East Dunbartonshire Council has announced further improvements to Kirkintilloch town centre, including a new pedestrian crossing in Cowgate and ongoing monitoring of the Catherine Street junction.

The Council will also continue to work with Kirkintilloch Community Council, building on community-led engagement with local people, groups, the voluntary sector and more.

At a meeting of East Dunbartonshire Council elected members decided on a range of measures following recent studies and engagement, including:

• Further monitoring for 18 months at Catherine Street – reporting back so elected members can assess issues and consider whether traffic levels, driver behaviour and pedestrian experiences require controlled crossings on the junction itself

• Further work to encourage appropriate driver behaviour and to support more vulnerable groups to become familiar with the new layout and use the space with confidence. That includes the installation of a new pedestrian crossing – with traffic lights – on Cowgate, outside the former Greggs premises.

The Council consulted on the Catherine Street junction earlier this year, while Kirkintilloch Community Council engaged with people on the wider town centre.

Officers will continue to work with the community council to develop a local partnership model for the town centre.

Councillor Andrew Polson, Joint Leader of the Council, said: "A huge amount of work has been carried out in Kirkintilloch town centre – involving the Council, professional organisations and the community council – and I am pleased that we are taking action to address points raised. We will monitor Catherine Street for a further 18 months to track traffic levels and behaviour – with a report coming back to a future meeting of the Council."

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Councillor Vaughan Moody, Joint Leader of the Council, said, "I would like to thank everyone who took part in the recent consultation exercises. It bodes well for Kirkintilloch town centre that so many people, businesses and groups are committed to its long-term sustainability and vitality. The consultation carried out by the Council indicates that the majority of people would like to see controlled crossings reintroduced at the Catherine Street junction, but it is vital we monitor further to understand all of the potential issues and implications for the rest of the town centre before such a decision is taken."

Work has been carried out by local business representatives to establish a Steering Group to examine the feasibility of a Business Improvement District in and around Kirkintilloch town centre. The group is currently seeking Scottish Government funding to support feasibility work.

• A rolling programme of improvement works took place in 2016/17 as part of the Kirkintilloch Town Centre Masterplan - which included a redesigned Catherine Street junction and the removal of traffic lights.

• Elected members requested a report on potential future options for the junction and in November 2017 instructed officers to progress consultations with internal, external and community stakeholders.

• In relation to the Council’s Catherine Street consultation, a total of 692 responses were received, with 85% in favour of controlled crossings.

• Monitoring and evaluation has been undertaken to examine how the town centre scheme has operated since practical completion in June 2017:

• A Sustrans Monitoring & Evaluation Report suggests positive results for pedestrian priority in Cowgate. Pre-works, 61% of pedestrians experienced wait times at the Catherine Street junction. Following works, 27% of pedestrians experienced wait times.

• A Stage 3 Road Safety Audit (RSA) was conducted by Stewart Paton Associates in the presence of Police Scotland, the project design consultant and the Council in September 2017. Issues raised included inconsiderate pavement parking and localised pooling of water. Regarding Catherine Street, the RSA did not observe pedestrian/vehicle conflict and people appeared to use the scheme as intended with due care and attention.

• A Living Streets Appraisal found that reducing traffic volumes and creating a street layout prioritising pedestrian movement offers benefits for all street users, including people with reduced mobility. However, it found that less-confident pedestrians would benefit from a controlled crossing towards the library end of Cowgate to complement the courtesy crossings.

• Living Streets also recommended that if, after further monitoring and evaluating, it is not deemed feasible to make further progress on reducing traffic volumes and improving driver behaviour, formal controlled crossings should be introduced at the Catherine Street junction.

• A study by Sweco has recommended alterations to signage around the town. The study also notes that action is required within the town centre to enforce parking restrictions, particularly Cowgate.

(MH)