Scottish Conservatives Councillor Angus Forbes and Murdo Fraser MSP have accused the Transport Secretary of “washing her hands” of dealing with traffic issues at the Swallow Roundabout.
Both politicians recently wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP, but they are disappointed with her respective replies to them. This followed complaints from irate constituents who are concerned about some of the new traffic measures installed at the busy roundabout on the outskirts of Dundee.
Commenting, Councillor Forbes, who represents the Carse of Gowrie ward, said: “I was bitterly disappointed with the written response from the Transport Secretary. It is absolutely clear that the signage is confusing and whilst I can’t understand why a safety audit was needed to establish this, I am nevertheless grateful that it has flagged this up.
“However, what this safety audit does not address are the long queues that my constituents face day after day trying to get to work and medical appointments. Almost 1,500 people reported to me that they faced increased journey times as a result of the new traffic light system, this is unsustainable in the long-term. I am already seeing increased traffic in local villages.
“At some point in the near future, this roundabout will be handed over to Transport Scotland/AMEY and they will need to find a solution for this problem - surely the sooner they do that the better.”
He continued: “My overwhelming feeling is of disappointment with the response from Fiona Hyslop.”
And Mr Fraser added: “The Transport Secretary is basically washing her hands of the problem at the Swallow Roundabout. Her response to my letter about the issues experienced by many motorists at the Roundabout is very vague and doesn’t address all the issues there.
“It is very clear that the new traffic system is causing many problems for motorists - the road markings cause confusion and it is no surprise there has been so much concern. We really need the SNP Transport Secretary to step up to the mark and start taking this issue seriously.”
