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Dumfries and Galloway community campaigns for reduced speed limit and new bus stop

A community is campaigning for a reduced speed limit on a country road to improve safety.

Torthorwald Community Council wants to see the B724 reduced from a 60mph to a 40mph zone from Racks, through Greenlea and down to the A75 bypass.

Members are concerned about the safety of pedestrians on a narrow pavement along the road used by children walking to school and pedestrians heading to the bus stop.

Millar Cameron, vice chairman of the community council, said: “There are more young families living in the area which means soon they will be able to walk to school.

“But as it stands with cars doing 60mph on the road, and the path people can walk on being very narrow, it’s quite dangerous.

“That’s why it’s important to start this now so that the zone is set up in time for kids starting school.”

The community council has also been trying to install a shelter in Greenlea for seven years but say they have made no progress on the authority’s waiting list.

Currently only one side of the road has a bricked up stop while the other is just a few slabs of concrete on the ground.

Jean Cameron, from the community council said: “We’re not asking for anything fancy. We’re just looking for a basic bus stop like the one at the bottom of the road.

“We’ve been trying to get a bus stop here for more than seven years now, it’s ridiculous.”

With more young people living in the area that will be able to walk to nearby Collin Primary, as well as an elderly population, the move is “common sense” according to the group.

The community council’s campaign has the backing of Councillor Maureen Johnstone.

The Lochar ward representative said: “I think it’s a very dangerous situation standing over there.

“Anything that can be done, including a reduction in the speed limit to 40mph, needs to be looked at.

“Especially when you have young and elderly people that might be infirm or unsteady on their feet, there’s not much room there.

“It’s been on the cards for more than seven years and I think it’s time something was done. It’s only a bus stop and look at the difference it will make. The situation is ridiculous.”

Dumfries and Galloway Council said the responsibility for new shelters lay with SWestrans.

A spokesperson said: “The provision of bus shelters is managed and funded through our capital programme with all shelter requests scored using an agreed criteria to provide a prioritised list of proposed locations for the bus shelter provision/ replacement programme. This programme is considered and agreed annually by the SWestrans Board and was last agreed at its meeting on November 25 2022. The shelter request at Greenlea sits in joint 29th place on the prioritised programme.

“Requests for new/replacement shelters are received throughout the year with funding currently allowing for the provision/replacement of 5 to 8 shelters per year.”



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