Road junction at ASDA to be remodelled?

Councillors have agreed to carry out public consultations across East Dunbartonshire to ensure the best possible transport strategies going forward.
Photo Emma Mitchell 10.05.16
Asda BearsdenPhoto Emma Mitchell 10.05.16
Asda Bearsden
Photo Emma Mitchell 10.05.16 Asda Bearsden

East Dunbartonshire Council is currently revising its Local Transport Strategy and will carry out an eight-week consultation exercise. This will include an online survey and drop-in events.

In his preface to the transport options report, Place, Neighbourhood and Corporate Assets convener Billy Hendry (Conservative, Bishopbriggs North and Campsie) said: “It is important that the council continue to make improvements to the transport network to ensure that there are attractive options in place to enable a shift to sustainable travel whilst ensuring that the network is accessible to all and is safer than ever before.

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Work has been ongoing to identify improvements that can be made and the council has gathered significant amounts of evidence and data since the last Local Transport Strategy.”

Options speicific to Bearsden and Milngavie include improving walking access to Mugdock Country Park.

As the park is already the gateway to the West Highland Way, this could promote participation in walking in the town and East Dunbartonshire as a whole.

The current infrastructure fails to build on Milngavie’s links to this important green space.

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Another preferred option is to establish an A81 Quality Bus Corridor.

This could involve providing real time passenger information for users of buses on the A81, improved bus stops and shelters, bus priority/congestion bypasses.

More than 90 per cent of Milngavie and Bearsden residents live within ten minutes’ walk of a bus stop and the council is looking to implement features to promote greater use of buses.

It is unlikely that a park and ride site will be created as it is felt journey times would not benefit sufficiently.

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One more option being promoted in the report is a 
review of parking arrangements at rail stations along the A81.

This could involve building more parking spaces at Milngavie, Westerton, Bearsden and Hillfoot, again to promote use of public transport.

An alternative option would be to extend the Bears Way cycleway but in September 2016 the council voted against this.

For road users, the council is considering building a gyratory roundabout at the A81/Roman Road/Roman Drive junction and remodelling the junction at ASDA.

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Bearsden and West Chapelton Avenue. There are also proposals to improve the traffic lights at Bearsden Cross as well as better signals 
and footpaths at Canniesburn Toll.

The council also plans to continue improving road safety features on the A809 and deliver on the plans it committed to under the Bearsden and Milngavie Town Centre Strategies.