Chiefswood Road, in Melrose, will shut on the weekend of May 15-16, 2021, so that a temporary one-way system can be introduced A BORDERS road is having a one-way system introduced – despite significant opposition. Scottish Borders Council has announced that Chiefswood Road, near Melrose, will shut this weekend so the summer-long trial scheme can begin on Monday (May 17). Yet the plans were unpopular among Melrose residents when a public consultation was held, with 173 people being opposed – compared with 114 in favour. The council’s executive member for infrastructure, travel and transport, Gordon Edgar, said: “I must stress that this [one-way] trial will be temporary, and that no permanent decisions have been made.”
Chiefswood Road in Melrose.
The council says the trial is to obtain usage data to support a possible funding bid for a new dedicated, off-road pathway to run alongside the road, which runs from Darnick, past Borders General Hospital, to Dingleton Road, opposite the town’s golf club.
Borderers were initially asked to give their feedback on plans to temporarily introduce a one-way system on Chiefswood Road to allow for a shared space for pedestrians and cyclists.
Of Melrose residents who took part in the survey, 114 (28%) said they would like a trial, while 173 (42%) wouldn’t. And of those outside the town, 19 (5%) were for it, while 72 (17%) were not.
BORDERERS are being asked for their opinion about a proposed trial of a one-way system through a town in the region. According to Scottish Borders Council (SBC), the one-way system would be introduced on Chiefswood Road in Melrose with the aim of encouraging more people to cycle and walk. The six-month trial would see vehicle access limited to one lane downhill from the Fairways junction on Chiefswood Road, the council says. The trial would include a 40mph speed limit on the one-way system, with bollards put in place “to safely separate traffic from pedestrians and cyclists”. Gordon Edgar, SBC’s executive member for infrastructure, travel and transport, said: “Examining ways of improving our infrastructure to encourage active travel and promote healthy lifestyle choices is a high priority for the council.