Social media

There has been widespread support for our campaign to improve road safety on the A85 between Oban and Connel.

Allan Strang Jnr posted: ‘In the 2.5 mile or so between Dunbeg and town there seems to be a lot of bends , which maybe folk aren’t ready for even though they should be. Straighter roads would be better as a) it gives a clear sight of what’s going on ahead and b) it’d stop folk speeding only if it would give more places for speed detection to take place and also if overtaking folk wouldn’t chance it if they could see ahead. Let’s just put it straight. The roads of the last millennia aren’t fit for todays volume of traffic and our local roads budget is being significantly dented before it reaches the outside world.’

Margaret Adams suggested: ‘Drivers ignore the double white lines in the middle,of the road. Speed is also a factor. It could also be that the beautiful scenery takes their eyes off the road!’

Murdo MacKenzie wrote: ‘ There’s so many people who think they’re invincible being inside a metal frame. I’m sick of being overtaken on that stretch. It’s so dangerous, so many people have died on the roads around Oban. You’d think people would be wiser.’

Eachann Gillies explained: ‘I think it’s a bit of “fundamental attribution error” – a cognitive bias that makes us more likely to blame others for bad driving and excuse ourselves from the same behaviour. Research has also shown that about 90% of the driving public think that their driving is “above average”, which suggests we tend to drastically overestimate our own skills and ability to avoid collisions. Add to this message epidemic levels of phone use at the wheel and you can see why driving on any road can be quite harrowing. On a stretch of road that people feel they know well, and when using this stretch of road during rush hour ... then it makes for an even less pleasant experience.’

Alistair Reid said: ‘Slow drivers cause lots of frustration. I was sat behind someone doing 26mph the other day between halfway house and pennifuir. Passenger was taking pictures out of the window. Need more police patrols.’

Mags Johnstone recounted: ‘ Someone overtook me on my way into town couple of days ago double white lines, he/she didn’t think me driving at 45mph was fast enough obviously.’ Staying on a roads theme, there was also considerable engagement with our story about the zebra crossing on outside Lidl on Soroba Road. Kenny MacKenzie posted: ‘Can’t com- ment about the driving aspect of it but it is between the entry and exit to the petrol station and 15 yards between the Sinclair drive junction and the turn in to the new lidls. As a resident who crossed there all the time, I never had a problem just using the traffic islands. Good idea, poorly positioned.’

Gary Farlow offered: ‘ Think the crossing is ok, my gran stays in the flats next to it, when am tryin to get across to the garage it was a night mare before the crossing was put up, just drivers in Oban need to be more observant and stop being so ignorant to other road users and pedestrians, half the people I have come across while visitin family in Oban have no idea how a roundabout works. Nothing wrong with the crossing just people don’t know the highway codes etc.’

Duncan Ferguson wrote: ‘It’s only an accident waiting to happen for bad drivers!!its clear to see and local drivers are the worst!!being diligent and noticing tings are being part of being a driver so it u don’t see that give it up!!!’

Saskia Cheney said: ‘Accident waiting to happen! Far too much going on there! Cross at the islands either side of it instead.’ Ian Fletcher said: ‘Accident waiting to happen.’