Danger road upgrade halted months before girl’s death
Proposals to make Moray route safer dropped on cost grounds
PLANS to make a dangerous road safe were halted five months before a 14-year-old girl died and three other teenagers were seriously injured there in a two-car crash.
Lithuanian-born Neringa Narusyte – who moved to Scotland 11 years ago with her family – died after the Vauxhall Corsa she was travelling in collided with a Nissan Terrano on the B9016 near Keith in Moray on Wednesday night.
Another 14-year-old girl suffered life-threatening injuries. Two girls aged 16 and 17 had serious injuries. They were all passengers in the Corsa.
Amid tributes to the dead girl, the death crash has led to fresh calls to reinstate plans first put forward to straighten the twisty road nine years ago. They were shelved in May after Moray Council about-turned on a commitment to spend £42,000 to start the £5 million scheme aimed at straightening out the sharp bends on the route.
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald, who knows the dead girl’s family, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard about the accident and saw where it was. We don’t know what caused the accident, and my main concern is for the family, because they are local and I know them.
“That is a tragedy for Buckie. It’s a tough time today.
“But the road is clearly a dangerous road, and as far as I am concerned it is something that has to be tackled.
“I have been arguing about having things done to that road for years and I was pretty appalled they pulled back from doing something about it this time.”
Neringa’s mother, Ilona, 34, paid tribute to the Buckie High School pupil saying she was a “lovely girl” and adding: “She’s always going to be loved and remembered.
“I still can’t believe that she’s gone.”
The family moved to the Moray coast 11 years ago from Lithuania.
A council-commissioned study completed in 2007 recommended improvements to the whole route to provide an “upgraded safe road”.
In December, it was estimated the road had suffered six crashes over two years, one of which was fatal and another serious.
In June, 2014, motorist Iain MacDonald died when his Mini caught fire after a crash.
In August 2015, a motorcyclist travelling along the treacherous stretch sustained serious head injuries after an accident.
“It is a very dangerous road,” said Mr McDonald. “And it wasn’t just about the economics of the case, it is very much a safety issue.
“It has lots of twists and turns and it is hilly, and the camber is wrong in parts. If you are driving along, with the camber out, it’s sloping the wrong way, it can drag you across the road. It’s about realignment, to straighten out the bad bends.”
Moray’s corporate director of corporate services, Mark Palmer, had advised that spending the £42,000 would be financially irresponsible as “no substantial case had been put forward to justify this expenditure”.
A council spokesman said: “It would be completely inappropriate for the council to speculate on any future decisions by councillors.”