By Ross Collie

It is nearly impossible to drive through Stirling just now, without finding the road blocked with red barriers, cones, diggers and men hard at work. It is clear, many changes are coming to city’s roads – new cycling lanes and a pedestrianised station forecourt, leading to safer roads for all.

Many large works can be found on Stirling’s Goosecroft Road, as Network Rail aims to refurbish Stirling’s train station. Further up the road, more roadworks are found as works are done on the pavements by Travelodge. Travelling from one end of the road to the other, a driver could be stopped at six red lights. Any traffic at Murray Place also suffers, leaving the city centre at a near standstill during the daytime.

Causewayhead Road is also suffering with long queues of traffic. The student rush to campus classes, combined with the daily school run to Wallace High creates a sloth-paced crawl of traffic, and tailbacks which jam roundabouts at either end of the road.

The mass of standstill vehicles paralyses other forms of transport. Buses around the Stirling area can’t be relied upon, as they will inevitably run late. The next best option for those in a hurry would be a taxi. However, they only become more expensive as a result of the hold-ups; not to mention that many of Stirling’s residents can’t afford a taxi daily.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, Stirling residents were already struggling to rely on public transport. Many of Stirling’s bus routes – once operated by First Bus – is now run by McGill’s, which acquired the regional division this September. The company publishes a laundry list of bus cancellations daily on various routes, with several student routes struggling to accommodate the high demand, leading to crowds huddled at bus stops along the route, often waiting in cold weather for a bus not already at capacity.

Anyone desperate to travel around Stirling by cycling may not suffer so much, but will still have to dismount to allow pedestrians to pass the roadworks. Only a certain number of public bicycles are available for those who don’t have a bike themselves.

Stirling’s emergency services will also inevitably suffer during the roadworks, as they will struggle to navigate the queues of traffic backed up at junctions. Alternative routes are not always a viable option, as those become busier as drivers avoid the works.

The works on Causewayhead Road and at Stirling station obviously have great intentions and will make an impact on emissions as it is made easier to cycle around Stirling. But the combination of both roadworks at once, along with unreliable buses, is creating chaos and anger for many Stirling residents, and will continue to do so into the New Year.

Going forward, Stirling Council should put more consideration into what plans are approved for when, to avoid the knock-on effects the current standstill is having.