Report holes is message for drivers and pedestrians

Published 8 Feb 2012 08:00 1 Comment

THE recent mild winter weather means that improvements to Fife's road network will all go ahead as planned over the coming year.

Members of the Cowdenbeath Area Committee were informed on Wednesday of the planned road improvements due to take place over the next financial year.

In Cowdenbeath in 2012/13, around £1 million is being invested. This includes road and footpath upgrades, drainage improvements and street light replacements.

The financial year 2012/13 will also mark the start of the new Street Lighting Efficiency Project.

This 'spend to save' street light conversion project will see the old orange-coloured lights being replaced with new white ones that are more energy efficient.

These will be fitted with variable lighting technology to enable the power to some lights to be reduced at the quiet times of night. This will cut energy usage by approximately 30%, and also decrease ongoing maintenance costs.

The energy used to power Fife's street lights accounts for 10% of the council's carbon footprint, so this reduction in energy will go a long way towards making Fife the leading green council.

The aim is to replace 42,000 street lights in Fife over the next six years at a cost of £8.7million. This first year (2012/13) will see the replacement of 7000 lights at a cost of £1.4million.

Fife Council's Team Leader for Roads Services in South Fife, Frank Warrington, added, "This respite from the severe weather conditions of the last two winters means we can tackle the backlog of road repairs.

"This £1 million investment will lead to real improvements in the Cowdenbeath area's roads for the benefit of drivers and pedestrians."

It was also made clear that people should report holes in roads and pavements to the council.

Councillor Ian Chisholm said, "Holes in both pavements and roads can only be repaired if the department knows about these.

"If someone notices a hole in the road, for instance, they should pick up their telephone and call the council."

Councillor Ann Bain agreed and explained that the pavement serving Black Road, in Kelty, needed attention and she was going to report it. Councillor Alistair Bain added, "The past two winters took their toll on our roads and pavements and caused a lot of problems. The significant investment being put into these is helping improve both paths and roads."

The roads department's Ian Jones said that if people reported holes in either pavements or roads these would be repaired.

Chair of Cowdenbeath Area Committee, Councillor Willie Clarke concluded, "This is a good plan to improve the streets in our area and I think it balances local priorities with the money we have to work with. The investment and hard work put in by Transportation Services this coming year will benefit both the community and the environment.

"But I would also make an appeal to the pu

Tweet

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

• 

  fourdogs4
  Unregistered User
  Feb 17, 20:31
  Report comment

  we moved here 3years ago there was a big hole in the road then and its still there yet
  
  the hole is deep and its getting bigger. The hole is in whyte street lochgelly.why has this not been sorted
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

Post a comment

Your Comment:

Registered users log in here

Username or email

Password

If you are registered with us, you can login here. If you are not registered, do so now.
Once logged in you wont have to complete word verification each time you post.

Prefer not to register?

Screen Name *required

Email (not displayed) *required

Usernames must be 4 - 20 characters. Registration only takes a few minutes. Registered users can also take part in competitions and other features of the site.

Word Verification:
Enter the text as shown.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @dunfermlinep