Key safety improvements to a hazardous junction at West Lothian’s link to the Avon Gorge will be completed within this financial year, the council’s Executive heard.
The work is one of six road improvement projects agreed under the year's Accident Investigation Programme.
Gordon Brown the Roads and Transportation Manager told the Executive that programmes drawn up under the casualty reduction scheme which tackles proven accident problems represents “good value for money.”
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It is expected that five key casualty reduction schemes will be introduced this year on West Lothian’s road network - in addition to work at the Avon Gorge - a notorious black spot.
However, while welcoming the Avon Gorge lights Linlithgow Lib Dem Councillor Sally Pattle said improvement didn’t go far enough and called for lights at the A803 junction with the M9.
Transport Scotland has agreed to fund new traffic signals which will be installed at the A801 at the junction with A706 at the top of the Avon Gorge.
This casualty reduction project has joint funding and should be delivered this financial year (before the end March next year).
There has been decades of frustrating delays for both West Lothian and Falkirk councils in trying to upgrade the Avon Gorge route. Most recently bids to the UK government Levelling Up fund were rejected.
West Lothian Council bases work carried out under its casualty reduction schemes by using recorded accident data to analyse accidents which are formally recorded by Police Scotland.
Investigations are then carried out before proposals are produced and prioritised. This is combined with the availability of funding to implement the schemes.
Mr Brown said in a report to the Executive: “The casualty reduction programme is the council’s main opportunity to make a significant impact in meeting casualty reduction targets and this is backed up by national research and local results.
"The schemes prioritised for this financial year maximise the council’s investment through first year rate of return prioritisation and will deliver improvements across West Lothian."
The improvement work will mainly see upgraded signage, road markings and also resurfacing to improve road surface friction.
There will also be changes to speed limits, cutting the speed limit to 50 mph along rural parts of the A71.
Councillor Pattle said: “I wonder how the plans have been formulated. I’m delighted there’s going to be traffic signals put in at the Avon Gorge. That's fantastic. But on the junction with M9 at Linlithgow there’s only going sign alterations, road marking and colour surfacing. Why not traffic lights there when we all know how dangerous that junction is and its’ getting worse?”
Mr Brown said: “We are working with Police Scotland and BEAR who are responsible for the trunk road network. Through our investigations of the accidents at that location there's no justification for putting in traffic signals at the top of the slip road however the measures that we're putting forward will drastically remove the right turn problems at that junction."
He added that the council was looking at removing the traffic island and also in discussion with BEAR to see if it could provide funding to solve issues at the junction.
The five casualty reduction schemes will take place at: the A704 from A71 to A706; the A706 from boundary to Linlithgow; the A803 junction with the M9 Linlithgow, the B8084 South Street, Armadale and on the A71 from West Calder to the South Lanarkshire Council boundary.
Tom Conn, Executive councillor for the environment, and Labour member for Linlithgow, said: “This investment is put in place to reduce accidents and protect people. However I think motorists that use these roads will appreciate that these works will bring safety improvements.
"It’s important that when we introduce road safety measures they are installed in locations where they have the biggest impact in terms of accident prevention. The evidence highlights that these are areas that will benefit.”
