Transerv’s wooden roadside barriers threaten Argyll’s road safety

Without consultation, Transerv is returning to Argyll’s roads a series of high fence-like wooden roadside barriers whose horizontal top spars can decapitate people in cars crashing into ithem. A fatal accident enquiry held at Dunoon Sheriff Court in the late 1970s ordered the then Argyll County Council to remove every such wooden barrier in the area. They were described as capable of turning a minor accident into a scene of unimaginable horror. It has now been discovered that Transerv are returning them to eight locations in Argyll including Arrochar, Cairndow, Furnace and Inveraray. A Transerv spokeswoman has told the local press that: ‘The fencing complies with current UK standards and is for pedestrian/worker safety as opposed to acting as a barrier for vehicles’. So that’s all right then? Councillor Donnie MacMillan doesn’t think so. He is quoted as saying: ‘ Bearing in mind the grief the previous road barriers caused to road users and the fact that we were able to present a case for them to be removed, it baffles me that Transerv are now putting in place barriers once again which may cause concerns in the future, We do not want to return to those bad old days.’