Traffic system is a joke
Sir, – Since moving back to the area at the beginning of the year, I have found the road management systems in and around Elgin a bit of a joke, making it look like Roundabout City – almost as bad as Nairn, the Red Light City.
For the last few months, there have been ongoing arguments on the Elgin ring-road system. Is it not time that local councillors and the head of the roads department got their backsides kicked for so much indecision and back-biting? Would it not be better to take stock of the existing ring road and do a complete facelift of what is already in place?
Starting at the western entrance at the River Lossie Bridge, resurface the road, installing high-visibility road markings where required. Get rid of all these roundabouts and install high-visibility zebra crossings at the Dr Gray’s junction, putting down proper road markings with perhaps a mini-roundabout for traffic doubling back up Pluscarden Road.
Continue down towards the High Street and again install high-visibility road markings and signage at the junction, with a zebra crossing on the western side of Hay Street. Down towards the next junction, install a zebra crossing across Haugh Road, to Tesco. Remove the roundabout or replace it with a mini one, giving clear road markings for all traffic. Take away the traffic lights and replace with a zebra crossing.
Moving down to the North Street junction: let’s have a yellow box to allow traffic to flow, and at the town hall make the roundabout a mini one with clear road markings. Replace the traffic lights with a zebra crossing.
Up to the next roundabout in the vicinity of South College Street: reduce the size of the circle to provide room for traffic to flow freely. Also reduce the size of the Pansport roundabout, with clear road markings and, if possible, slip roads to the left into Pansport Road and more all round the junction.
Then sort out that roundabout towards Aberdeen, at the top of the hill at Linkwood.
All this would surely create better traffic management, and may be a lot less expensive then the ideas that are floating about. It does not affect housing and the expensive legal costs incurred through moving families out of their homes.
So let’s see common sense prevail by making use of the road structures that are already in place. It works in Nairn, apart from all the newly installed traffic lights that slow down flow. Get the traffic system right now and the economy of Elgin will take care of itself.
Elgin High Street needs a far better revamp. Taxis parked up along the shop fronts don’t bring money into shops; move them and introduce short-stay parking bays of 30 minutes’ maximum for customers.
They tell me Moray Council is spending £4 million on a new office block, but spare a thought for the people of Elgin who keep the council staff in jobs.
Yours etc,
Robbie Russell,
Cooper Street,
Bishopmill,
Elgin.
