A MOTION asking councillors to acknowledge the need for road safety improvements at the Clachan Bridge has been changed following a council officer’s update.
Councillor Kieron Green (Independent, Oban North and Lorn) was set to move the request to members of Argyll and Bute Council’s area committee.
But following an update by the council’s head of roads and infrastructure services, Andy Summers, which stated that further work would be done and a report submitted before any measures were implemented, the motion was changed.
Proposals by Argyll and Bute Council to install traffic lights at the bridge have met with opposition, with a petition gathering 1,700 signatures.
An amendment to the revised motion by Councillor Julie McKenzie (Independent, Oban North and Lorn) was also moved, but defeated in a roll call vote.
The discussion took place at a meeting of the council’s Oban Lorn and the Isles area committee on Wednesday, June 10.
Councillor Green amended the motion to ask that the committee welcomed the Clachan Bridge update provided earlier in the meeting, which confirmed an options appraisal, traffic survey and further community engagement.
This would be carried out prior to a report being published, and any decision on whether to progress with works would only happen after that.
Councillor McKenzie then asked to move an amendment asking that the motion was rejected in its entirety, stating that robust evidence of the need for traffic lights had not been presented to councillors or the public, and that the petition had attracted over 1,700 signatures. It also said there was no community consensus that traffic lights were the most appropriate solution.
The amendment also asked the committee to request that implementation of the scheme was paused pending an island communities impact assessment, consultation with Historic Environment Scotland and a report setting out the evidence for the preferred proposal.
However, parts of the amendment were deemed not to be competent as they related to operational matters. That resulted in Councillor McKenzie moving only that the motion was rejected in its entirety.
Councillor Andrew Vennard (Conservative, Oban North and Lorn) seconded Councillor Green’s motion, while Councillor Amanda Hampsey (Reform UK, Oban South and the Isles) seconded Councillor McKenzie’s amendment.
After a roll call vote, the motion prevailed by five votes to two.
Mr Summers had earlier told the meeting: “There is a lot of work to be done and consultation to be done, so as a result of the engagement we have done, and a high amount of data to pull together, we need further time to develop a preferred option.
“That will take place over the summer, and I propose we bring back a further report to members, potentially the area committee, on the preferred option for consideration. There is no proposal to install anything right now.”
He also confirmed that no lights would be installed at the bridge for the time being.
