The Oban Times

Summer Driving

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As we edge past the milestone of the Summer Solstice, the magical bloom of the warm season is in the air.

Joining the long evenings, the blanket of flowers on the machair and the twitter of the swallow is the sudden increase in traffic volume and the slowing of all journeys on our roads.

This is an annually recurring double- edged sword of existing in areas popular as tourist destinatio­ns.

A recent journey from Fort William to Strathpeff­er brought this to mind as I travelled up Loch Ness-side following various sight-seers at 30 miles per hour.

It is without doubt a good problem to have for our economy and the social vibrancy of the area. I believe generally, “the busier the better”.

However, at the same time it is definitely the cause of some pronounced frustratio­n if you are travelling with a time schedule to keep.

In the short term, all we can do is leave plenty time-margin for delays in our schedules.

In the long term, the answer is for better roads, and better means of education to make clear to drivers that by pulling in to let traffic past, they can help vastly in making the roads a happier and safer place to travel.

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