, but concluded: “The results also show that an additional crossing north of Park Road would be beneficial, considering the traffic flows and speeds within the village.”
The reports and online consultation is available at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/traffic-studies and anyone requiring assistance in accessing the information can call 0141 414 1888 for assistance.
Residents have until March 21 to give their views on whether they would like to see the introduction of the mini-roundabouts, pedestrian crossing and new road markings, plus any further comments on road safety improvements in the village.
