Wedding plan for roundabout
Lerwick’s newest and most controversial roundabout has been attracting more of the wrong sort of attention, with a couple of newly-weds seeking to use it as a backdrop for their wedding photos.
The often-criticised roundabout linking Oversund Road with South Road came under fire from members of Lerwick Community Council on Monday night, following a report that a couple whose wedding celebration was held in the Sound Hall had asked their photographer to take a picture of them standing on top of the roundabout’s colourful centre.
It was also said that children had persisted in playing on the roundabout, and at least one mother with a pram had recently been spotted using the now infamous red cobbles as a pavement.
The reports are the latest in a long line of safety fears concerning the roundabout, which came in at £51,000 over its £620,000 budget when it was finally completed last year.
A number of councillors reported seeing pedestrians apparently mistaking the red cobbles for a pavement, and larger vehicles such as buses and lorries had trouble getting round it.
Councillor Caroline Miller subsequently said children seen playing on the cobbles had decided they were fair game to walk on because they were the same colour as those outside Harry’s Department Store.
Karen Fraser told fellow community councillors she had been approached by a resident who had seen three small boys playing in the middle of the roundabout.
She had also seen a woman pushing a pram along the red cobbles.
“It looks like it’s become a focal point for the community, which would be nice, but probably not very safe. I don’t understand why it was built this way.”
Lerwick councillor Allan Wishart said a detailed report had been compiled by the roads department, which he said could be taken along to the next community council meeting.
The committee heard similar roundabouts were appearing in the Stirling area, but the Lerwick one is a lot narrower for traffic, meaning some of the cobbles are already beginning to show signs of strain as countless cars trundle over them.
