Discussions by the local community council are under way for the move which newly-appointed secretary Ron Ewing believes will improve traffic flow throughout the town.
For many years, High Street in Johnstone has suffered traffic congestion problems which has long been a source of frustration for local motorists, particularly during peak times in the day.
And Mr Ewing, who is also an independent safety consultant, believes the introduction of a one-way system from MacDowall Street to Church Street could be the solution.
He told The Gazette: “As the traffic situation in the town centre is completely shambolic and destined to only get worse when the new town hall opens in April.
“Everybody agrees that something has to be done, but up until now, nobody has actually done anything.
“So 18 months ago, being sick to the back teeth with the chaos, I looked closely at the problems and causation factors and put together some proposals to try and improve the situation.
“I have a pretty good idea what will work and as a member of Johnstone Community Council, I teamed up with Brian Cairns, our new chairman and created a Community Safety Committee.
“Since then, Brian and I have spent much of this year consulting with other interested parties in Johnstone and adapting the proposals to include their suggestions.” Johnstone Community Council have been working with a number of bodies including Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Johnstone Business Consortium, McGill’s Buses and Councillor Andy Doig, as well as other local councillors to discuss the proposals.
A map illustrating problem areas in the town has also been drawn up for consideration to show what the one-way system could achieve.
Other areas suggested for road traffic improvement include the instalment of new traffic lights at junctions, parking bays in MacDowall Street between Pit Stop garage and the High Street junction, as well as traffic calming islands and the possible relocation of bus stops.
“Although the right people in Renfrewshire Council are very supportive, we believe that once the proposals are publicised, we can then involve the general public and get their views, which will perhaps help to move the proposals forward,” Mr Ewing continued.
“We expect a fair proportion of moaners and objectors, simply because it’s a change, but we believe the vast majority of the public will be behind the plans, which can only improve life for everyone.
“Not only this but this could potentially increase safety as the traffic flow will be less stressful for drivers.” A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “The recently adopted Renfrewshire Local Development Plan includes a commitment to produce action plans for all of our town centres, recognising that they form a network that contributes to the economic growth of Renfrewshire, but at the same time each centre has different strengths and opportunities that need to be considered.
“The planning and property board in January will consider the first of these action plans and thereafter will be seeking views from the community, businesses and other stakeholders on the priorities and opportunities for Johnstone. The comments and suggestions outlined on traffic management opportunities in Johnstone will form part of this consultation exercise. We welcome this early input to the process and will give the suggestions due consideration.” Discussions by the local community council are under way for the move which newly-appointed secretary Ron Ewing believes will improve traffic flow throughout the town.
For many years, High Street in Johnstone has suffered traffic congestion problems which has long been a source of frustration for local motorists, particularly during peak times in the day.
And Mr Ewing, who is also an independent safety consultant, believes the introduction of a one-way system from MacDowall Street to Church Street could be the solution.
He told The Gazette: “As the traffic situation in the town centre is completely shambolic and destined to only get worse when the new town hall opens in April.
“Everybody agrees that something has to be done, but up until now, nobody has actually done anything.
“So 18 months ago, being sick to the back teeth with the chaos, I looked closely at the problems and causation factors and put together some proposals to try and improve the situation.
“I have a pretty good idea what will work and as a member of Johnstone Community Council, I teamed up with Brian Cairns, our new chairman and created a Community Safety Committee.
“Since then, Brian and I have spent much of this year consulting with other interested parties in Johnstone and adapting the proposals to include their suggestions.” Johnstone Community Council have been working with a number of bodies including Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Johnstone Business Consortium, McGill’s Buses and Councillor Andy Doig, as well as other local councillors to discuss the proposals.
A map illustrating problem areas in the town has also been drawn up for consideration to show what the one-way system could achieve.
Other areas suggested for road traffic improvement include the instalment of new traffic lights at junctions, parking bays in MacDowall Street between Pit Stop garage and the High Street junction, as well as traffic calming islands and the possible relocation of bus stops.
“Although the right people in Renfrewshire Council are very supportive, we believe that once the proposals are publicised, we can then involve the general public and get their views, which will perhaps help to move the proposals forward,” Mr Ewing continued.
“We expect a fair proportion of moaners and objectors, simply because it’s a change, but we believe the vast majority of the public will be behind the plans, which can only improve life for everyone.
“Not only this but this could potentially increase safety as the traffic flow will be less stressful for drivers.” A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “The recently adopted Renfrewshire Local Development Plan includes a commitment to produce action plans for all of our town centres, recognising that they form a network that contributes to the economic growth of Renfrewshire, but at the same time each centre has different strengths and opportunities that need to be considered.
“The planning and property board in January will consider the first of these action plans and thereafter will be seeking views from the community, businesses and other stakeholders on the priorities and opportunities for Johnstone. The comments and suggestions outlined on traffic management opportunities in Johnstone will form part of this consultation exercise. We welcome this early input to the process and will give the suggestions due consideration.”
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