INDEPENDENT councillor Ian Murdoch has called for talks with Amey in relation to future road closures, claiming instructions given out to the public in relation to last week's roadworks were 'clear as mud'.
Cllr Murdoch says that he witnesses a lot of issues in relation to the road closure works, and says a lot of the problems could have been ironed out with a pre-meeting between Amey and town councillors.
He said: "In years gone by, the elected members used to have a meeting with a rep of Amey to take on board local knowledge and to try and iron out all these problems prior to the works going ahead.
"We did have a meeting in May to discuss postponing the original works from May to October but there was no follow-up meeting to take on local knowledge on the matter.
"I don't think the information on the road closure was comprehensive enough and that I find that unacceptable as many constituents came back to me and said that the information given out was 'clear as mud'.
"There was local access instead of the long diversion promoted, which to my understanding was primarily for HGV vehicles but nobody in the town knew about this."
Cllr Murdoch said that there was also confusion over the weekend in relation to no entry signs in May Street at the end of the junction to Haylie Gardens.
He said the signs should have been at the bottom of May Street, and the result was cars turning Haylie Gardens, causing 'all sorts of problems'. He said there were similar problems at Charles Street, with a sign obscured by parked cars at its entrance on the A78.
Cllr Murdoch said that on 7.15am on Saturday morning, he even had to go to the aid of a Tesco lorry facing up Charles Street as the driver thought he could go that particular way.
Storm Ashley impacted stage 2 of the roadworks which will now happen at a later date in relation to the section of road between Anthony Road and May Street. That work may have to wait until early 2025.
An Amey spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, the predicted weather conditions mean we are unable to complete Phase 2 of this scheme within the original timeframe of this scheme.
"However, given the deterioration of the carriageway on the stretch of the trunk road, it is important to complete as much of the work at the most critical locations as soon as possible.
“These works were originally proposed for May 2024, given the weather risk, but after discussion with stakeholders the work was rescheduled for October.
"We will endeavour to complete the remaining works this year, but given the onset of winter, they may need to be re-programmed for as early as possible in 2025."
Amey have been contacted for further comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here