TRAFFIC management systems used during local road works must be reviewed to prevent major disruption, say Clydebank taxi drivers.
Members of the Clydebank Taxi Drivers and Operators Trade (CTDOT) raised concerns over their ability to work during periods when traffic management systems are in place at their busiest pickup points in the town.
It comes after four-way temporary traffic lights were installed on Coldstream Road outside of Asda Clydebank and Clyde Shopping Centre for ten days recently. This is said to be the main entrance for vehicles going into the shopping centre car park as well as Asda and the Royal Mail sorting office.
These were put in place by Scottish Water on July 18 – and removed on July 28 - in order to facilitate emergency repair works after a large sinkhole formed on the road just metres from the roundabout at the junction with Argyll Road and Livingstone Street.
The utility company had warned motorists that disruption was ‘inevitable’.
One driver told the Post that these works led to a build-up of “heavy” traffic in the area with waits of reportedly up to almost an hour to get in and out of the supermarket car park.
They said: “The problem is the build-up in traffic. During the works, it took 20-25 minutes to get from the main road into the Asda car park to pick people up and then another 20-25 minutes to get from the taxi rank onto Coldstream Road.
“If you weren’t lucky and there was a lot of traffic you then got stuck at the red lights on Coldstream Road.
“It was stressful and not good for our health and wellbeing. It just made me not want to come to work.”
A second driver explained that waiting in long queues was becoming costly for customers which sparked further concerns from the trade.
They commented: “We’re £3.80 as soon as you get in and the metre was at £6.20-£6.50 by the time you got from the taxi rank to Coldstream Road and then if you’ve got these lights at red it’s an additional cost.
“Taxi fares that normally cost £5-£6 were costing people £12-£13. We were also sitting with our engines running burning diesel and not making any money for it.
“There was no easy way out. It was passing the cost onto people who haven’t got the money to be sitting waiting like an older person who has no physical way of getting home from the shopping centre except by a taxi and that fare was doubling.
“There were people standing at the taxi ranks when there would normally be 10-15 taxis there but they weren’t going in any more, almost boycotting it or they couldn’t get in because of the heavy traffic.
“We need an alternative for the drivers.”
Works on Coldstream Road have now been completed after the damaged section of the sewer was removed and replaced. The traffic management has also been removed.
During the ten-day period that these were in place the traffic lights were operated between 7am and 10pm.
Drivers are calling for future works to be reviewed to potentially take place overnight or during quieter periods to prevent disruption where possible.
However, it is understood that during the recent sinkhole repairs, work could not be carried out solely overnight.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Our team has worked as quickly as possible under challenging conditions to complete the repair.
“We appreciate it caused disruption for shoppers, road users, and local businesses so we are grateful for their patience and understanding.”
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