FEARS have been expressed about a potential road accident near Hermitage Academy as a result of undertaking drivers.
Councillor Gary Mulvaney (Conservative, Helensburgh Central) asked Helensburgh’s police inspector about the matter at a meeting of local councillors.
The approach to the school along Cardross Road is on a dual carriageway towards a roundabout, where the left-hand lane is only to be used for entering the school.
Drivers going straight on towards Cardross, or turning right into Morrisons, are asked by signage to use the right-hand lane.
Councillor Mulvaney said he had been contacted by constituents about drivers passing other motorists in the left-hand lane before the roundabout.
The discussion took place at a meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee on Tuesday, December 9.
Councillor Mulvaney said: “I do not usually raise this issue but it is one that people have mentioned to me on a number of occasions.
“People say that they are driving at 27-28 miles per hour in the outside lane, because they are going straight ahead or to Morrisons, and somebody speeds past them.
“At some point there will be an accident there, so if the traffic division is in town it is something they may wish to pick up.
“There is signage that flags up that the left-hand lane is for the Academy while the right lane is straight ahead, but there is vandalism and stickers placed on it.
“So you may need to look at that sign to enforce the message, and if traffic division wants to educate some motorists then that would be a good place to start.”
Inspector Bart Simonis responded: “It is a well-known hotspot when it is going from 30 to 40 miles per hour. They know that is an opportunity to get speeding devices out.
“It is an area we will seek to police as much as we can within the resources we have. I have had a number of people in touch about danger to horses as well.
“We have had regular contact with the community on that stretch of road and will continue to police it as and when we can.”
