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Councillor steps up Oldhall safety bid


By Will Clark

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Councillor Willie Mackay at the notorious bend at Oldhall.
Councillor Willie Mackay at the notorious bend at Oldhall.

That is the view of Landward Caithness independent councillor Willie Mackay who is renewing efforts to improve safety on the A882 at Oldhall near Watten.

The move comes after the Highland Council knocked back calls from Mr Mackay to install a high-friction anti-skid surface at the blackspot.

The local authority does not believe the accident statistics for the bend justify spending the estimated £85,000 the work would cost.

Mr Mackay plans to appeal to TEC services to revisit the site following a deluge of rain and sludge coming off the verge last weekend.

The Highland Council erected four slippery road warning signs on both sides of the 300-yard stretch, but Mr Mackay said more needs to be done to ensure motorists’ safety.

“There is a real concern building up regarding the Oldhall dip, especially during heavy rainfall,” he said.

“As was seen with last weekend’s downpour, this made the surface pretty dangerous hence the local authority rushed to get the warning signs up.

“My next step now is to ask the Highland Council’s TEC services department about what’s known in the roads network regarding skid distance statistics – when was the last grip test done at Oldhall and do these values meet with intervention numbers?”

Mr Mackay said several residents and regular motorists have voiced concerns for some months about the tree-lined bend.

The road was resurfaced last year but the Landward Caithness councillor said pools of water which gather can aggravate a skid-pan effect for passing vehicles.

His efforts to have a 40 mph speed limit on the bend also failed to win support.

A TEC services spokesman said after reviewing information regarding the history of accidents at the road, it felt it was unnecessary to carry out any work.

“Mr Mackay raised concerns recently about the road and requested a high-friction surfacing at this location with a mandatory 40 mph,” he said.

“The council obtained accident statistics but these did not warrant a full investigation. Mr Mackay’s request was therefore rejected as being too expensive and unenforceable respectively.

“Last week a vehicle ran onto the verge and sprayed mud over a short section of the whole road. The council responded by erecting additional signs to warn drivers.”


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