Underpass safety plans put on hold

PLANS to improve safety at a crime-ridden city underpass have been put on hold after council bosses said a surface crossing would lead to road accidents.

Campaigning locals had thought the council was ready to approve work on a pelican crossing at the underpass in Calder Road, a move which had the support of the police.

But despite a string of violent incidents at the underpass in recent years, transport bosses refused to back plans for the road crossing, saying it would put pedestrians at risk.

Underpasses in the area have been plagued by muggers, drug users and antisocial behaviour for decades.

Recent incidents include assaults on two frail pensioners, a knife-point robbery of a pregnant mother-of-two and a host of other muggings.

The council's transport committee yesterday heard how installing a crossing outside Parkhead shops, at the eastern end of Calder Road, would cost around 150,000.

But council bosses ruled out the measure for the time being, referring the matter back to local councillors and residents for further discussion.

Betty Milton, chairwoman of Sighthill, Broomhouse and Parkhead Community Council, said there would be "fury" at the decision among local people.

She said: "People in Calder Road want this crossing and it should be up to local people to choose."

But Mark Turley, director of the council's services for communities department, said the road safety concerns were too great.

He said: "A surface crossing increases road safety concerns rather than resolving them."

He went on: "We are all agreed there is a problem here. Our decision was not taken lightly, but a surface level crossing is not the solution."

Despite the council's reluctance, another crossing has already been given the go-ahead on Calder Road.

The pelican crossing provides access to Napier University's new Sighthill Campus and was approved last year.

Councillor Donald Wilson, who represents Sighthill and Gorgie, said the council was "going round in circles" on the issue.

He said: "This is not about fear of crime, it's about actual crime. The problem won't simply go away."

He said a surface crossing was the "only solution" to fixing the problem.

The council said officials had travelled to London to find out how the Metropolitan Police were using CCTV to monitor dangerous underpasses.