Residents of Old Plean have called for their safety to be taken as seriously as that of locals at the other end of the village.
Petitioners who addressed a recent meeting of Stirling Council’s environment, housing and net zero committee said more needed to be done to reduce speeds on their stretch.
And they added that a 20mph limit introduced in the rest of the village had prompted many drivers to speed along their route even more often than before, despite a new crossing recently having been introduced.
They want a similar 20mph set up along with other speed limiting measures.
In the 120-signature petition, they said: “Since the speed limit reduction of 20mph for only half the village of Plean, now the main road in Old Plean has drivers speeding faster and more frequently than ever before.
“It has become a rat run for boy racers and speeding drivers. Residents entering and leaving residences constantly face the threat of someone hitting you side on or rear ending you as you do so.
“Also vulnerable residents of William Simpson’s [care home] and children walking to school are put at risk every day by speeding drivers both entering and leaving Old Plean.
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“This end of the village never seems to get the same consideration as the rest of the village despite the residents paying some of the highest council tax in the village.”
At the hearing, Old Plean resident and trustee of Plean Voice, Wendy McAlpine, was joined by William Simpson’s chief executive Zoe Nolan, in calling for more to be done. They were joined by Councillor Brian Hambly in his capacity as a local ward member.
They argued that any low footfall in their area was down to people being anxious to walk the route and cited a survey claiming half of around 2000 drivers going through Old Plean on a daily basis were breaking the 30mph limit.
However, council officials said lowering the speed limit at the Old Plean stretch might encourage some drivers to overtake, making it more dangerous. They added that an additional crossing was also already being planned for an area near Plean Parish Church, and a range of other signs and measures had been or would be introduced on the route. Budgets also had to be prioritised, they said, to deal with routes where data showed there was most risk, and the statistics for Old Plean did not justify that.
The officers added that speed bumps and other measures had recently been introduced at the other end of the village because of the busier footfall around the local shops in that area and the higher incidence of accidents.
They said: “Personal injury accident rates are low [for Old Plean] with only one slight accident in the last five years.
“For comparison, there have been four slight accidents and one serious accident on the A9 in the central village area of Plean over the same period. This supports the council’s decision to prioritise spending on traffic management and road safety projects in the central village area.
“Traffic surveys undertaken in October 2021 show the average speed of vehicles in Old Plean are within the expected levels for a 30mph limit area.
“Officers will continue to monitor this area and will take action to mitigate road safety concerns as they arise. They will also monitor the A9 through Old Plean with a view to reducing the speed limit to 20mph as soon as the prevailing road environment supports its implementation.”
Committee chair Councillor Jen Preston said a number of issues needed to be looked at in closer detail as a result of the hearing.
These included: that Police Scotland’s roads policing unit should be approached for further discussions; what impact the newly approved housing development at Cushenquarter could have on the roads situation and whether traffic measures introduced as part of that could have an influence; and a closer look at footpath usage.
She also agreed committee members should make a site visit.
Councillor Preston said: “All of these questions remain unanswered and I would like us to come back to reconsider. We will bring it back to our meeting in September.”
