Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone insists speed bumps and 'absolute priority' after dramatic crash leads to renewed safety calls in Tain housing estate
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SPEED bumps are an "absolute priority" that must be installed in a Tain housing estate before someone is seriously hurt, the town's MP has argued after a car crash there last week.
Jamie Stone was speaking after the crash Burgage Drive sparked fresh calls in the community for improved safety measures to protect residents in and around the estate.
The crash, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, saw a car leave the road and demolish a lamp-post, flatten multiple gardens’ fences and plough into a 4x4, which suffered extensive damage. The driver has since been charged with unspecified motoring offences.
In the aftermath of the crash, local concerns were aired over the lack of traffic calming measures on some of the roads in the area.
Residents had previously complained about motorists’ behaviour in Burgage Drive and neighbouring Seaforth Road – especially as both streets are on housing estates with families and there are lots of parked cars on the roadside where pedestrians are not as easily seen.
In recent months those concerns were eased somewhat by the wide roll-out of 20mph speed limits across most of Tain. This included the installation of speed bumps at a number of key locations – including outside schools and in the likes of Cameron Road near to its junction with the bypass.
Related: Hit and run driver reportedly responsible for loud bang as fences and lamppost left damaged in Tain
However, despite speed bumps being installed as near as Cameron Road, neither Seaforth Road – which directly connects to it – or Burgage Drive received any physical traffic calming measures.
And the latest incident has shone a spotlight once more on the concerns of people living in the estate and neighbouring streets.
Social media pages have been awash with comments from concerned people.
Lianne Walker wrote: “Need speed bump up Burgage Drive way... there is way too many racers going along the straight.”
Haylz Paton Maber added: “There’s already been children injured on Burgage due to people’s driving. Maybe not in some time now but there has been and there will be again.”
Responding to local concerns, Mr Stone, who is MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said action was needed to improve the safety of roads in Tain.
He said: "Only some days ago, I heard a screech of tyres followed by a loud bang in the ASDA car park opposite where I live in Tain. This is not out of the ordinary. Later that day, I saw the newly badly damaged lamp post.
"We in Tain are growing heartily sick of this kind of behaviour - which could endanger life and limb - and merely putting up 20mph signs isn’t enough. Speed bumps and police action including full CCTV should be looked at as an absolute priority.”
Local ward councillor Derek Louden said the installation of recent speed bumps elsewhere in the town was carried out following surveys to see which areas recorded higher traffic speeds, and that measures were then placed according to what was observed.
But he added that if residents are concerned that the 20mph is not having sufficient effect in other roads, then the possibility of further speed bumps being installed could be explored in future. He said: “The 20mph limit that was brought in is subject to review and if it’s shown that the measures in place are insufficient to discourage speeding then [I’m] sure we can look at further measures.
“Surveys were done on different stretches of road and round town and measures were placed in accordance with what was observed. Speed bumps were put in streets where high speeds had been recorded.
“But if residents are concerned and there is evidence that traffic isn’t slowing down and observing the limit, then I’m certain that we can go back and look at it again.”
