The brakes have been out on the road to Neverland to stop drivers flying in to Kirriemuir’s popular Peter Pan playpark.
In what has been declared a “common sense” approach, councillors have closed a road regulations loophole which allowed motorists to legally drive at 60 miles per hour in the vicinity of Kirrie Hill, which is hope to the town’s popular themed playpark in honour of J M Barrie, and the camera obscura attraction in the pavilion he gifted to the town.
A cut in the West Hill Road speed limit from 60 to 30mph has been accompanied by a reduction from 30 to 20mph on the narrow road leading to the car park on The Hill, as well as a rounding down from 40 to 30mph on part of Cortachy Road which loops around the north of the town.
The new speed restrictions were agreed by communities committee councillors after a survey revealed town drivers were regularly breaking the speed limit on the already restricted roads.
Although roads officials confirmed that there had been no accidents on the stretches, local councillor Ronnie Proctor said he dreaded the prospect of anyone, particularly a child, being killed or seriously injured.
“We must take the necessary steps to avoid the risk of any accident,” he said.
“Kirrie Hill is a very busy place, and since the Millennium woodland was planted the roads have become obscured. It would be all too easy for a youngster to run out and I wouldn’t even consider what might happen in those circumstances.”
He added: “The road running up to the camera obscura and the car park has no pavements, the playpark is extremely popular. For the drivers who know the town it is bad enough, far less the increasing number of visitors.”
Fellow local member Julie Bell suggested the road leading to the camera obscura should be dropped to a 10mph limit, but the committee agreed to monitor the effect of the 20mph limit.
Kirrie and Dean colleague Angus Macmillan Douglas added: “This is a very important issue.
“The studies show that 85% of the drivers on one of these roads are travelling at what a sensible speed should be. It is the 15% who go above that which concerns me.
“Implementing these changes has no financial implications but potentially huge health and wellbeing implications.”
