COMMUNITY leaders in Rosyth have welcomed plans to close off a “potentially dangerous junction” in the town.

Councillors at last Wednesday’s South West Fife area committee meeting agreed to proposals to promote a ‘stopping-up’ order at Admiralty Road and Harley Street, which will see a new kerbline formed across the junction with bollards installed to prevent vehicles over-running.

A report presented to the committee noted that residents had “expressed concern over the safety of the junction” which is in “close proximity to the junction between Harley Street and the A985 Admiralty Road trunk road”.

But while Labour councillor Mike Shirkie said he was “delighted” by the decision, he insisted that Rosyth’s elected representatives had not given up the fight to have a pedestrian crossing installed on the A985 junction of Harley Street and Fairykirk Road.

Parents at Park Road Primary School have been campaigning for a puffin crossing since 1998 and in December 2012, Bear Scotland, which undertakes contracts on behalf of Transport Scotland, confirmed approval had been given for junction alterations to Fairykirk Road.

But following a traffic survey carried out in May 2013, the Press reported last year the plans had been scrapped and Cllr Shirkie said, “Douglas Chapman (SNP councillor) and I have worked on this for three years and I am delighted that an agreement for the traffic management plan to go ahead has been reached after much lobbying.

“The junction is a semi-blind spot for motorists emerging on to, and coming off, the slip road at the roundabout so I think it will be much safer for pedestrians, the parents and children of Park Road Primary School and also for motorists. It’s a win-win for everybody.

“But we haven’t given up on the crossing on Admiralty Road. We pursued Bear Scotland for a puffin crossing and we are still going to write to the Scottish Government over this because we felt at that the traffic measure was done at the wrong time as it wasn’t at peak hours. We will continue to badger Bear Scotland until we get them back around the table.” Rosyth Community Council chair Stephen Lynas added, “The stopping-up agreement can only be beneficial because that area is very congested. It is hard enough getting in and out of that junction anyway so I think for safety reasons it can only be a good thing.

“There probably is still need for a crossing at the end of the town, though, and I know that people have been very keen on one for that particular section. It would be particularly beneficial for children going to Park Road as the nearest crossing is at the Taste of India restaurant, which is quite a bit away.”