Buckie councillor hails speeding problems progress
A councillor has praised the progress being made with local speeding issues.
Councillor Neil McLennan has raised various items concerning speeding since he became an elected member for Buckie and Findochty.
He said “One on hand road traffic driving above the speed limit is an easy issue - drivers’ behaviour is a major factor.
“However, many things are needed to tackle it. It needs education programmes, engineering solutions such as road design, safety cameras and appropriate speed limits and police traffic department enforcement where offenders breach speed limits.
“I am glad that much work goes into education, for example emergency services input to students at Buckie High and various road awareness programmes. I am also appreciative of police who have responded to my calls including speed checks in Findochy and an apparent enhanced presence of marked and unmarked traffic police vehicles in Moray.”
He went on to single out the issue of speed limits at Rathven as a major step forward.
Councillor McLennan continued: “Most pleasing [recently] was the news that council officers will propose to rationalise the speed limits in the Rathven area.
“I have been campaigning for changes to the village from March Road. It is a strange change in speed limit whereby drivers enter a 60 mph zone just before entering the bad bends outside Rathven and then into a 30 mph in the village itself.
“We saw a bus crash there recently. Proposals, which I have lobbied for, propose removing the short section of national speed limit and ensure an amalgamation of the 40mph from Buckie and the 30mph in Rathven.
“This proposal to revise the speed limits is on the council’s list of outstanding Road Traffic Regulation Orders to be progressed in line with council officer resource availability. Acknowledgment of the issue by council officers is appreciated and a commitment to the change is a major step in the right direction. I have been campaigning for this change with council officers and senior police officers since I first started representing the Buckie and Findochty area.”
He expressed his gratitude to council officer Nicola Moss and her team along with senior police officers Inspector Worton, Inspector Ferry, Chief Inspector McKenzie and Chief Inspector Reid.
Councillor McLennan added: "I spent one later afternoon and early evening parked up just along from the Rathven cemetery and could see for myself why residents were raising concerns.
“I am no speed camera, but what I saw was notable as drivers progressed through the bad bends and into the small and peaceful village that Rathven should be."
“I now await updates on timescales for this proposed revision to go through the system and have highlighted the importance of it.
“This work to progress speeding issues in Moray comes soon after all three Buckie Councillors agreed unanimously to use Common Good Funds to install speed Vehicle Activated Speed Signs to help ensure compliance with speed limits at Arradoul.”
“Hopefully these changes will help to keep the area safer and I thank all agencies who have listened to concerns I have relayed to them.”