Roads officers recommend work on accident black spots throughout West Lothian

Six safer road projects are set to be decided this week by West Lothian Council’s Executive. 

Roads officers have recommended works on accident black spots throughout the county – with most seeing low speed limits imposed. 

 A total of £230,000 – money from Transport Scotland the national transport agency – has been set aside for the job. 

The work is part of the annual Accident Investigation and Prevention Casualty Reduction Programme (AIP) which looks to cut the number of road deaths and casualties. 

 Work already carried out on West Lothian roads has seen a 57% reduction in the number of road accidents resulting in slight injury and a 26% reduction the number of serious accidents. 

The sites include  he main A70 Lang Whang on the southern boundary of West Lothian, and the B7008 which connects that road to West Calder and Livingston. This narrow and winding road has been the scene of several accidents in recent months, many in the village of Harburn around the bridge over the railway line. 

Officers recommend a £20,000 spend, reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph, new signing and road lining along the route. 

Other areas will see work including the creation of traffic islands and traffic calming measures as well as the introduction of anti-skid surfacing. 

 Six sites have been recommended as providing the best value for money. They include: the B8020 Winchburgh to Broxburn; St Andrew’s Drive, Uphall; The A71 at Polbeth; and the railway Bridge at Station road in Armadale. Many sites will see the speed limits extended, as well resurfacing. 

 The cost of each project ranges from £20,000 up to £70,000, with the work being carried out in this financial year. 

Roads Manager Gordon Brown told a meeting of the Environment and Sustainability PDSP that major improvement work to a dangerous junction at the Avon Gorge is set to be completed this week. 

In the last financial year- 2023/24- the Council received an allocation of £353,157 from Transport Scotland to be used to implement a new traffic signalised junction at the A801/A706 Avon Gorge. This was a scheme that has been proposed through previous AIP programmes however the required funding always exceeded the allocated AIP budget.  

The budget for this year’s projects could show an underspend but, responding to councillors asking about introducing measures at other sites,  Mr Brown said it was unlikely underspend would stretch to include other schemes identified by roads engineers. “It will be a very small sum of money,” he told the meeting. 

The roadworks are set to be approved on Wednesday. 

By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter