the dalrymple street project
Did You Know?
In 2023, 165,347 Articulated HGVs travelled through Girvan.
In 2024 the number of Articulated HGVs travelling through Girvan increased to 172,631.
These vehicles are designed for a maximum gross weight of 44,000kg or 44 tonnes.
There is no legal height restriction but generally they are 4.2 meters, just over 13 feet high.
They are an average of 16.5 meters or 54 feet long.
The data on numbers of Artic HGVs travelling through Girvan comes from Transport Scotland data and does not include Coalpots Road.
The damage being done
Our Built Heritage, Homes and Business Premises
Even though this is called the Dalrymple Street project, it encompasses much more of the town. From Vicarton Street, through Dalrymple Street, along Glendoune Street, even Hamilton Street and Ailsa Place, residents have been telling us about cracks appearing in walls and ceilings, casement windows slipping, shelving falling off walls, due to the vibrations caused by a constant flow of Articulated HGVs.
Our Health & General Wellbeing
Something that seems to be overlooked is that Dalrymple Street is not only the main business street in Girvan, but is also a residential street. Look up and you will see that the majority of first and second floors of the buildings are people's homes.
Between P&O and Stena Line ferries from Cairnryan to Northern Ireland there are up to 24 crossings a day. They run from 3.30am through to midnight. This means a constant flow of Artic HGVs through the town on a daily basis, including in the early hours of the morning, heading for the early ferries. This is extremely disruptive to a proper night's sleep, as anyone who lives along the south bound A77 in Girvan will tell you.
Dalrymple Street and Glendoune Street were recently resurfaced but this won't last long given the volume of HGVs and we will be back to frightening levels of vibration. The noise pollution from these vehicles is high and we have no idea what the air pollution currently is, as there's only one air pollution monitor situated at the corner of Dalrymple Street and Knockcushan Street (where there's usually a wind coming off the harbour), nothing along the more built up sections of Dalrymple Street.