Drivers see red at new Barloan traffic lights

Sep 12 2008 by Marc McLean, Lennox Herald (main ed)

MOTORISTS are calling for the traffic lights to be removed from Dumbarton’s disaster roundabout.

Taxi drivers, bus drivers and other members of the public have all hit out after traffic lights began operating at Barloan Roundabout last Monday night.

The roundabout had been described an “an accident waiting to happen” following changes to its layout as part of the £60m Lomondgate housing and business development.

Now, furious drivers are also facing huge tailbacks, even at off-peak times.

Taxi driver Jim Stevenson, of Redburn, Bonhill, said: “The traffic has been horrendous, particularly coming from Townend Road. Last Thursday, I picked a couple up at Morrisons at 11.35am and it took me 20 minutes to drop them off at their home in Whiteford Avenue (Bellsmyre). It should only have taken 10 minutes at the most because the road should have been dead at that time.

“All the taxi drivers and bus drivers will tell you the same thing.

“If the traffic lights were taken away the traffic would flow.”

Helensburgh man John Black added: “The traffic lights at Barloan roundabout should be turned off. The situation was reasonably under control when there were no lights, but since they were switched on there have been nothing but problems.

“Someone needs to take action over this.

“On Friday around 11am there were traffic cones out on the A82 and nothing was happening. That just contributed to the problem.”

Dumbarton driver Shaun Byars said: “You expect queues after work or a bit earlier on a Friday afternoon, but there have been large tailbacks as early as 12.30pm.

“Surely it’s not going to be like this every day?”

He added: “When you get to the roundabout it’s a total nightmare because two lanes have basically been made into three and it’s hard to tell which one you should be in.

“A few drivers have cut out in front of me but I don’t really blame them, as it’s pretty confusing.”

Walker Group, the company behind the multi-million Lomondgate development, insist that a hi-tech traffic management system has been installed to try and minimise delays – but that the benefits will not be seen until mid-November.

A spokesman for the company explained: “The recently-completed road works at Lomondgate and Barloan roundabouts on the A82 incorporate highly sophisticated, ‘intelligent’ traffic signalling systems.

“These signals can react and adapt to the flow of traffic and will, after a period of some two to three weeks, regulate the junction at optimum capacity.

“While final landscaping and direction signing work is in progress, however, the signal control software will be receiving irregular, poor quality information. These works will continue until the end of October, and will require weekday, off-peak (9.30am to 3.30pm) lane closures.

“It will therefore be mid-November before the traffic flows settle to a normal pattern, after which the software will compute the signal settings to minimise delays.

“Both the Walker Group and Strathleven Regeneration Company would take this opportunity to thank all road users for their continuing patience while these important works are finalised.”