Anyone having to visit Wishaw General Hospital will discover that the Main Street is closed to traffic for 18 months. Traffic is diverted from the area by either a northern or southerly detour. I understand the work is to convert a section of the Main Street to pedestrians only in a bid to revitalise trading in the town centre. There is a familiar sign carrying a blatant lie: “Wishaw Main street closed ahead for 18 months. Business as usual”. The italics are mine.

This is an all too common story. Closing a road to traffic for any length of time has a devastation effect on the shops on that road. As the pain starts to bite, traders beg for help from the local authority and they respond by providing the notice with the lie on it! “Business as usual”.
Those of us who are lucky enough to live in the Royal Burgh will know all about it. The wonderful streetscape project, completed in 2006 after 18 months of closures and disruption, did a huge amount of harm to many businesses in the High Street. Visitors to the town dropped away, shoppers found other places to go and regular surveys of those in the business group showed turnover dropping by an average of just over 30%. The Wellgate suffered a similar fate with no vehicle access whatsoever being imposed for long periods.

New Lanark which relies on large numbers of visitors every week was another casualty. Signs at the retail park assured people access to New Lanark was still available, but many incomers, frustrated by the delays in driving through the town continued on the Biggar or Peebles.
Lanark had already suffered by pre- streetscape work. Before the improvements started, the gas pipe line in the High Street was replaced, causing months of inconvenience.
To add insult to injury in Lanark car parks were high jacked to serve as storage areas for the materials used in the development.

In November 2006 the street reopened to the relief of the shopkeepers. They now had to do all they could to attract people back to the High Street. The refurbished town centre looked much better, but how visitor friendly was it? Parking in the Town Centre was reduced, and the wide pavements and narrower carriageway made traffic flow a bit more difficult. Now vehicles trying to fit in to a parking space cause the whole flow to come to a halt. The traffic lights at the top of the High Street cause large delays at peak times, and the junction at the Cross is confusing and dangerous. Driving through Lanark has become a nightmare most days.

Worse still are the further delays imposed on us by essential work. Scottish Power has created chaos in various areas of the town as they have installed a cable from Kirkfieldbank to Whitelees Road. Despite pleas to route the cable away from busy roads, the easiest route was chosen and the motorist was compromised.

The recent bike festival at the Market also brought the town centre to a halt on the Saturday. Traffic for the Racecourse or Market is heaviest coming from the west, where the largest population concentration is. That means arriving via Cartland Bridge and Kirkfieldbank and travelling up the High Street. Long delays are created both on the braes and towards the Cartland Bridge Hotel. Yet again the welcome visitors find our town centre a no-go area and shops suffer rather than benefit.
Yet there is nothing new in this.

Back in the days of Horse Racing in Lanark traffic was equally dense. In those days the Police stepped in and controlled traffic at the top of the High Street and at the top of Kirkfieldbank Braes. Instead of allowing the flow of traffic to be dictated by the traffic lights at the middle of the High Street, the top of the High Street, and at Morrisons in Ladyacre Road, the police could arrange to give priority to visitors and keep things moving. For some reason, Lanark Police seem not keen to do this type of work anymore. Perhaps they no longer have this as part of their remit. Yet go to any Old Firm game in Glasgow and you will see traffic lights suspended by Traffic Police and important junctions manned by police on points duty! If Strathclyde Police can do it in Glasgow, then why not at busy times in Lanark?

The economic downturn that suddenly engulfed us all in 2008 has had a serious effect on high street trading. So has internet shopping and supermarkets. One of the great things that makes any town an attractive place to live in or visit is the quality of its town centre. Lanark needs a good quality town centre, which means an attractive streetscape and good well run local shops. The high street shops are an asset we can easily take for granted. When they are gone we will miss them, including the employment they bring, the wealth they generate for the community, and the service they offer. Anything that hinders their survival must be dealt with.

Politicians have argued about Lanark’s traffic problems for 50 years. Some solutions have been identified but never implemented. Recently two members of the public have come up with solutions but few seem keen to take their ideas on board. We, the members of the public pay a lot of money each year to our roads engineers, architects, the police and planners in return for their expertise they possess. It is time now for action! Not feasibility studies or surveys. Let us all agree there is a problem then just get it sorted!

Traffic flow into and out of Lanark must be improved. Delays when they happen must be managed properly and quickly. Works must take place quickly and efficiently at times when disruption can be minimised. Money must be invested in getting rid of High Street Traffic lights and finding an alternative. The days of closing a town centre for long periods, then trying to convince the public that “business is as usual” must end. Lanark should be another Peebles. It could end up like Carluke.