Motorists in Leslie are being urged to put the brakes on “dangerous” driving following an initiative to tackle speeding in the village.
Councillor John Wincott has called on drivers to slow down and observe the 20mph speed limit following concerns that streets are being used as a “rat run”.
Community volunteers and safety camera vans are now monitoring roads in the village, with reports of some drivers detected travelling at almost twice the speed limit.
Mr Wincott, representative for Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch, said: “My work with the local Community Speed Watch team has shown me that there are some drivers that think that the speed limits just don’t apply to them,
“We have caught a number of motorists travelling at over 30mph in one of the 20mph zones in the town and this is often in the time period from 8am until 9am when children are walking to school.
“Some of the speeds that have been noted in the town have been very dangerous. On one occasion a vehicle was spotted travelling at over 40mph in a 20mph zone.
“Also, some motorists have been caught speeding more than once in the same area.”
He added: “We are just asking motorists to drive within the speed limits, drive safely, and with courtesy for other road users.”
Mr Wincott’s concerns have been echoed by Janice Wincott, the chairwoman of Leslie Community Council. She said speeding would not be tolerated in the village and that motorists could avoid prosecution if they drove sensibly.
“The Community Speed Watch team have been doing excellent work by highlighting the issues with speeding in the town,” she said.
“Really, this gives motorists a chance to realise that speeding is an issue and that it won’t be tolerated, without being prosecuted.
“Unfortunately, a number of drivers have still not slowed down, so now it is a police enforcement issue and speeding motorists will now be given fixed penalty notices and have points on their licences.”
Following the information provided by the Community Speed Watch volunteers, Andy Jones, manager of the Fife Safety Camera Partnership, said that camera vans had been deployed to clamp down on speeding in the area.
“The Community Speed Watch had picked up a number of high speeds and this is a good example of us working with a local councillor to keep people safe,” he said.
“The problem is mainly during commuter times.”
He continued: “Camera vans tend to lend themselves to rural roads but it is not unusual for us to use them in towns as well.”
Picture by David Wardle