Are you experiencing any traffic related issues?

While I appreciate that we have been advised to report traffic incidents to the police, we see lots of problems with traffic every day that we just wouldn't report to the police but nontheless are making the roads quite dangerous.

Today for example I was driving through Mossford and Lochluichart and was overtaken by a car which then went on to overtake the next car in front of me. These bends are one of the worst sections in our community for speed of traffic generally but also HGVs such as log lorries going through. There is no way it is safe for them to be going at 60mph round those bends.

I know of two residents who have had very close encounters on this stretch, one got knocked off their bike by a lorry and another one was nearly run over just outside their house.

I have definitely seen a change in the traffic over the last few years. Cars are overtaking in places where they can't see if there is oncoming traffic.

P

I have experienced  exactly the overtaking you describe, Sue. I have never driven into Dingwall from Achanalt without experiencing a near miss. I think there should be more lengths of double white  lines as the road, although two lanes, is barely wide enough for two large vehicles without an overtaking third. What is the speed limit for large vehicles these days? What makes me sad is that many of the large vehicle drivers are considerate and don't  'tailgate' and make you drive faster than you really want to but just a few selfish drivers  do this even when there are dangerous bend warning signs. I rate them even worse than motorbike  riders making unnecessarily  loud  journeys as they pass through our glens , echoing for miles.

I wrote previously about nearly being hit by a wing mirror whilst trying to get into my car outside my house in Lochluichart. As if that isn't bad enough I had a near miss experience just yesterday, when crossing the road to get to the mobile library. A car came around the bend so fast (definitely more than 60mph) that I wasn't sure I was going to make it to safety. It really shook me up and I didn't know whether to scream  or cry!

The road outside our house has got 2 bends either side. 60mph is way too fast. The traffic is three-fold more busy now that the tourists are here with a vengeance, and they are usually more interested in watching the beautiful views across the loch rather than watching the road itself. 

A driver bibbed and shouted at us just last weekend because we were turning right onto our property to park our car. When we started the manoeuvre there was no traffic on the road ... that shows how fast he came around the bend not giving us enough time to even park our car.

I understand that we have to put up with the noise  of the very busy traffic and we accept that. But not to be able to get into our car, cross the road, park our car in safety is all because the road is too fast and too dangerous. 

The Tesco delivery drivers have told me they are very concerned about the speed of the traffic outside my house due to their own safety.  

And don't get me started about the pot holes outside the house!!!!!!

60mph is too fast to travel through Lochluichart 

P

So true, Kim. Welcome to the A 832!  I am not sure which is worse, long straight stretches leading to blind bends and deep dips hiding oncoming traffic or  blinding bends. In a guide book by Charles Tait, who lives safely tucked away in Orkney, you can read about  the turning off just through Garve, following the NC5OO on to the " fast road through Strathbran". This book can be bought in all the local general stores. I intend to write to the directors of the NC5OO  Company and suggest they look over some of the advertising material  out there and issuing from their own office for  members  to read. Yes, there are thousands . What a good opportunity to reach a lot of tourists who mostly wish to co- operate  whenever they can.  By the way , any loud noise from motor bikes is NOT necessary and, in Edinburgh ,  there are Ministers earning a salary to look into noise pollution  . Glad you are using the Library van. It's  a boon in the Winter! 

The Traffic Calming Group is trying to start a campaign to reduce the speed of traffic, please folks if you have anecdotes about incidents like this send them in. You don't have to comment publicly if you prefer, but if as many people as possible highlight what we are experiencing regularly it would make for quite shocking reading. 

My latest incident was on Wed when a black audi overtook me at Killin, while a car was coming towards us. I braked, the other car braked and the audi did seem to realise as it then went quite slowly along the lochside. 

Interestingly the Police reported on the 22 April – “A 23 year old man was detected driving at 102mph on the A890 near Achnasheen and a 47 man was detected driving a van at 98mph on the A835 near Garve.”

I would like to inform you of another A832 traffic/road incident that happened yesterday (8/5/22) outside our cottage in Lochluichart.  A hire car carrying 4 Asian tourists, hit a pot hole, which blew their tyre. This in turn, left their car suspended on the road in the middle of two blind bends, with traffic flying past at 60mph.  Traffic coming flying round the bends had to now break hard to stop themselves driving into the back of a now disabled car OR into each other. One near miss happened as a car travelling so fast, saw the disabled car but didn't have time to stop .. so it overtook it and went straight into the path of another car coming around the other bend at a fast speed.  It was awful.  We quickly got two of the ladies to stand at each bend and wave their arms like crazy to slow the traffic down,  whilst we got the car to a safer position. It was horrendous having to stand so close to the road whilst trying to make everything safe. I don't honestly know what would have happened if we hadn't been at home to assist these tourists as they just didn't have a clue about the danger. During a conversation with the ladies,  we talked about how dangerous this particular part of the road was due to speed and the bends. And to our shock they said that their tourist guide book told them that the road was a fast road  (just like Pam had said in an earlier comment). Of course I have again reported the pothole to the council, but me emphasising the danger of the road seemed to go in one ear and out of the other. Apparently it will just go onto a long list of jobs that need doing and it will eventually get done. Trying to explain how scary it was to try and slow the traffic down to make the situation safer didn't get me anywhere. But I did end my conversation by saying that I hope in the near future I don't have to ring back to say "I warned you, I told you so.'

Thanks for contributing this incident Kim. I think what we are highlighting is that in less than a month, we are repeatedly seeing hazardous driving - something that most of us already know happens, but by putting these incidents together shows a sadly predictable pattern. We as local residents are the main witnesses so let's make it known how dangerous our roads have become!

R

https://www.facebook.com/MareeToddMSP/videos/412649274038704 This was on Radio Scotland - says it all.

G

I would like to inform you about 3 incidents which have happened in the last two weeks at Lochluichart.

The first incident took place on Saturday 7th May when I was cutting the grass outside the house on the verge, three vehicles heading west were over taken by a motorbike doing around 60mph the bike was so far over the road I could have probably touched him with an outstretched arm. If another vehicle had come the other way I would hate to think what could have happened to the motorcyclist and myself.

The second incident was on Saturday 14th May, I was travelling through the village of Lochluichart at 40mph and was tailgated be a Ford Mondeo Estate car who was only about 2 metres from me, I braked slightly to avoid a pheasant on the road and he had to swerve violently to avoid my vehicle.

The third incident happened on Sunday 15th May I was turning right into our Cottage at Lochluichart, I had to stop to give way to oncoming traffic, as they passed I started turning right and a car came at excessive speed around the blind corner and had to brake hard and swerve to miss my vehicle.

Do we need to have somebody killed or severly injured before something can be done about the speed limit through Lochluichart.

Too often you see vehicles not giving enough room when overtaking bicycles.  Today coming along side Loch Garve i witnessed a female cyclist travelling eastwards, rather worryingly she had no protective gear on but aside from that fact a car was so hellbent on getting past her and not willing to wait until the oncoming traffic had passed he swerved past quickly but with no thought for allowing enough space. I do hope we will see a cycle path on this increasingly dangerous stretch of road.

For reference - fatal road crash on the A835 at its junction with the A832 near Garve on Sunday 15 May 2022.

Yet another incident whilst in our car outside our cottage, when trying to get across the road. Once again, no cars visible when starting to manoeuvre away from our home,  but we hadn't even reached the other side when a Range Rover came so quickly round the bend I shut my eyes because I thought he was going to hit us. All because of the speed he was travelling at. And then he also had the impertinence to stick his middle finger up at us. 

P

That is disgraceful. How frightening to think that a percentage of the drivers along our (residents) road have this attitude as well as the habitual  inappropriate  speeding. Arrogant and  extremely dangerous. I think the large electronic sign in advance of both the 835 and 832  A roads  should carry  firmer messages. We see ' tiredness kills, take a break'   or  ' fasten  seat belts' . Why not '  observe the speed limit  at all times ' or ' speeding can kill '?

Sadly, details of an accident today at Lochluichart have been shared with the Company - we have not further information just now, but I will share the Police notice once available.

G

Today 20th June 2022 around 1600hrs I was travelling west through Lochluichart and was overtaken on a blind corner coming in to Mossford by a dark Green mini cooper, I was travelling at around 40mph and this vehicle must have been travelling over 60mph if any vehicle had been coming the other way a serious accident would have occurred.

How long do we have to put up with these idiots on the road before someone gets KILLED?

In Lochluichart, early this morning, I was just locking my front door having every intention of getting into my parked car at the front of my home.  As I was doing this, a logger lorry (fully loaded) drove past my cottage at such an astronomical speed, it sent stones flying up against the car and our front wall. Just a few seconds later and I would have been standing next to my car in the midst of all that flying debris. And much more than that.... I could have been pulling away from my home as he came flying past at such a ridiculous speed. He would NEVER have been able to slow down in time to miss me and my car. 

Needless to say, I changed my mind about leaving the house this morning and just returned inside. This unrelenting, bad driving is really knocking my confidence to pull safely away from my home. 

F

I spoke to the level crossing manager today and contrary to what counciller Cockburn said at the community council meeting in April there is no speed camera at the railway level crossing in Garve  and there never has been one.  There used to be a camera to record people who misused  but that is no longer in place.

Two remarkable feats of driving have just happened outside my cottage in Lochluichart (A832) within the space of an hour ... and I'm absolutely gobsmacked an accident hasn't happened. 

The first was a camper van executing a slow, 5 point turn in the middle of the road. Not a care in the world, and absolutely oblivious to the fact he was turning in the middle of two dangerous bends with fast, flowing traffic. 

The second, a VW van literally just stopped in the middle of the road outside, and just sat there for about 2 minutes. Not even parked up to the kerb! Luckily he chose the 2 minutes out of his day when nothing was on the road heading towards Gorstan. 

Accidents are really waiting to happen. 

P

I am trying to think of an appropriate  sign that, if read, would stop the sort of thing you described.......Please be sensible...........No halting in the centre  of the road........No parking in the middle of the road.........  . Seriously it is baffling to try and work out exactly why these drivers do this sort of thing, isn't  it? 

Most baffling Pam! I must have looked like a person standing at my window with a 'scream' mask on as I was so shocked. 

Some motorcyclists are obviously still not realising the danger on our roads as, yesterday afternoon, 2 of them went past at astronomical speed. We sat in our lounge and could hear their engines for ages as they headed in the direction towards the A835. Let's hope they stopped in time at the junction!

P

I will not be able to make an appointment  to see Maree Todd tomorrow but if I spoke to her I would suggest that someone should be in charge of measuring  the distance between  two main points in each 'hamlet'  along the A  832 and counting the driveways into homes, field gates etc.. For example , along one mile between Strathbran  Lodge  and Achanalt House there are nine driveways , a railway station, at least six field or forest gates, a postbox and lay- by with telephone box. Add to this a signed Visitor Attraction and you have a good picture of what is repeated along this road from Achnasheen to Gorstan......oh, I forgot to mention  access driveways to two cemeteries! 

Good morning. I'd like to report two road traffic incidents that happened to me yesterday, whilst driving on the A832. The first was literally just past my house on the bend, as I was driving past the school house. As I approached the bend (thankfully at a very slow speed, as I'd only just pulled away) a red 4x4 was overtaking 2 cyclists and was driving towards me on my side of the road. I hit both my brakes and my car horn as I had nowhere to go .... swerving would have put me straight in the path of the cyclists. He carried on going and missed my car and the front cyclist by inches. Needless to say the car just drove off. What kind of idiot has the gaul to overtake on a blind bend at speed? 

The second incident happened literally a minute later, when I was approaching the parking lay-by at Loch a' Chuilinn. A left-hand drive car, towing a caravan, just pulled straight out as I approached him. He had no passenger to check for traffic so I'm just guessing that he just took a 'pot luck' chance that no traffic was coming. Luckily (thankfully) there was no traffic coming from the opposite direction and I was able to overtake him. 

On both occasions, I'm just really glad that I was driving at a sensible speed because I know first hand that if I'd been driving at the legal speed limit of 60mph or above, one of those incidents wouldn't have allowed me to write this report.

Crazy driving!

P

You have hit the nail on the head, Kim!    I know in the Peak District National Park where hikers, cyclists and motor vehicles abound in almost equal measure. The speed limit , on the roads everywhere, is 40 mph...........

P

I dont know the details of the accident in ACHANALT which happened on Friday evening but wondered if it was caused  by  deer being on the road . Whether or not that was the cause I think  the deer warning signs are too insignificant to make an impression on road users who may not know how deer live. They have had traditional crossing places since time immemorial  and Achanalt is one of them. Now is the time of year when extra care is needed - even then it is hard to avoid  the potentiall for damage. Two fire engines and Police were in attendance on Friday . Perhaps it was inevitable but more  awareness of the problem could be promoted, larger signs and speed restrictions ( needed for other reasons too)  might go a little way to improve the situation. I wish the area was celebrated for its animals  so that   people  would benefit also by that knowledge.I do hope any injuries were not serious .

P

Is this website  still in use, please?

Hi Pam

Happy New Year to you - yes the page is still in use.

P

I thought you might be  interested to know that the stretch  of  our road, Tarvie to Garve, is featured and pictured in this week's  ROSHIRE JOURNAL on account  of the frequency  of accidents occurring  thereon. 

Thanks for letting us know Pam - is you have a copy of the article can you keep hold of it please.