A75 shortcut fenced off

Nov 14 2008 by Doug Archibald, Dumfries Standard Friday

A MASSIVE safety fence is going up in a bid to stop shortcut shoppers dicing with death.

Fears have been voiced for the safety of people running across the busy Dumfries bypass on their way to the Cuckoo Bridge shopping park.

Advice to use the nearby footbridge has been ignored and now Amey, the company responsible for looking after the region’s trunk roads, is busy putting up a six-foot fence to block off the shortcut.

The operation will see 800 metres of fencing go up to the west of the Glasgow Street roundabout at a cost of £75,000.

Amey said a “significant number” of pedestrians are putting themselves and drivers at “serious risk” by nipping across what is the A75 from the Lochside area in front of vehicles often travelling at 60mph.

There have even been reports of mothers with prams and young children crossing the road.

Amey has worked closely with the council, community council and the police to highlight the “dangerous practice”.

It has even enlisted the help of businesses in the retail park to warn their employees about the dangers.

Colin Mackenzie, Amey’s unit manager, said: “The A75 is a busy road with an average 14,000 vehicles using it daily therefore it is imperative that we work with the community to highlight the dangers of crossing it.

“We are playing our part by replacing the existing broken fencing with a new 1.8m fence to prevent further use of the A75 as a very dangerous shortcut.

“We cannot stress strongly enough the need for pedestrians to play their part too by using the nearby footbridge bridge to access the supermarket and other retail outlets safely.”