Commenting on the Stirling Hogmanay celebrations on Stirling Castle Esplanade, Councillor Chris Kane, who opened the event as  Baillie of Stirling Council, said,

“The weather behaved this year, the entertainment was excellent and Stirling welcomed in the New Year with a fireworks display to rival any city anywhere in the world.  What a fantastic idea to have two parties so our younger children can enjoy the fireworks without having to try and stay awake until midnight.  Stirling has much to look forward to in 2018, with hundreds of millions of pounds of investment coming through the City Deal.  The year will also have its difficulties, particularly with the closure of the Kerse Bridge, but together we’ll face the challenges and embrace the opportunities.  I wish all of us a peaceful, prosperous and very happy new year.”  

Commenting on the preparations for the closure of the Kerse Road Bridge on 8th January, Stirling East Councillor Chris Kane said,

“We’re all a little anxious about what’s to come, but I cannot fault the preparations by Stirling Council ahead of the closure.  In Braehead, the speed activated signs on Pike Road are operational and we’ve got three new zebra crossings on Linden Avenue and Broom Road.  It’s going to be a tough few months for Stirling but we’re all going to have to play our part; whether that’s drivers being mindful of their speed and their surroundings or all of us continuing to support the businesses in Springkerse.  Now Network Rail must do their part, stick to the allotted timescale and get Stirling moving again as quickly as possible.”