The power of the press applauded after safety markings reinstated on NC500 road through Keiss
A week after an article was published on a battle to have a zebra crossing reinstated at Keiss the work was finally carried out by Highland Council.
Wick and East Caithness councillor Jan McEwan said she had tried unsuccessfully for months to get the council’s road department out to repaint the lines after resurfacing work earlier this year.
A week after publication of the article on October 22, in which Cllr McEwan said the spot on Main Street was “an accident waiting to happen”, council workers were observed painting in the zebra lines.
Cllr McEwan said she was delighted at the lines being reinstated and sent a message to the newspaper stating: “Good news about the Keiss zebra crossing lines which I believe were done manually. Well done on your help highlighting this issue.”
She added that the zigzag lines at the primary school have not been done yet, however.
The Highland councillor had previously stated that there was a “high potential for accidents” to occur at the crossing with it being situated at the brow of a hill and drivers may not notice it until too late. “You don’t actually see the beacons until you’re practically on the crossing,” she had said. The crossing is also on a major NC500 tourist route to John O’Groats which she felt greatly increased the risks, especially for children heading to the primary school close by.
Cllr McEwan had reported the matter to Highland Council on “numerous occasions” but no action has been taken until last week. She also claims that Sinclair's Bay Community Council also reported the issue.
Workers were seen painting the lines by hand instead of using the line painting machine which is currently undergoing special adaptions at the council depot in Wick.
Iain Gregory, co-founder of pressure group Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) said: "We are very aware at CRR that the key to getting action is to work closely with the local press, as well as having a highly active social media presence.
“It is quite amazing how a story in the Groat can quickly lead to national print coverage, and indeed TV and radio slots, across the country. CRR has swiftly gone from being a purely local campaign group to having national status, which ensures that Caithness is – and not before time – firmly on the map and will never again be dismissed as ‘that bit up there’.
"In this case, Cllr Jan McEwan – clearly despairing, and deeply concerned for the safety of the people in Keiss – was quoted in a Groat story on the 22nd of October, describing the situation in the village as ‘an accident waiting to happen’.
“The Highland Council, which had earlier indicated that the ‘machine was out of action’ responded by stating that ‘no date can be confirmed’ but that the local team will get the work done ‘once the resources to do it are available’. Cllr McEwan rapidly received strong support from the general public, from Cllr Matthew Reiss, and, of course, from CRR, with a follow-up story being published shortly afterwards.
"Remarkably, on the morning of Wednesday, 29th October, a strange and wondrous machine materialised in the village of Keiss and, in short order – reportedly by means of the use of a large brush – the essential road markings at the crossing had been reinstated, thus greatly improving the safety of all.
"It would seem, however, that further cans of paint are required to delineate the relevant zigzag areas outside the village school, and we look forward to this work being carried out equally swiftly.
"This is a perfect example of what can be achieved by dedicated local representatives and campaigners, working alongside an equally committed local press.”
Wick and East Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner shared updates on roads work on his Facebook page (November 4) saying that the amount of new road surfaces put in place requires a great deal of white lining work.
He further states: “I’ve mentioned before that it is difficult to get a contractor to undertake the works because of the nature of the work – variable and multiple works over multiple locations. This also makes it very expensive when we can actually get those contractors to do it, therefore cutting into the budget to actually resurface the roads. However, the safety element of white-lining junctions and similar areas has to be paramount.
“The council has been investing in white-lining teams across the Highlands because, as folks are probably aware, it’s not just Caithness that is affected – there are many other areas receiving increased funding for road works and that's going to be sustained over the next 20+ years given the launch of the Highland Investment Plan.”
He went on to talk about white lining teams being deployed throughout the Highlands to carry out the work; the specialist machine for creating road markings being adapted at the Wick depot; and training for Caithness employees “to undertake white-lining in-house”.
The councillor acknowledges there are key areas throughout the county that need road markings reinstated and admitted that “it's all been taking a bit of time” but that the work needs to be satisfactorily completed.
“For the first time in many years, we will have our own teams to support the resurfacing works that are going on,” he said.
