Protesters create their own 20mph speed zone

Police condemn campaigners for taking direct action to halt speeding drivers

Speed signs at a Perthshire town hit by tragedy were altered to emphasise the need to drive safely.

Campaigners have taken direct action to put the brakes on speeding motorists entering Coupar Angus.

All 30mph signs at the town’s four entrances have been altered, creating an unofficial blanket 20mph zone.

Protesters say calls for safety measures have been dismissed by council chiefs since they were first raised more than a decade ago.

The covert operation, which has been condemned by police, follows the death of two-year-old Harlow Edwards who was killed in an accident on Forfar Road during the school holidays.

The toddler was struck when two vehicles collided just after 3pm on Thursday October 13. Harlow’s older brother and sister were also seriously hurt. The youngster’s funeral will take place in Dundee today.

Police Scotland has stressed that defacing road signs is a criminal offence and potentially jeopardises their own enforcement efforts.

Community council chairwoman Wendy McCombes said the person responsible for the altered signposts had not been identified.

“I’ve read comments online about how this was illegal and irresponsible, but I think more importantly it shows the strength of feeling and frustration that there is in the town,” she said.

“People feel that Coupar Angus is being marginalised when it comes to road safety measures.”

The community council has now urged Perth and Kinross Council to arrange a public meeting to give people the chance to raise safety issues with roads officials.

Records show that concerns about Forfar Road and other routes were raised as far back as 16 years ago.

The watchdog group has also called for planned work on a traffic exclusion zone around Coupar Angus Primary School to be postponed until a new, wide-ranging road safety plan is in place.

“We need to look at what kind of action can be taken and it’s important to be able to discuss this with roads engineers,” said Mrs McCombes.

Police are now hunting for those behind the fake signs. They are believed to have struck after dark on Saturday.

Inspector Ray Cuthill of Tayside’s road policing unit said: “Coupar Angus is a close knit community and we are aware that the recent road traffic collision resulting in the death of a local two year old girl will have impacted upon many.

“Our thoughts continue to be with her family and everyone affected by the collision.”

He added: “Unfortunately, an individual or individuals have defaced some existing 30mph speed limit signs in Coupar Angus.

“Police Scotland regularly carry out speed enforcement activity in the area and altering statutory signs, as well as being an offence, risks jeopardising police efforts to enforce the existing legal speed limit.”

A council spokesman said: “While we understand there is a lot of concern following the road traffic collision, altering these signs is a criminal offence.

“Road safety is a priority for both the council and Police Scotland and we will continue to work to maximise the safety of the region’s roads.”

She added: “One sign has been damaged and will have to be replaced.”

One can readily sympathise with frustrated Coupar Angus residents. For over a decade and a half, they have been concerned about speeding motorists in the town – particularly on the stretch of road where the life of young Harlow Edwards was so cruelly snuffed out a fortnight ago.

While the precise circumstances of that tragedy have still to be established, many locals are in no doubt that action to curb dangerous driving in the area is long overdue.

Of course, defacing road signage is not the most appropriate course of action, but it has certainly served to highlight the issue in a graphic manner.

The kind of concerns being raised in Coupar Angus are replicated in communities across the country, both big and small.

It should not take a tragedy of the magnitude witnessed in the Perthshire town to force the hand of the authorities.

When a community group speaks out, it is almost always with the greater good in mind.

The problem for those in positions of authority is prioritising the needs of so many competing claims on their resources.

In this instance, it is clear that the call for change is not some knee-jerk reaction, rather a long-term campaign thrust horribly into the spotlight.

The latest bid to highlight the concern might not be sensible, but many will consider it justified.

The road signs at all four of the entrances to Coupar Angus have been changed to 20mph.