By Bill Heaney
Stoneymollan Roundabout at Balloch was never popular. And when three people died in a road accident on the A82 Alexandria by-pass during its construction there was no way the public would take this controversial piece of scupture to their hearts.
It has now been taken down by Amey, who look after all the main roads in Scotland, and the A82 has been deemed as not just one of the most dangerous, but the most dangerous.
That is why it is difficult to fathom in these most straitened times that this huge, ugly structure is to be replaced and more money is to be poured down the bottomless drain that is public finance in this country.
We are told that a new ‘micro woodland’ has been proposed to replace the Stoneymollan sculpture which was designed by Scottish sculptor Sandy Stoddart and commissioned by the late Donald MacInnes, chief executive of the old Dunbartonshire Enterprise, who was another bad idea.
Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland has confirmed a draft design has been agreed which would involve the planting of trees and two meadows with bluebells and wild flowers.
Consultation will now take place, including with Balloch and Haldane Community Council, with feedback shaping the final design.
This is to happen a year after the former £1 million goose sculpture, which was intended to welcome visitors to Loch Lomond after the fashion of Canadian national parks, was torn down after allegedly being damaged by a storm. It must have taken some wind to blow that structure down. It may have been damaged, but it was never destroyed.
Residents across West Dunbartonshire and Helensburgh had been complaining about it since it was completed 16 years earlier, claiming it was an “ugly blemish” and dangerously distracted drivers.
Contractor Amey is implementing the project on behalf of Transport Scotland and say three proposals were prepared, with the micro woodland design chosen as the preferred option.
They are spinning the line: “Planting within the roundabout includes two separate meadow mixes, one of which incorporates native bluebells. Native specimen tree planting include silver birch and sessile oak.
“A knoll with a handful of oaks and bluebells towards the north side with a swathe of birches and more open ground mown for wild flowers round the south and west provides a good contrast of shapes, textures and colours across the seasons.”
Amey say the design is “greener and lower carbon” than the sculpture, with its role acting as the gateway to the national park being the main focus of the design.
They say road safety has been given the “highest priority”, with the design taking into account the chevrons and junction lighting.
Amey explained: “It was decided that an asymmetrical design would work well. The surrounding landforms and the road network coming off the roundabout are also quite asymmetrical with different widths and design speeds on each road.
“Something asymmetrical would allow for some fine tuning of the proposed trees to prevent/reduce accident risk.”
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has also been involved in the process – so that’s alright then? – and kept informed – but Balloch and Haldane Community Council, who represent the grassroots public, have told journalists that they haven’t been part of any discussion.
Why can’t they just say they made a hugely costly mistake and leave it at that?
Can I ask which party was in power in the Scottish parliament when this was first built.🤔