NC500 danger-drive crackdown is rejected

CLAIMS police could do more to crack down on dangerous drivers accused of using hundreds of miles of Ross-shire roads as a race track have been challenged by the Highlands’ top cop.

Concerns about the hugely popular North Coast 500 have been fuelled by reports of road rage, dangerous driving and growing frustration over the number of inexperienced drivers in hired campervans clogging stretches of the route.

Police are working on a new road safety strategy, in part a response to the tourism boom the region is witnessing.

The NC500 – which cuts through a vast swathe of Ross-shire and takes in Dingwall, Contin, Garve, Lochcarron, Applecross, Torridon, Gairloch, Ullapool, Tain and Alness – has been credited with pumping millions of pounds into the local economy and unlocking fresh business opportunities across Ross.

Police earlier this month issued an appeal for information after reports of four high-end cars being driven dangerously on a stretch of the route in Wester Ross. An earlier appeal centred on an alleged road rage incident on the Bealach na Ba at Applecross.

Wester Ross councillor Derek MacLeod questioned whether police were doing everything possible to intercept drivers after getting tip-offs. He said: "What I don’t get is that when it is being reported between Braemore and Garve, why did traffic officers not get out to Contin and apprehend these people?"

He is also concerned about inexperienced drivers at the wheels of the growing number of hired campervans on the route. He said: "So many people have no control of these vehicles. In my view, people hiring campervans ought to be able to demonstrate they can drive them."

Journal readers took to our Facebook page to voice their concerns. Heather Finlayson Low said she saw a convoy of high-end cars passing through Ullapool. She stated: "My friend and I commented on the speed they were driving at, there’s no way they would have been able to brake in time if a child had run into the road. It’s happening too often in the village."

Duncan Kotlewski wrote: "It’s the caravans and campervans that do my head in. I’ve done nearly 3000 miles on the NC500 route over the past month and 75 per cent of them never pull over to let you past. I’ve been stuck behind them for 30 to 40 odd miles!"

Another, Graham Jack, pointed out "there are idiots on every road and not all of them are tourists". He appealed to all road users to take care adding: "Personally I don’t want to be the local having to cut some idiot out of a burning or crashed car or removing a fence post from a biker’s helmet."

Divisional commander, chief superintendent George MacDonald, told the Journal officers do their best to respond to reports as quickly as possible.

He said: "The NC500 is all about context. It’s busy. There are probably hundreds of thousands of visitors linked to that route and in terms of negative driver behaviour it’s a tiny percentage.

"The other aspect is not everyone using the North Coast 500 route is a tourist. The people using it are locals, and where we deploy roads policing to the route there are as many local individuals that are falling foul of speeding and driver behaviour as anyone that isn’t from the area."

Asked whether the NC500 merited more road policing resources, he said efforts were focussed on all routes in the Highlands.

He said: "We have been doing that and we have got a real focus on the NC500 route. We are also doing work to devise a roads safety strategy for the Highland area which will take in the other concerns that the communities are raising."

On concerns over campervan safety, he said: "I look at it in slightly broader terms. We are working on a road safety strategy. We will be sharing that soon and part of {that} will look at tourism and all the issues that fall out of that. Transport Scotland and others are looking at this as well to ensure that when visitors, regardless of whether it is a campervan or a normal car, actually understand the Highway Code and road traffic legislation."

Tom Campbell, managing director at the North Coast 500, said: "To help visitors prepare for their trip, we have issued safe driving advice which is prominently highlighted on our website – www.northcoast500.com. In this advice, we have been clear that certain points along the North Coast 500 route are unsuitable for larger vehicles, such as campervans.

"North Coast 500 supports any local initiative that proactively seeks to promote road safety in conjunction with public agencies across the North Highlands."

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