Campaign launched to prevent one-way traffic system in Johnstone

Councillor Derek Bibby contacted our sister paper The Gazette with claims that members of Johnstone Business Consortium are backing Renfrewshire Council in its bid to oppose the scheme being proposed by the local community council.

And, despite the fact the plans were scrapped at a recent meeting held in the council’s headquarters in Paisley, Mr Bibby says there are still fears some of the traffic plans remain open for debate.

While members of JBC insisted that they did not organise the campaign as a group themselves, the majority of them spoke as individuals and were keen to abolish the scheme.

Ron Ewing, secretary for Johnstone Community Council, is battling back and remains firm in his belief that it could be the only answer to resolving traffic issues.

For many years, the town’s High Street has suffered traffic congestion problems which has long been a source of frustration for local motorists, particularly during peak times in the day.

Cllr Derek Bibby, who represents the Labour group for Johnstone, said: “There is widespread concern regarding the proposals put forward by Councillor Andy Doig and supported by the SNP group of Renfrewshire council of a one way system in the town centre.

“The business community is right to believe that this will be potentially very damaging to the town.

“I back their stance as I know that many Johnstone folk, share the view that such a scheme is not in the best interests of the town.

“I am keen to work with the business consortium and others to look at alternative ways of easing the traffic congestion in the town, but which does not include the potentially disastrous proposals presented by Cllr Doig at the last council meeting.”

If approved, new traffic lights would have been installed and parking bays introduced in MacDowall Street between Pit Stop garage and the High Street junction, as well as traffic calming islands and the possible relocation of bus stops.

Mr Ewing, who is also an independent safety consultant, blasted objections to the proposals and accused Cllr’s Derek Bibby and Chris Gilmour of ‘scaremongering.’

He added: “It is very disappointing to see that Cllr Bibby is fronting a campaign and petition against proposals that he himself effectively killed off at the full meeting of Renfrewshire Council almost two months ago.

What point is he now trying to make, other than to drive a wedge through the community and turn non political community organisations against each other? Once again we see community issues being used as a political football. When are these people going to start working with the community they were elected to serve?”

Meanwhile, Allan Henderson, chairman of the JBC, said the group were approached by Cllr Derek Bibby and denied organising the petition themselves.

He added: “We’re not starting a petition up and are not involved in any political parties.

“If any business wants to promote the petition as an individual they are entitled to do so but this is not as the Johnstone Business Consortium as a group.”

SNP Cllr Andy Doig, who also represents Johnstone, said: “I am not aware of the Johnstone Business Consortium planning a petition against the former traffic management scheme promoted by Johnstone Community Council, but if that is the case I am keen to do what I can to get the CC and the JBC together to agree common ground on how to tackle the obvious congestion issues which are detrimental to the interests of both residents and businesses in Johnstone town centre.

“There is a deliberate campaign of misinformation about what the Johnstone Community Council was proposing by Hugh Henry MSP, and his Johnstone Labour acolytes in the Council chambers. For no good reason they killed the ideas of the Johnstone Community Council, refusing to assess their traffic management scheme, which was not a one way system. Its high time Labour stopped working against the interests of Johnstone and explained how they intend to resolve Johnstone’s traffic management issues.”