Conditions on one of Fife’s busiest roads have been described as a “cocktail for disaster” by a leading local figure.
Patrick Laughlin, the secretary of Freuchie Community Council, has called for urgent action to be taken to improve safety on the A92 through the village.
He claims residents on one side of the community are effectively cut off by the trunk road, which he says can be virtually impossible to cross at times due to the volume of traffic.
Mr Laughlin says that unless safety improvements are forthcoming shortly, then lives will be lost.
“Sometimes one in four vehicles on the road is an HGV,” he told The Courier.
“The road services areas from Glenrothes to the Tay Bridge and that includes a large rural area, which means that a lot of agricultural vehicles and tractors also use it.
“It means that there is a large number of road users travelling at different speeds with lots of access points and that makes it a cocktail for disaster.”
The Courier reported earlier this year that some residents on the east side of Freuchie were transporting their children to school by car, a journey of just 400 metres, due to safety concerns on the stretch.
It followed a series of collisions on the route, which incorporates two crossroads.
Mr Laughlin said a near miss that he witnessed last week was just the latest case that would justify the implementation of new safety measures on the trunk road.
“People living on one side of the road feel isolated and cut off,” he continued.
“We need a pedestrian crossing or underpass.
“There is a 40mph speed limit but that is blatantly ignored by some drivers.”
Earlier this month Transport Scotland officials met with Fife Council officers to discuss possible improvements to the route.
The summit between the two agencies follows the publication of an action plan earlier this year for improvements on the road.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman told The Courier that more than £26 million had been invested in the A92 since 2007.
She added: “We are listening to local community concerns regarding safety issues on the A92 and taking action on several fronts to address these as part of our commitment to delivering the Route Accident Reduction Plan.
“In addition to this, the recommendations from a pedestrian accessibility study at Freuchie, a package of signing and lining improvements, are being implemented.”