Blocked Artery

Well, sooner or later in this blip year I knew I'd be posting a snapshot of this scene. I could have done it any day I'd been in Stirling because it happens every day at some point in time in the day, and more than just once a day.

The authorities in Stirling, and I include those responsible for encouraging tourism to this world famous town (sorry.....I mean city), badge Stirling as the heart of Scotland. (if you can view in large then see the small print on the pink poster) One of the main attractions is Stirling Castle and the road on the picture is in the town (sorry....city) centre and is one of only a few ways to approach the castle or top of the town by vehicle. Slightly further up the hill from the blocked traffic is one of Stirling's few hotels - the Golden Lion.

So much for the context, on now to the scene.

Not so very long ago they used to queue for bread and other essentials in Soviet controlled Eastern Europe. Such was the state of a command led economy - a few supreme efficiencies and countless more supreme failures. But the glorious officialdom in Stirling seem determined to make the command economy model work when it comes to town traffic and tourist access. Doesn't matter how inconvenient it is for bus drivers, tourists, hoteliers, visitors.......or how embarassing it is for local residents to watch this folly played out every day nothing, absolutely nothing, gets done to fix it.

The pavements are pretty wide on both sides of the street - actually they are nearly redundant just beyond where I took the photograph because most of the shop premises on both sides of the street are empty so the pavements are generally quiet. The old cobbled road never had this congestion problem. It was only when it was 'upgraded' and new street furniture inserted that caused this chaos. There is nowhere else for the lorry to go to deliver stuff to the few remaining shops. And the bus can't get past because of the road layout.

You can't see the whole picture from the photo. Behind the bus there was a long queue of vehicles waiting to progress, with much blowing of horns and increasingly short tempered drivers including - ironically - a vehicle belonging to Stirling Council.

I think the bus was going to the hotel but the driver was forced to allow his passengers to decant into the rain and on into the nearby shopping centre whilst he waited for the road to clear. One can only guess at what impression this leaves on visitors. For sure it is not likely to be a favourable one. To add to the irony if not comedy, Stirling Council recently opend a 'one stop shop' located just behind the shop so it is not as if they are not acutely aware of the problem.

But this small town (sorry........city) in Scotland - the self-appointed best wee country in the world according to adverts at Glasgow airport - still prefers its old east european command model of 'state knows best and no errors are ever made' approach. As a result Stirling, the heart of the country, suffers yet another blocked artery. Without effective remedial action a blocked artery will produce quite severe consequences for the heart. And as a further consequence tourists are made to queue, then suffer the ignomy of getting off the bus into the rain quite a way from their destination.

Perhaps we could have a new capitalist venture of a stall selling Borsch to those waiting in the queues? With our weather at the moment it would be an all year venture.