Published: Wednesday, 28th July, 2010 12:32pm

Are roads chiefs doing U-turn?

by From the Editors chair

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ON February 26 a spokeswoman for Transport Scotland wrote to me to say that since the pedestrian crossing at the station was at the optimum location (where it is) the buses could not be moved to the station entrance.

I had raised the point that the 'agreed' plan for the town centre was to embrace buses and taxis at the station.

She also wrote that the design agreed with North Ayrshire Council would provide Largs town centre with "the safest solution" of traffic management.

In early March the council's then head of roads, Ronnie Small (the guy who liked closing the Haylie Brae) stated that the new traffic works "will enhance the flow of traffic through Largs and will improve the efficiency of the Largs roads network."

Mr Small has taken early retirement or was it a breakdown?

On March 2 a spokesperson for Transport Scotland and Amey (whose motto is 'service is our passion, people our strength) wrote to say that they and the council "are in absolute agreement"....that the Main Street bus stop at the Harlequin Restaurant could not be moved.

Two months later guess what? It was moved.

In early May Tron Place was suddenly restricted by the council and Amey to blue badge vehicles only. The sign went up, was blacked out, was up again and guess what? It was torn down and reinstated to the way it was originally.

All the while the police, who did not give motorists sufficient time to wrestle with the changes, pounced on drivers with on the spot fines. How furious must you be if you were handed a £30 penalty from a cop?

Fast forward to this week. and the same spokeswoman for Transport Scotland is now claiming that they and Amey (their partners in grime) never objected to buses being relocated to the station!

In fact, they said that a signalised junction at Aitken Street - instead of the controversial painted roundabout - would have been their preferred option.

Now, I have been following this story more closely than most - as my email file will prove - and I don't recall a choice between lights and a roundabout at any time.

It all goes to vindicate my original assertion that TS, Amey and North Ayrshire Council couldn't co-ordinate a round of drinks in a brewery.