Campaigners hoping to improve safety on the A92 north of Glenrothes have formed a partnership designed to strengthen their efforts.
Members of Glenrothes Area Futures Group (GAFG) have joined forces with several community councils bordering the A92 to once again highlight the danger spots on the infamous stretch of road.
Creating the A92 Partnership, the group hopes to raise awareness of the various issues surrounding the road and step up calls for what members believe are much-needed improvements. Problems with the road were pinpointed at a meeting organised by GAFG, including slow-moving traffic, farm vehicles, blind spots, a lack of signs and the varying standards of driving displayed as a result.
Delegates from Freuchie, Kinglassie, Ladybank, Leslie, Markinch, North Glenrothes and Pitteuchar, Stenton and Finglassie community councils have backed the partnership, while other stakeholders including BEAR Scotland and Transport Scotland have also indicated their support.
At a recent meeting organised by GAFG chairman Bob Grant described the A92 north of Glenrothes as “unique” as most drivers from the Forth Bridge were fairly happy with Fife’s A92 dual carriageway up to the south of Glenrothes. From that point onwards he reckons the road is unacceptable.
“Let’s not wait for say a school bus accident at one of the danger spots,” he added.
The secretary of GAFG Colin Nikolic also appealed to the multi-agency partnership to mark the section of the A92 “a model road for safety” suggesting it should resemble the A68 as a road widely known to motorists for police and surveillance. This would happen if all the stakeholders worked together, he said, including the likes of Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland, Fife Constabulary, the Safety Camera Partnership and Fife Council.
BEAR Scotland traffic and road safety manager Gordon Boyd supported the proposed partnership for road improvements and safety, and hoped the council would play a major part as happened previously in an A9 Partnership. He said BEAR Scotland responded only to police recorded accidents and that every fatality cost £1.4 million.
Local people have also got behind the new alliance. Jeanette Soffietty from Ladybank Community Council described her journey to the meeting in Glenrothes behind a tractor, spoke of the dangers at the Ladybank junction and suggested improvements there had been put on hold financial year after financial year.
Brian Lumsden from North Glenrothes Community Council is a regular user of the road and suggested that accidents were “nothing unusual” on that stretch of the A92. Freuchie, he said, was especially a danger area, while he also warned of a substantial increase in tractors soon with the coming of spring and consequently more risks.
And Catherine Waugh from Freuchie Community Council also recounted a long wait to access the A92 to the meeting, stating that accidents were regular but seldom recorded. “Must we await a really bad accident before action is taken?” she added.
The partnership now hopes a mapping exercise for the A92 from Glenrothes to the Tay Bridge indicating danger spots and suggested improvements such as laybys and road signs will be carried out, while a stakeholders’ meeting is likely to be arranged for four to six weeks’ time.