A new consultation on a range of proposed changes to Henderson Street and Fountain road is available for your consideration and comments. The closing date for comments is midnight on the 9th of January. Find the proposals here: Engage Stirling
Experiences with traffic, speeding, parking, walking and cycling in the village generate many comments, questions and requests to the Community Council. We try and deal with issues as they arise such as reporting potholes or paving defects and requesting increased enforcement. In a more strategic approach we have been involved in a community parking management plan, which has unfortunately been delayed due to the pandemic.
In September we participated in a walk around with Living Streets, elected councillors, Stirling Council representatives from Traffic Management and residents to consider the street lay out for a range of community members and situations such as morning drop off at the primary school. After this a number of locations have been identified for changes or further consideration. These include improving access by installing dropped kerbs and awareness of the need for householders to ensure vegetation from their property does not encroach onto the pavement.
Henderson Street Consultation
Now your views are welcomed on a range of proposals on Henderson Street, which aim to address the concerns of residents about the excessive speeding along this busy route. The proposals have been produced by a working group of Stirling Council officers, Police Scotland and local elected members which included representatives from Bridge of Allan Community Council and from the residents of Henderson Street.
The proposals are for a number of changes to the street layout. This includes pavement build-outs along key stretches of Henderson Street in order to narrow the road sufficiently to encourage drivers to slow down. Formalising of parking areas, changes to bus stop layout, changes to road markings including removal of the centre line in some areas.
The full plans and details can be found on the Engage Stirling Platform. Here you can review the plans and make your comments. Looking at google street view along side the drawing plans is a helpful reminder of the current and past layouts.
The deadline for comments is midnight on the 9th of January to allow the project to progress. The Community Council will be discussing the plans and consultation comments at our meeting on the 16th of January and the team at Stirling Council will take note of concerns raised in our discussion.
The Consultation designs are proposed on 5 pdf documents, these are summarised here:
- Removal of the centre line from Keir Street roundabout to junction with Graham Street, additional formal parking from Lumia to existing double yellows outside 129b.
- Build out of pavement where footpath from Lower Westerton Wood meets Henderson Street, centre line retained over the brow of hill, bus stop layby infilled and bus stops on road.
- Marked parking outside 105 and 108 ,before the junction with Melville place. Parking outside 81-89 up to double yellows and keeping access clear.
- Build out by parking outside flooring studio, outside Lockhart & Taylor footway bus stop infilled.
- There is no drawing 5, this proposal was withdrawn after early discussion.
- New zebra crossing on Fountain road at junction with Keir Street. (Note the layout of co-op will be changing with the store is rebuilt).
I fail to see how any of these details/ amendments will slow speeding down! Would it not be more feasible for the 20 mile a hour speed limit to start and finish at the village boundaries?
Henderson St in total length is a main A road. Any limitations in parking would be better , not more!
Kier St is even more restrictive due to student parking, the university needs to allow free parking in its grounds for students!
I am concerned about how these proposed changes to Henderson street will impact on Keir street. Traffic is already diverting to Keir street as Henderson can be so busy. My parked car has been smashed into twice – on one occasion completely written off because of the speed drivers come along this road. It doesn’t feel safe, especially at busy times in the morning when children are trying to cross. In my opinion these proposed changes to Henderson street will undoubtedly cause many more drivers to opt for Keir street as their easier option to get through the village quickly.
Hi Rona, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Current traffic calming measures with 20 mile speed limit has had limited effect as there are no measures in place to enforce it .
The proposed removal of bus bay opposite Lumia is unlikely to enhance current traffic calming only causing a tail back of traffic who are unable to overtake the stationary bus
The removal of bus bay outside Lockhart and Taylor will cause traffic to queue behind . Pedestrian safety on the crossing will be compromised as drivers view and that of pedestrians will be compromised
Waiting time at Pelican crossing requires to be shortened as waiting time is too lengthy
A Pedestrian crossing would be welcomed in Fountain Road but not where it is currently proposed best postponed until new coop is in situ . It is too close to Kier Street for traffic to negotiate safe turning into Fountain Road
Pavement build outs between Lockhart and Taylor and Flooring Studio will result in loss of parking areas . This could have a detrimental impact for businesses located along this stretch of road
Removal of the loading bay outside Tesco should be considered once the premises are occupied improving pedestrian safety on pelican crossing
Suggestion of formal parking between 81 -89 Henderson street and 105-108 Henderson Street and outside Lumia to 129b will only serve to narrow road width .
All of this can only lead to increased congestion along Henderson Street with queueing traffic creating increased air and noise pollution. Hardly a Green Solution moving forward . Kier Street is becoming busier as people are using this to avoid present congestion periods on Henderson Street.
Maybe a better solution is to work with what we have in place at present and consider ways to enforce the 20 mile speed limit something which many car and large articulated l vehicles choose to ignore
Slowing down the traffic on Henderson St.
This requires enforcement of the 20mph limit and, possibly, its extension. Devices such as having buses stop on the carriageway, increases the pollution by demanding a stop/start flow of the traffic. I observe a slowing down of traffic within the local 20 mile zones and this needs further encouragement by neon speed signs and mobile or fixed cameras.
The new parking area opposite no 99/101 is directly across from a bus stop and cannot be supported. A car passing a bus stopped at 58 comes upon the crossing immediately at the end of his/her manoeuvre.
All in all these are minimal changes unlikely to solve either the parking problem in Bridge of Allan or reduce the speed of traffic through it.
Hi Douglas, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Hi Robert, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
With the additional buildout along Henderson Street proposed outside Lockhart and Taylor and the Flooring Studio, the number of parking spaces are being reduced.
This will have a detrimental effect on the trade in the area as parking continues to be an issue in the town.
There is no long term solution by the council on this issue and they have not as yet addressed the issue of the severe reduction of parking when the coop development commences and the associated car park closes. I would hope as a minimum the work proposed win this study does not commence until the coop development is completed.
I agree with measures to deal with the speeding but I have raised speeding in Keir Street on numerous occasions with the local councillors. Any speed restrictions in Henderson Street are highly likely to divert traffic to Keir Street and worsen the current speeding, despite the 20mph limits.
There was an accident a few months ago at the Keir Street / Melville Place junction where a car failed to stop at the give way and hit another car. It hit the car at such force it pushed it onto its side. According to the police speed was not factor, so how does a car travelling at 20mph hit another car forcing it onto its side. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that it was speed. I suspect an element of backside covering from the police otherwise they would be required to do more, they do very little as it is about speeding in the village.
I agree with the previous comment, I don’t see how these proposals will resolve the speeding in Henderson Street, and restrictions need to be the length of Henderson Street, as speeding is also bad near the Museum Apartment end.
More needs to be done, it’s a start but it’s taken this long just to get to this stage. Stirling Council and Police need to get their act together.
The most effective measure I have seen is the speed warning sign that lights up when a vehicle is travelling at over the set speed limit. Surely this would be cheaper, faster and more obvious reminder to excess speeding. Could also be implemented faster too I would think. One sign at each end of Henderson Street and forget the proposals altogether as they seem overly complicated anyway.
Possibly the most concerning aspect of these proposals, which is not clear from the drawings, is the removal of the bus lay-bys at the top of Graham St and outside Lockhart and Taylors. The result is that buses will require to stop on the carriageway. The reason why there is a lay-by at Graham St is that the stop is at the top of a blind summit. At Lockhart and Taylors it is immediately before the zebra crossing. By removing these lay-bys you are creating a serious traffic hazard for overtaking cars and cyclists and in the case of the situation at the zebra crossing there is no sight line for vehicles passing a stationery bus to any pedestrian crossing from the south side of the street exposing pedestrians to serious risk. As for the Fountain Rd pedestrian crossing it would perhaps better to leave any consideration re the provision of the crossing here until the Coop development has been completed.
Cars need to wait for buses to move off again, rather than trying to overtake them: it’s only a minute or two, at the most!
No they don’t. They are advised to let them out once they are ready to leave but it’s not a law. PS. I do let them out.
I live in Causewayhead of which most of the traffic fails to obey the 20 mph speed limit in the vicinity of Easter Cornton Road housing estates.
When it comes to driving between Causewayhead and Bridge of Allan it is not much better as recently I was overtaken by a speeding white 3.5tonne Mercedes Panel van heading towards the town centre. The van operator I estimate was driving well over 40mph.
What is the objective? If to slow down traffic, then extend the 20mph and install average speed cameras. Any reduction in parking will have a detrimental impact on trade and the local shops, and access for older residents/visitors to the Main Street who can’t walk from other streets/car parks. Absolutely against non-essential roadworks, which are unlikely to resolve the issue, when the NHS is on its knees – divert the spend to a budget pot that is in more need at this present time.
Hi Jane, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Parking should be restricted to one side of Henderson Street at any one time. People who live along either Keir Street or Henderson Street and have driveways should park their cars there. It would be a disaster to remove the bus lay-bys.
Hi, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
It is difficult to follow the plans exactly on a mobile phone but it appears that many of the solutions being proposed relate to parking or bus stops as opposed to dealing with speeding. I would be against any reduction in parking spaces but I fails to see how any of these plans encourage greater use of walking or cycling.
I am disappointed that there is no proposal for a pedestrian crossing at the Memorial Park end of the village. Attempting to cross the road at this end of the village is high risk due to volume and speed of traffic. Given this is a walking route to university and Wallace high school as well as the nursery then I would urge this to be considered.
Hi Jo, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Do not agree that taking away bus stop pull ins , new parking bays and other measures to narrow road are a good way to force traffic to slow down along Henderson street.
Passengers using buses will have to go into the road to alight/disembark – will this give accessibility and safety issues to bus users?
This is the A9 and we need the traffic to flow through the town smoothly and predictably and not come to a complete standstill and have drivers forced into unpredictable, unsafe manoeuvres. It is bad enough just now, with drivers doing u turns at mini roundabouts and, even, Fountain Road.
Narrowing the road will cause issues with Lorries driving through the village, causing them to force oncoming cars to drive nearer the pavements which are often busy. This is the case near Allanwater Cafe at present.
We do not use the Zebra crossing as feel it is too dangerous. Much happier to use the Pelican light crossings. Concerned over safety of another Zebra crossing in Fountain Road and the site which appears to be very close the road junction with Keir Street and the entrance to the car park. Therefore same issues as Henderson Zebra crossing where it is often ignored by drivers and misused by pedestrians stepping out without looking
Parking on Keir Street needs reviewing as cars parked on both side of road, either side of Fountain road have reduce the exit and entrance to this road junction to one car width. Yes it slows the cars, but reduces road safety as other drivers and pedestrians less easy to spot.
Would prefer to see 20 mph start earlier than Melville Place junction and use of speed measuring/traps used. V concerned to see a parking bay immediately to one side of the junction with Melville – visibility/road safety issues for those exiting Melville Place onto Henderson St.
Fear that more obstructions on Henderson street will encouraged more drivers to use Keir Street instead.
Can STOP junction be created at junction with Melville Place rather than Give Way?
Would like to see money spent on improving the pavements around the village as many are uneven and not safe for pedestrians.
If drivers carry out “unsafe manoeuvres” it will be because of bad driving – not because they’re being “forced” to carry out those manoeuvres.
Hi Ann, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Speeding seems to be the central issue and these proposals don’t seem to tackle this issue but focus on buses, parking but not he main complaint of speed.
There is no provision for safe crossing on Henderson street opposite memorial
Park, this a wide road, school
Busses drop off here and the children do not have safe crossing, this section has a speeding problem.
Hi Jill, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Removing the centre line must be one of the daftest ideas ever. Did it win a prize?
Concerned of huge safety issues and obstruction with new parking at 99/101
Opposite a bus stop.
Also concern at repositioning of bus stop at 58 where bus will have to stop in the road so causing obstruction and a build up of traffic
Hi Janette, please let Stirling Council know your views on their consultation: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/henderson-street-traffic-management
Speeding along Henderson Street continues to be a cause for concern, and as a resident I agree that changes are required.
It does need to be acknowledged that 99, 99A and 101 do not have off-street parking therefore parking in the road is necessary. (I note that 99A is missing from the plan)
I recently contacted the council to enquire about moving the existing bus stop to help with the parking challenges we already face. (There is currently insufficient space for 1 car per property without blocking the bus stop or access into the proposed care-home.) Following a site visit I was advised that there were no parking restrictions for the bus stop therefore we didn\’t need to avoid parking where the bus stop is.
These plans show a marked-out bus stop with double yellow lines, and parking bays on the opposite side of the road! This looks dangerous to traffic users exiting Melville Place, which is already a difficult junction to see right. Add to this the bus stopping directly opposite the parking bays and you completely stop the flow of traffic in both directions thus increasing pollution.
The plans don\’t suggest that the parking bays will be allocated to residents who will lose the right to park outside their own properties, and will be endangered having to cross a busy A9 trunk road to access their vehicles.
Having no parking outside these properties will also impede us from ever installing electric car charging points.
Has anyone considered the use of average speed cameras through the village as an alternative to the cost of the proposed changes?