Herd restrictions resulting from an overdue bTB test will return to being applied seven days after a test becomes overdue, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots MLA has announced.

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD – WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 26 OCTOBER 2020

Riverside Drive (at Mayo Avenue) – off peak temporary traffic lights on Tuesday 27 October for maintenance work to DfT traffic sensors.

Blackness Road (at Glenagnes Road) – temporary traffic lights on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October for SSEN disconnection works.

Hawkhill – lane closures from Monday 26 October for 4 weeks for street lighting columns installation works.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Pentland Avenue (City Road to Scott Street) – closed westbound from Monday 2 November for 6 days to facilitate road safety works.

Glamis Drive – closed from Monday 9 November for 2 weeks for carriageway surfacing.

Residents will recall that the consultation on residents’ parking was abruptly suspended in March shortly after the two consultation meetings, due to the COVID-19 health emergency.    

I have been in touch with the City Council about its position regarding getting the consultation concluded and a residents’ parking scheme introduced.

The Head of Sustainable Transport and Roads has now updated me as follows :

“As you note, there are options to either progress the outstanding consultation online or postpone until physically distancing requirements are relaxed. Engagement with non-digital persons is a concern with the former of these two options. 

Associated with this consideration is the skewing of respondents’ comments if progressed during the current restrictions on the basis of views being influenced by current experiences or circumstances faced which may not be apparent post Covid-19.

For the benefit of engagement, and the timing being during an environment reflective of the future state, I propose to postpone the consultation exercise until after the pandemic which will hopefully be in the first half of 2021.”

This is a disappointing timescale but not really very surprising as driving and parking currently is far from normal and services are extremely challenging due to the health emergency.  

However, I will continue to press for progress as soon as parking behaviour returns to more normal times as hopefully the COVID-19 health emergency passes.   

Meantime, I have continually said that parking charges in the seven West End car parks with charges should have remained suspended given the Scottish Government guidance to work from home where possible and I reiterated this to the Head of Sustainable Transport and Roads during the past week.

A bespoke package to provide financial assistance to the taxi, private bus and coach sectors will be brought forward, Ministers have announced.

Residents have remarked how superb the new mural on the SSE electricity sub-station at Magdalen Green is!   

It is opposite the bottom of Windsor Street and was completed on Thursday.

Another great mural by Paco Graff and grateful thanks also go to Russell Pepper of West End Community Council for making this happen and to SSE for its support of the project.