ANOTHER death will happen on one of Glasgow’s busiest roads if police measures are not stepped up to control speeders, a local community group have warned.
Members of Knightswood Community Council claim it is “only a matter of time” before another fatality takes place on Great Western Road due to erratic drivers.
Residents have said the dual carriageway - which connects the West of Glasgow to the city centre - is being used as a “racetrack”.
READ MORE: Three drivers reported after speed check on Great Western Road
Vice-chair of Knightswood Community Council, Alan Morrison, said: “The speed that some people go down that road is incredible. The enforcement from police to crack down on the speeding has been sporadic at best.
“In the evenings, the road is treated like a racetrack, we’ll hear them before we even see them. As a resident, it’s not only concerning, it is frightful.”
Mr Morrison added: “There will be another death if something isn’t done soon. It is only a matter of time, given the speed that cars go down that road.”
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Their warning comes after two pedestrians lost their lives along the road last year, including the tragic death of a 16-year-old girl.
And only last weekend, we told how three motorists were reported for dangerous driving on Great Western Road after a police speed check. One culprit was caught driving 73mph in a 30mph zone.
Mr Morrison said: “These people were caught driving more than twice the limit in the snow.
“I’m concerned for pedestrians right now, we have had two fatalities on the road and I don’t want to see any more. People will keep taking chances until someone is dead.”
READ MORE: Great Western Road crash: Man dies after being hit by car close to Erskine Bridge
The Glasgow Times understands that there are currently a number of spot check speed cameras installed along the A82 route. Knightswood Community Council are however calling for these devices to be replaced by average speed cameras.
Mr Morrison added: “Average speed cameras will look at the speed on a longer stretch of road as opposed to just a regular spot camera, which just assesses one fixed point on a road. They only measure the speed at one point so really, they’re only good for places such as schools.
“The long-distance cameras have worked elsewhere and I am sure they would solve the ongoing issue here.
“The police are limited in what they can and cannot do, they are only effective if they catch people in the act.”
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He added: “As well as a lot of youth, there is quite a lot of elderly people in Knightswood who often take a while to cross the roads. And with that, there’s a fair amount of road to cross over in the area just to get from A to B.
“I just don’t want to see any more people dead.”
Alan Bowater, Manager of the West Safety Camera Unit, said: “Our main aim is to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by encouraging improved driver behaviour and speed limit compliance on the roads.
"We are aware of the issues along the Great Western Road, there are currently four enforcement locations (one dual / red light, 2 fixed and one mobile) with a 5th location approved during the last site selection process which will become operational in the near future.
"Each new permanent enforcement location must pass criteria and where a new location is identified all types of enforcement are considered before the most appropriate is put in place, for the Great Western Road this has been a mix of mobile and fixed camera enforcement.
"All locations are then reviewed annually with Transport Scotland and the local authority to ensure that they still meet criteria and are the most appropriate enforcement type is in place.
"To act as a reminder of the speed limit and to educate local motorists we have invested in an advertising campaign on bus backs along the Great Western Road and petrol pump advertising.”
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