Published: Wednesday, 8th October, 2008 09:35
Road crossing danger
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The new traffic light crossing in Yoker’s Kelso Street, supposedly for the safety of children at Garscadden and St Brendan’s primaries, makes not the least bit of difference.
It has been installed exactly where the lollipop man stands.
The lollipop man is still there and it is him who is pressing the button.
He is also using his stick to hold up traffic when the red man is on and the traffic lights are green — infuriating for drivers I would imagine.
For those of us who walk up Kelso Street from Dumbarton Road, Halley Street has to be conquered before we can get access to the lollipop person.
Halley Street is more dangerous than Kelso Street because it is a straight road between Hawick Street and Kelso Street, and cars speed along.
A relief lollipop man was on duty just before the traffic lights were installed.
He realised that he had taken a few groups of children across Kelso Street but my daughter and I were still at the corner of Kelso Street and Halley Street.
He came over and took us across Halley Street then Kelso Street and said: “I didn’t realise the roads were so deadly around here.”
He came to our aid when he saw us approach the next day — thank you.
The traffic lights do not stop traffic turning left from Kelso Street or right from Halley Street onto Kelso Street.
I phoned the council’s roads department to ask why only one set of lights had been installed.
I was told the person dealing with it was not in and I would be better to put my query in writing.
Unfortunately, the council has not acknowledged my letter.
Our second most dangerous road is Dunwan Avenue, Yoker, the street that gives access to the school.
Cars speed there and it is a bus route, and the road is already narrow as residents have to park on one side.
The school is an island.
With the exception of the janitor’s children who live next to the school all pupils have to cross the road to get there.
The road is a nightmare but there has not been enough accidents to qualify for a lollipop person.
The lollipop man tells us he uses his stick because the traffic lights take too long.
Until recently the lights on Dumbarton Road near Hawick Street changed as soon as you touched the button, which was good for traffic and pedestrians because the lights were only red when the crossing was in operation, allowing traffic to flow freely.
Now it has been changed and pedestrians have a long time to wait.
The Planning department obviously was not sent to Kelso Street when it decided to install the crossing.
I would stick to crossing Kelso Street on the railway bridge where I can see all traffic and the road is narrower — that is safer.
Gail Miller, Yoker
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