Scotland’s transport secretary has broken her silence after hundreds of complaints about delays at the Swallow Roundabout.
Fiona Hyslop was invited to visit the Dundee junction after motorists hit out at new traffic lights and markings installed at the city’s western entrance.
Commuters have complained about journey times between Perthshire and Dundee doubling since the changes, while a safety audit has highlighted how “confusing” markings on the road could lead to crashes.
Despite being handed a dossier with complaints from more than 1,000 drivers by Carse of Gowrie councillor Angus Forbes, Ms Hyslop has turned down an invitation to visit the roundabout.
However, she insists that work is being done to try to improve traffic flows.
Transport secretary says traffic flows being monitored at Swallow Roundabout
In a letter to the councillor, Ms Hyslop insisted the lights and markings were “necessary to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic” following the construction of new homes at Dykes of Gray.
Ms Hyslop said: “An important part of the new layout features dedicated crossing facilities for those walking and cycling, allowing the public to safely cross the road, even during the busiest times.
“These features will mean parents, children and commuters will have the facility to walk and cycle from the Dykes of Gray development.
“It is likely to take some time for drivers to fully adapt to the new road layout at what is already an extremely busy part of the trunk road network, and we would encourage road users to plan their journeys accordingly as some delays may be anticipated, particularly at peak times.”
The SNP politician told Mr Forbes that “when first installed, the developer (Springfield) monitored the flow of traffic at this location in order to minimise the timings”.
She added: “I would like to assure you that all organisations will continue to monitor the flows of traffic to inform on potential improvements to the functionality while ensuring this route is as effective as possible for both motorised and non-motorised road users travelling in the area.”
The Swallow Roundabout will eventually come under the control of Amey on behalf of the government agency Transport Scotland, but remains under the control of Springfield for now.
Mr Forbes said he was “disappointed” with the transport secretary’s response.
He said: “I really had hoped she would find time to come and visit the site, and I had constituents offering to allow her to join them on their daily commute.
“The fact that the safety audit has flagged up the signage issue is good but it was so obvious, I really don’t think it needed a safety audit to establish this.”
He added: “The lack of any concern about the sequence of the lights is a real worry for me.
“Clearly it’s causing big problems, not just for people sitting in the traffic but also for Kingoodie and Longforgan.
“At some point, this will become part of the trunk road network and Amey will be responsible for it.
“I’ll just have to keep raising it with them.”
Springfield says it is still considering the findings of the safety audit, and due to a “strict process” involving multiple agencies, it cannot put a timeline on when any changes may be carried out.
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