‘Green street’ idea pursued
A survey is to be carried out to find out if it would be feasible to convert a key route out of Riverside into a ‘green street’.
If the proposal were to go ahead it would mean only bikes, pedestrians and emergency services would be able to use Lovers Walk.
The ‘green street’ suggestion was put to Riverside Community Council by a member of the public during a consultation into how best to spend £10,000 allocated by Stirling Council for improvements to Lovers Walk.
Sections of two railway bridges, which cross Lovers Walk, are covered in bird droppings and dead pigeons have been found there.
Loose paving stones were also discovered at the nearby viewing platform and there have been complaints about the smell from sewage pipes there.
Community council chairperson Joan Murphy told their monthly meeting, last Wednesday, they had met with council officials to discuss improvements to road and sought the views of residents on how the money should be spent.
It had already been made clear the community council did not want the £10,000 to go on work Stirling Council and other landowners in the area should be doing anyway.
Ms Murphy said the meeting with officials had been positive and roads maintenance team leader Kenny Sneddon had agreed that over the next four to six weeks essential maintenance work would be carried out at Lovers Walk.
This is likely to involve cutting back vegetation, cleaning up the area, repainting signs and tackling broken slabs – and the bill for the work is not to come out of the £10,000.
Regarding the suggestions from the public on how best to spend the money, Ms Murphy added: “One was to block up Lovers Walk and make it a ‘green street’ with no traffic and no cars. There are a lot of questions about that. It would make it more difficult to get out, and if (the proposal) was agreed it would take up the whole £10,000.”
She added: “If we as a community want to think about it as a ‘green street,’ we will need a lot more information. (Council) officers are going to carry out a traffic survey to find out how many vehicles use Lovers Walk at different times of the day.”
Ms Murphy admitted the suggestion was contentious and some people would “hate” the idea but it was felt they had to assess the feasibility of the proposal.
She underlined after the meeting that the community council had not endorsed the ‘green street’ plan but were listening to what people were suggesting and would consider the needs of the whole community before proceeding further. It was acknowledged that the move would require community consent if it was to go ahead.
Stirling North SNP councillor Jim Thomson, who attended the community council meeting, said if the survey showed the ‘green street’ scheme would adversely impact traffic problems at the junction of Seaforth Place and Goosecroft Road then it would be a non-starter.
He also anticipated “resistance” to the idea from people living in Causewayhead.
A resident attending the meeting said closure to traffic of Lovers Walk would increase the number of vehicles on Forth Street, which was often congested with parked cars.
Another spoke of the tailback of cars along Lovers Walk, from the Clock Roundabout, during school-run time.
Community councillors hope to receive an update from Stirling Council officials regarding Lovers Walk in time for the next meeting on November 27.