Plea for traffic warden
The SIC may be asked to employ a traffic warden for Lerwick because drivers are flagrantly ignoring the law.
The idea emerged from a meeting of Lerwick Community Council after complaints about the pedestrian zone on Commercial Street and no parking lines being disregarded.
SIC councillor Caroline Miller, who helps run a shop on the street, said the traffic restrictions had run reasonably well until the only traffic warden quit in August 2007 and was not replaced by the police. Now it is just a free- for-all, she said, despite the police imposing some on-the- spot fines. “It’s just absolutely crazy!”
Community councillor Averil Simpson said most people she spoke to did not even know what parts were pedestrianised while Kathy Greaves was of the view that drivers should be issued with a permit if they are allowed to drive on the street.
SIC infrastructure executive director Gordon Greenhill suggested one option would be to ask the council to hire a warden and it could claw back some of the costs by keeping the fines. Mrs Simpson backed the idea, although Mr Greenhill admitted a lot of tickets would have to be issued to pay for the warden.
He heard other complaints about the town centre including a lack of bins, a lack of boxes to extinguish and dump fag ends and a failure to act on persistent complaints of dog dirt being left on pavements where young children walk.
Mr Greenhill agreed to seek action from his staff. A programme is already under way to remove the thousands of bits of old chewing gum off Lerwick’s streets, carried out by workers on Sunday overtime.
He admitted Commercial Street was “looking a wee bit dowdy” and in need of some love, care and attention. He also agreed it was not pedestrian-friendly with the constant danger of being bumped from behind by a car.
