RESURFACED roads in Helensburgh and Lomond may be awaiting white lining for some time to come, a councillor has warned.

Councillor Ellen Morton told local councillors that the operation requires specialist machinery and trained staff – which Argyll and Bute Council does not have.

But as chair of the Northern Roads Collaboration, a group of eight councils, Councillor Morton is investigating a possible solution.

Roads which await new white lining include a stretch of the A814 between Cardross and Helensburgh, and the B833 around the Rosneath peninsula.

The matter was discussed at the Helensburgh and Lomond area committee’s recent meeting at the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre, along with other issues relating to the area’s roads.

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Councillor Morton said: “We are in the same position as all rural authorities in Scotland.

“The council, as I understand it, has the machinery and staff to do small amounts of white lining, for example to mark out a road junction or similar.

“But we do not have specialist machinery, or trained staff, to do miles of rural roads, particularly high speed ones, where of course there are road safety issues when these machines are out.

“Almost all councils in Scotland rely on specialist external contractors to come in and do that sort of work, and there are very few available.

“It is very difficult to get them to come when you want them to – they will come only when it is justified.

“Big communities and urban areas are easier to access; there are bigger jobs and contracts.

“White lining is not entirely under control but we are not in any different position.

“I am chair of the Northern Roads Collaboration and one thing they are looking at is whether any of the eight member councils could get together and do the specialist training.”

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Meanwhile, Councillor George Freeman voiced concerns about cats’ eyes on the roads as the winter nights draw in, as well as the storage of surface dressing materials.

He said: “There has been a fair bit of surface dressing. I am on the audit and scrutiny committee and one of the groups set up there was to look at road maintenance. There is a report due on that.

“With a number of local authorities you get really good feedback, but on the B833, there has recently been surface dressing, which attracts nothing but complaints from the public.

“I know that white lining will be done when contractors are available, but what about cats’ eyes? Capital works took place and the cats’ eyes were not replaced.

“Surface dressing materials have been stored in Garelochhead car park, and the one that comes right down the Gare Loch, overlooking Loch Lomond.

“These are some of the most popular viewpoints and they are closed off as we almost run into October. This has gone on since May, so we have missed the whole summer.

“People are far from happy and I think we need to find another place or method of storage, as this really isn’t on.”

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