Saturday 20 June 2009
Claypotts Road could be grid locked and an accident black spot when the new Grove Academy is complete at the turn of the year and 300+ council staff move into converted offices in the old Grove buildings.
Ferry Councillor Laurie Bidwell warns,
“The new main entrance to Grove Academy, with access to the new school car park, will move into Claypotts Road adjacent to the junctions with Davidson Street and Ballinard Gardens. In addition to drop offs and teachers and visitors coming and going, these same parking spaces will be in demand by the public using the swimming pool and sports halls in the evenings and at weekends. With restricted sight lines because of the bend in Claypotts Road and fast flowing traffic, many manoeuvres in and out of the school car park, especially right turns, will be potentially hazardous.
The number of road traffic movements in the street will also be increased very significantly by the 300 plus City Council staff being moved into the converted offices in the Old Grove buildings. At peak times, especially at the beginning of the school and working day, there may be gridlock in Claypotts Road as school and council staff as well as pupils and their parents try to navigate the Claypotts Road bottle neck between Queen Street and Strathern Road.
Given the shortage of parking places in the Old Grove car park and only two thirds planned provision of car parking spaces for staff at the new Grove Academy, residents anticipating some relief when the building work finishes will doubtless find more parking connected with the school and the council offices spilling over into their surrounding streets. “
Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
“Ferry residents need to be reassured by a statement from Mike Galloway, Director of Transport and Planning, that the traffic planning for the new school and its recreational facilities for the wider public is not undertaken in isolation from the traffic and transport planning for the 300 plus Council staff being relocated in the Old Grove six months later. Furthermore, I think the public want to know that the necessary road safety measures will be in place before the new school site becomes operational. It’s absolutely crucial that we don’t wait for a serious injury to one of our pupils at the school to trigger traffic management changes that can surely be anticipated.”
