Calls for faded road markings in Glasgow to be upgraded amid safety fears

A frustrated councillor has called for faded road markings across Glasgow to be upgraded amid safety fears over a worn zebra crossing in Baillieston.

Glasgow City Council is struggling to get contractors to carry out the “wee jobs” to maintain the city’s road network, according to Cllr Kevin Lalley, Labour.

He has been raising issues for at least 18 months after constituents voiced concerns over a zebra crossing in his Baillieston ward.

Janet Dickie, a Baillieston resident, brought the issue to Cllr Lalley, as she said drivers often don’t stop at the Buchanan Street crossing.

Road markings have “worn away” and the “beacons don’t light up”, she explained. She asked the council for a controlled crossing, but says she was told there wasn’t enough “pedestrian footfall” to warrant it.

A council spokesman said road markings are refreshed as part of a three-year £119m programme but securing contractors for “smaller projects” can be “challenging”.

Cllr Lalley said the orange globes on Buchanan Street, in Baillieston, haven’t worked for “over a year” and there is also a faded ‘keep clear’ sign on nearby South Scott Street.

He raised the issue at a meeting of the city’s contracts and property committee earlier this month, as councillors agreed a £5m contract for road maintenance works.

That contract, awarded to Stepford Group Ltd, will cover repairs to roads, footways, drainage and public realm repairs as well as iron work and steel furniture maintenance — but doesn’t include road markings.

Cllr Lalley said: “I do know there is an issue with road markings just now across the city. We can’t get anyone for the ‘wee jobs’.

“I don’t understand why we are not striving to get these road markings done by getting some more contractors on board.”

He asked for pedestrian crossings to be upgraded, with fresh road markings and replacement bulbs. 

Bailie Paul McCabe, SNP, who chairs the Safe Glasgow Partnership, asked if officials agreed that the “repainting of road markings is an important contributor factor in order for Glasgow to achieve Vision Zero by 2030”.

Vision Zero is a target of having no fatalities or serious injuries on the city’s roads by 2030. An official said road markings are “critical to the safety of the road network”. He said there are currently budget constraints but staff are putting forward an argument for an increased budget.

The council spokesman said: “Road marking replacement is taking place across the city as part of our three-year, £119m roads infrastructure programme.

“Where local issues with road markings are identified and renewal work is required, securing suitable contractors can be challenging as these smaller projects are not always attractive financially.

“We are developing new processes that would allow smaller lining jobs to be batched together so contractors have larger scale projects they can bid for.”