RESIDENTS will be aware of and frustrated by the recent traffic disruption caused by emergency work by utility companies in Dumbarton, particularly on Cardross Road.

This has led to traffic chaos in Dumbarton West and has a disruptive effect on travel to and from Renton and Helensburgh.

My ward colleague Councillor Gurpreet Johal and I had emergency discussions with gas distribution company SGN to demand improvements to the inadequate traffic management during the work earlier this year.

Cardross Road is a vital route and the only road available for thousands of residents in Dumbarton West who want to get to and from their homes.

Over the last three years, there have been at least 12 occasions when Cardross Road was subject to emergency work by utility companies.

Recent emergency work in February, March, and again in April resulted in traffic chaos.

Over the Easter holiday weekend, work carried out for Scottish Power caused gridlock over the busy holiday weekend, affecting local residents and motorists.

In my experience, the utilities introduce ineffective traffic management plans and often no flexibility during the work, even when it is perfectly clear the traffic management arrangements are failing.

To address this at last month’s council meeting, I moved a motion calling on the council to introduce a new protocol, with the utilities to be agreed before work takes place.

This would allow time to take into account how they can minimise disruption.

It would encourage discussions on how this will work in tandem with traffic lights at nearby junctions, as well as giving an assurance that work will take place every day of the traffic management to ensure the length of disruption is minimised.

Only last week, Scottish Water began four days of emergency work. This was obviously too soon to get the protocol agreed but it only highlights the real need to introduce this as soon as possible.

Just to be transparent, there is a limit to what the council can do to restrict the utilities, as legislation allows them to carry out work in emergency situations, particularly if there has been a loss of power supply or a dangerous gas leak.

However, the utilities must try harder to work closely with the council and reduce the disruption these works cause us all.

This would be an improvement that can't come quickly enough to everyone who lives in Dumbarton West.