Fatal road to get barriers

ROAD bosses have responded to overwhelming public demand for a crash barrier at the Wilderness Brae – after a road smash claimed three lives last Wednesday (August 1).

Within hours of the fatalities, calls went up for the potentially lifesaving road safety measure – which North Lanarkshire Council had previously ruled out, following a crash in October 2007 which had claimed two lives.

A Facebook page and petition was quickly set up, attracting the support of thousands, and on Monday (August 6) NLC bosses met with campaigners to confirm that a barrier would be erected on the A8011 site.

The lunchtime crash had claimed the life of Condorrat man Greig Brown (30) and dad-of-one Neil Harold from Paisley (34) plus father-of-four Gordon McRae (45) of Airdrie.

All three victims died at the scene.

Motherwell-based traffic police are still investigating the fatal smash and are continuing to appeal for witnesses.

This week we have interviews with local campaigners, people who live near the scene and a reaction from the council over their road safety plans, and their resposne to criticism regarding the neon waves. See the paper, on sale now, for the full story.