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Daily Record
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Blair Drummond Safari Park bosses brand route near attraction 'not fit for purpose' after crashes
Campaigners are calling for action to be taken to make the A84 at Blair Drummond Safari Park safer following three road crashes there in a week. Renewed calls have been made for safety measures to be introduced on a section of the A84 near Blair Drummond Safari Park after three accidents in just a week. Two collisions happened at the entrance to the safari park – at the A84's junction with Sommer's Lane – with a third incident at the Blair Drummond Smiddy Farm Shop junction, where the A84 meets the A873. This has led to fresh calls for more traffic calming measures from campaigners, with safari park management backing this call saying the road is 'no longer fit for purpose'. The local community council fears it will 'take a death on the road before anything changes'. The first crash saw the A84 closed at around 1.30pm on Tuesday, July 29. Police received reports of a two-vehicle crash and four people were treated at the scene. Just four days later, another incident occurred at the same location. A driver was arrested and charged following a three-vehicle collision near the entrance of the safari park at around 3.50pm on Saturday, August 2. The crash involved a Mercedes Vito Tourer, a black Seat Leon and Ford Focus Zetec. A 40-year-old woman, who was a passenger within the Mercedes vehicle, was taken to hospital for treatment and a 38-year-old woman and a 46-year-old male, both passengers within the Seat Leon, were also taken to hospital. The occupants of the Ford Focus were uninjured. A 37-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged in connection with road traffic offences. The third incident occurred on the A84 at the Blair Drummond Smiddy Farm Shop junction on Wednesday after noon. Blair Drummond Safari Park says that it has 'repeatedly raised concerns' with Transport Scotland about the safety of the A84 outside its entrance, but their requests for action have 'consistently been denied'. Park manager Gavin Hughes told the Stirling Observer his staff have stepped in to help when there are crashes outside the visitor attraction. He said: 'Over the years, we have asked for a range of safety measures to be considered – including a reduced speed limit, a slip road, a roundabout, and a pedestrian crossing to help people safely cross from the other side. 'Unfortunately, none of these proposals have been taken forward. 'This is a fast-moving road with poor visibility at our junction. It's used by significant numbers of visitors travelling to both Blair Drummond Safari Park and Briarlands Farm, and it has become busier year-on-year. The A84 is also one of the key routes taken by tourists heading to the north of Scotland, and interest in visiting the Highlands has increased dramatically in recent years. 'On top of that, the local area has seen the arrival of several new businesses, further increasing traffic and pressure. Quite simply, the road is no longer fit for purpose in its current form, and we believe it urgently needs to be re-evaluated. 'Accidents on this stretch occur far too frequently. Just last week, members of our team were first on the scene at a collision, stepping in to make sure everyone was safe, move vehicles off the road, and direct traffic until emergency services arrived. 'We do not have any jurisdiction over the road, which is frustrating both for us and for our customers, many of whom have raised concerns. We believe more must be done to improve safety in this area, and we will continue to push for action on this increasingly busy stretch of road.' Transport Scotland published a safety study on the stretch in March 2019 which said a 'preferred option' to calm traffic would have been the creation of a roundabout there, but said at the time that it was 'not a priority'. A new roundabout to include the A84 and A873 – at the junction of the Blair Drummond Smiddy Farm Shop - was estimated to cost approximately £3.5 million at the time. A Transport Scotland spokesperson this week said the junction outside the safari park main entrance 'has not been identified for safety focused investment based on the collision history over the last three years'. They added: 'But we will discuss the details of the most recent collisions with Police Scotland to understand the circumstances behind them.' Thornhill and Blairdrummond Community Council says that the issue has been a hot topic on their agenda for many years. A spokesperson said: 'The community council have long advocated for a traffic management solution for both the Safari Park and Smiddy junctions. It will take a death on the road before anything changes at this rate.' Trossachs and Teith ward councillor, Martin Earl, said: 'There's a very good reason why councillors, residents and MSPs have been raising this location with Transport Scotland for so long – it's dangerous and will remain so until money is spent and changes are made. 'This must surely now be accepted by them.' Stirling's SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed has written to Transport Scotland and the Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, over the matter, calling for action to improve road safety. She said: 'I have reiterated the desire for a roundabout to be put in place at the junction into the safari park and improvements to be made at the Smiddy and Gargunnock junctions. I'm awaiting a response. I hope that all those who have been involved in these incidents make a full recovery.' Mid-Scotland & Fife Conservative MSP and shadow Minister for Local Government and Public Finance, Alexander Stewart said: 'For a great many year years, local residents have been extremely concerned at the sheer level of accidents, many of them serious, and near-misses at this junction of Sommer's Lane at the entrance to Blair Drummond Safari Park.' He added: 'Many years ago, my Scottish Conservative colleagues were heavily involved in this issue and convinced Transport Scotland to carry out a safety survey of the junction, however whilst the Scottish Government's transport agency conceded that a roundabout at the junction was its 'preferred option', bafflingly they ruled that it wasn't priority 'at this time' and it did not, in their opinion, represent value for money. 'It's easy to speculate that were a roundabout now in place here, maybe these awful accidents may never have happened, however what is absolutely crystal clear now, is that something decisive must be done.' Mr Stewart 'strenuously urged' Transport Scotland to undertake 'urgent action to address this problem' and vowed to write to Transport Scotland to request they implement the report's recommendations. Stirling and Strathallan Labour MP Chris Kane echoed the calls for urgent action, saying: 'This has been a long-standing issue that has been continuously ignored. 'This area has seen far too many accidents, and recent events only confirm that the situation is getting worse. It is clear the current layout is no longer fit for purpose.' Mr Kane has asked Transport Scotland to confirm what steps are being taken to improve safety at these junctions and has requested updated accident statistics to better understand the scale of the problem. 'I will continue pressing this issue until meaningful action is taken. These are preventable risks, and it's time we put public safety first', he added.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Daily Record
Driver charged after three-vehicle crash near entrance of Blair Drummond Safari Park left woman in hospital
A 37-year-old man was arrested and charged after a three-vehicle collision on the A84 at the entrance to Blair Drummond Safari Park at the weekend. A driver has been arrested and charged following a three-vehicle collision near the entrance of Blair Drummond Safari Park at the weekend. The emergency services responded to reports of the crash at around 3.50pm on Saturday, August 2. The crash involved a Mercedes Vito Tourer, a black Seat Leon and Ford Focus Zetec on the A84 at its junction with Somers Lane, directly outside the safari park. A 40-year-old woman, who was a passenger within the Mercedes vehicle, was taken to hospital for treatment. A Police Scotland spokesperson added: 'A 38-year-old woman and a 46-year-old male, both passengers within the Seat Leon, were taken to hospital. 'The occupants of the Ford Focus were checked over by ambulance personnel and reported no injuries.' A 37-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged in connection with road traffic offences. He was released on an undertaking to appear at court at a later date.
Time Business News
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
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