Campaigners are a step closer to winning their battle for a crossing to an Angus village hall, after councillors voted to bring forward fully-costed proposals for the project.
The bid to secure a crossing for the Muirhead and Birkhill Millennium Hall has been a key issue for weeks, generating a 1275-signature petition brought to the full Angus Council meeting in Forfar on Thursday in support of Councillor Jean Lee’s motion to press ahead with the scheme.
Elected members also heard from two residents, including mum Evelyn Scanlan, who told the chamber, “Now is the time for Angus Council to make Muirhead Hall safe for everyone.”
The campaign began in light of growing safety fears for those trying to cross the A923 to get to the busy hall, including the elderly and children.
Mrs Scanlan said, “There have been surveys but I as a parent have carried out my own 16-year traffic survey and risk assessment, and I have decided not to let my children cross that busy road on their own.”
Mrs Lee described the case for a crossing as “compelling” on a road she said carried four million vehicles a year.
She said, “The elderly and children need a 12-second gap to cross the road safely vehicles are coming at one every eight seconds.
“This is a unique situation the building that people want to get to is on the other side of a road that is very busy and very dangerous to cross.”
Her motion was seconded by fellow Monifieth and Sidlaw councillor John Whyte, whose vote helped swing the outcome against an amendment put forward by Alliance councillor Margaret Thomson diluting the strength of the wording over the danger and seeking a review of the criteria for lights-controlled crossings in the county.
Alliance leader Bob Myles said policy had to be followed for installing crossings or the council would be “inundated” with requests.
He said, “If the need has not been determined by criteria then there is a very strong reason for reviewing that criteria so we can be even-handed across the council area.”
By 15 votes to 14 the council agreed that a danger exists to pedestrians wishing to cross the road.
The infrastructure services director has been told to bring forward a report in August with fully-costed proposals and funding options for a lights-controlled crossing.