Friday, March 29, 2024
NewsScottish NewsScotland's most dangerous roundabouts revealed

Scotland’s most dangerous roundabouts revealed

SCOTLAND’S most dangerous roundabouts – which have caused almost 400 casualties in the last 10 years – have been uncovered.

The Sheriffhall roundabout on the Edinburgh City Bypass has seen more injuries than any other – with 64 people hurt there in the last decade.

Second on the list is the Broxden roundabout, where the A9 and M90 meet in Perth, where there has been 52 injuries.

In total eight roundabouts on the country’s motorways and main routes have clocked up an astounding 375 casualties, including 29 classed as serious.

 

web-roundabout-2
The Sheriffhall roundabout on the Edinburgh City Bypass were 64 people hurt in the last 10 years

 

The top eight is also made up of Bankhead, on the A92 in Glenrothes; Keir, where the M9 meets the A9 south of Dunblane; Whitletts, on the A77 near Ayr; Redhouse, on the A92 near Kirkcaldy and Hermiston Gait, at the eastern end of the M8 in Edinburgh.

Neil Greig, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), said: “The junctions share a common theme – roundabouts at the end of long, high-speed sections of road.

“The IAM would support greater investment in queue detection and smarter electronic signposting to advise drivers of problems ahead.

“However, most crashes at these major junctions happen within the roundabout itself, suggesting that drivers often don’t understand which lane they should be using.”

A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “While this list is a useful tool in highlighting such locations, it is more appropriate that we reflect the findings of this annual network analysis when making decisions on where to target road safety investment.

“This allows each set of interventions to be tailored to address particular issues.”

She added: “Our plans for the junctions indicated range from major upgrades to the installation of new safety barriers, and signing and lining improvements.”

The figures from the government agency Transport Scotland don’t include junctions maintained by councils.

Related Stories