Fears new store will jam up roundabout

Aldi last week announced a summer opening for its second store in the town, which will be accessed off the Cuckoo Bridge roundabout on the A75 bypass.
But Lochside resident Robert Moore said: “Nobody’s going to shop there, because it’s a nightmare trying to get out of that wee junction.”
The existing junction leads to businesses on Maxwelltown Industrial Estate, and is also the only acess route for the ambulance station.
But noting the volume of cars leaving the nearby town centre exit to head west on the A75, Mr Moore said: “You’re lucky if you get one second or two seconds to try and get out.
“And if they’re putting a superstore in there, and folk are going to use it, it’s going to be jam-packed solid.
“It’s going to cause problems.”
Mr Moore says the council should have only approved the bid if traffic lights were installed on the roundabout.
And concerned about the impact on the ambulance station from the shared access, he said: “If that’s jammed up, that’s going to cause a problem.”
However, the Scottish Ambulance Service did not lodge any objections and have consistently stated they do not have any concerns around the development.
The Aldi project, including a 122 space car park, was passed by the council last July, with a condition it not be occupied until a Travel Plan was created – including measures to promote and encourage alternatives to single-occupancy cars.
The resulting plan notes pedestrian access from Glasgow Road, nearby bus stops and the creation of a new link to the Maxwelltown Cycle Path, saying, ‘the site is well located to encourage trips by bicycle’.
And it says the store will be served by just one HGV delivery a day. But a sceptical Mr Moore remains concerned about traffic.
He said: “Everybody that I know thinks the same.
“We’ve been talking about it as we’ve seen it getting built up, and been saying, ‘How are you going to get out?’
“It’s just not going to work.”