Drivers report near misses with children in Oban estate
A DRIVER says she fears injuring or, worse, killing a child after a near miss on a residential road in Oban - and she is not alone.
A number of drivers have come forward to report that children in Catalina Avenue, which is situated behind Lorn and Islands Hospital, are running out in front of traffic while playing in the street.
Margaret Macdougall, from Taynuilt, told The Oban Times: ‘I was dropping off a child in Catalina Avenue and I was driving at maybe five miles per hour and I saw a child on the pavement looking at the car.
‘She stopped at the side of the road and I got closer and closer and then she bolted out in front of me. I could have killed her. I slammed on the brakes. I got the fright of my life and she did not even bat an eyelid.
‘It’s scary what could have happened. It just doesn’t bear thinking about. A child of that age does not have road sense, so why she was there by herself, I have no idea. There are lots of children up there and it is nice to see them out – they should have the freedom – but they are playing near a road. It just takes one child to trip and go on the road when a car is coming.’
Following the incident, Ms Macdougall took to social media to warn other drivers and urge parents to educate their children on road safety.
And she soon found out that she wasn’t alone. Other motorists reported something similar in Catalina Avenue.
One person, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I live up in Catalina and have seen this several times. I watched a boy recently - eyes glued to my van - from a distance wait till I got a metre from him and then stood out into the road.
‘I had to slam the brake on. The strange thing was he wasn’t playing with anybody and stood back at the same spot after I passed.’
Oban Community Council member Duncan Martin, who has been to look at the area, said: ‘The one thing you get when you build more houses is more children. When they come home from school they should be outside playing with their friends.
‘We drivers have to learn to share the road, that we don’t have the right to barge through.
‘But I do agree that one or two are playing chicken with the cars.’
Mr Martin questioned whether a 10mph speed limit and a ‘children playing’ sign could be introduced. ‘I think there are some other places in Oban that have that,’ he said. ‘It’s good for children to play outside and having a place where they can do that informally is a good thing.’
Ms Macdougall says she has toyed with the idea of installing a park at Catalina Avenue.
She said: ‘There’s no park up there – it’s further down, so obviously a child of that age would have to have a parent go with them, which is not ideal. I think there should be a park because of the amount of children.’
Alastair MacGregor, chief executive of ACHA, said: ‘There are currently a number of speed bumps on the hill to slow traffic down. The road is also closed at McKelvie Heights which cuts out traffic from the town. There are also high ramp/traffic calmers as you enter Catalina Avenue.
‘The association would have no difficulty issuing a general letter of guidance to our tenants about road safety.
‘With respect to the provision of play park areas, the association is currently evaluating the best areas to locate them and we plan to build two. We are currently in discussions with our builder MacLeod Construction and we hope to have a timeline for their development in the near future.’