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The drive for safer roads on Arran took a huge step this week when an advisory 30mph speed limit was put in place between Brodick and Lochranza.
The speed limit is the result of a rigorous campaign to improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists after two fatal accidents on this stretch in the past five years.
Arran’s local councillor Margie Currie said that there is talk of imposing a maximum speed limit island wide in response to concerns over road safety, but this would only be put in place after a thorough consultation.
The death of a cyclist on one of Arran’s roads last summer prompted concerned islanders to campaign for a safer route for bicycle users.
The new signs on the 14-mile stretch of road advise a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour although the legal speed limit on the A841 is 60mph.
They are the second phase of proposals developed by the Brodick to Corrie Support Group, North Ayrshire Council and Strathclyde Police.
They also mark the first stage of the implementation of the North Ayrshire Core Paths Plan.
Councillor Margie Currie congratulated everyone concerned in the new measures - Louise Kirk, NAC access officer; Jack McConnachie, assistant head of roads; Gerard Tattersfield, Arran Bike Club, Joyce and Alan Beasley, Sergeant Bob MacKay and Neil Bulger of Corrie Hotel.
She added: ‘I am not complacent, however. Safety still depends on safer driving, cycling and road usage (and I don't overlook road condition either). I remind the public that extra care is necessary on Arran’s rural roads, which have to deal with buses, heavy traffic, drivers who don’t know the bends and blind corners and drivers who think they know them too well.’
The new signs display three warning symbols, directional information and an advisory 30 miles per hour speed limit.
Further activities to raise drivers’ awareness are planned such as road cycle route repeater symbols that would be painted on to the road.
Sergeant Bob MacKay was involved in the campaign and said he welcomes any road safety measures on Arran. ‘Something has to be done. We have had eight fatal accidents on the island in the last five years. This is another crucial piece of the jigsaw which will go a long way in helping to improve driver behaviour on the island.’
Plans initiated by Arran Bike Club five years ago for an off-road multi-user bike trail between Corrie and Brodick are still underway.
Neil Bulger of Corrie Hotel said: ‘While these new signs may not be to everyone's taste, they are an important first piece of a very large jigsaw, a jigsaw that can only be completed when cyclists and vehicles are separated, by means of the multi user trail.
‘These signs are there to inform vehicle drivers that there are cyclists and pedestrians on the road but it is a sad fact that it is the people that know the road and already know that there are cyclists and pedestrians using it that are usually the drivers who kill or severely injure other road users. So please, kill your speed and give cyclists room.’
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