Speeding vehicles problem in Castletown could be highlighted with police inspector
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THE problem of speeding vehicles in the Castletown area is due to be highlighted with a Thurso-based Police Scotland inspector.
Colin Marshall, who lives near Battery Road on the outskirts of the village, hopes to meet with the officer and Ron Gunn, a Thurso and northwest Caithness Highland councillor who chairs the Caithness committee.
Mr Marshall has lived in Castletown for 18 months and is concerned about the speed drivers come into the village from Thurso. He says about 80 per cent of the traffic is speeding, including cars, lorries and buses. Mr Marshall met with Mr Gunn to outline the problem and hopes that a meeting can now be arranged with the police inspector.
"Everybody talks about speeding vehicles but no one does anything about it," he said at last week's Castletown and District Community Council meeting.
Mr Marshall explained that he has submitted dash cam footage of speeding traffic to the police but was told it did not indicate the speed at which the vehicles were travelling.
He welcomed the possibility of meeting with the inspector and said: "Ron Gunn is going to try and get a meeting with me and him and the police officer. That is a start but I am not going to stop moaning about this issue. I hope someone is not killed before something is done," he stressed.
Community council vice-chairman, Colin Hossack, said the speeding has been raised over the years and attempts made to get something done about it.
"It is good that you may be meeting the local police inspector," he said. Mr Hossack pointed out there used to be a Smiley Face at the Thurso entrance to the village and it had a positive impact but was relocated to another part of Caithness. "It definitely makes drivers slow down, " he stated.
Gavin Sutherland said a Smiley Face costs around £2500 and, at least, three would be needed to cover each entrance to Castletown from Thurso, Wick and Dunnet. He suggested the community could try and apply for funding from the Halsary wind farm community benefit fund – part of which is to be made available on a Caithness-wide basis.
As previously reported, Mr Marshall described the speed vehicles come into Castletown from Thurso as "absolutely ridiculous". He has gone out to try and slow the traffic down but has been told by the police he should not do so.
Highland Council has approved measures on the Main Street to try and reduce speeding in that area but the community council says speeding vehicles are a problem in other parts of the village as well. Efforts to get 20mph limits and other measures have not been successful.
A recent survey undertaken by the local authority revealed some of the highest speeds were recorded coming into the village from the Wick road, near the Castletown primary school.
