A councillor has called for speeds to be monitored on B-roads around Linlithgow.
Road works will close one route in October, pushing drivers onto other roads.
The call by Councillor Pauline Orr came as councillors discussed proposals to install safety measures around the county.
Councillor Orr told a meeting of the Environment and Sustainability PDSP: “Traffic is going to migrate from the C19 [ the Dechmont Hills road] through Ecclesmachan. I wonder if there’s an opportunity to monitor the traffic because it will be busier than normal.
“It will be to assess the speed of traffic and work along with Police Scotland. I do welcome the work being done but I do have concerns that it will be enough.”
“I do welcome measures being put in place in my ward, but I do still have reservations that it won’t be enough to any great degree the speed of the vehicles that come over in that area.”
She added that all Linlithgow councillors had heard concerns about the speed of traffic coming over the hills into Livingston or Linlithgow.
New signage advising drivers to reduce speeds around Ecclesmachan, costing £25,000 is one of several schemes which the PDSP approved as part of the council spend under its Accident Improvement Programme.
Councillors heard that previous spending under the scheme saw traffic lights installed on the Avon Gorge which had cut the number of accidents significantly since 2024.
In his report to the committee Kenneth Brown, the council’s Roads Network Manager said: “In the three years prior to the works being installed at this junction there were 7 recorded accidents (4 serious and 3 slight) which unfortunately resulted in 11 casualties. Since the new traffic signals became operational on 27 June 2024, in the first year of operation there have been no road accidents or casualties at this junction. This shows a considerable improvement in road safety at this road junction which council officers will continue to monitor.”
Chair of the meeting and Linlithgow ward Councillor Tom Conn said that the measures in place for Ecclesmachan would hopefully bring longer term reductions and drivers would pay attention while using the road during the two weeks when the Dechmont Hills road is closed, from 20 October. “It is not the vehicles that have accidents, it’s the drivers,” he said.
Councillor Conn added: “It was interesting to read as far as the Avon Gorge is concerned measures have already reduced the number of accidents.
There are nine improvement schemes in place for this year, mainly resurfacing with safety material and new or replacement signage.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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