Campervans and motorhomes should be “compelled” to pull over and banned from travelling in convoys to reduce driver frustration and cut accidents according to former SNP Westminster leader, Ian Blackford.
The MP for Skye Lochaber and Badenoch has made the call in a letter to transport minister Fiona Hyslop.
He has also called for the introduction of a code of conduct for motorhomes to compel drivers to pull over if they are causing a tailback of traffic, and to prohibit them travelling in convoys.
The MP said: “Sadly, there have been a number of serious incidents on our roads this summer and it is right that we consider how we can enhance road safety to keep people safe.
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“We welcome a lot of visitors to the Highlands from home and abroad. They are all welcome but many, of course, are not used to driving on the left. We need more signage to remind people of this.
“I have asked the Minister to introduce a requirement that every hire vehicle should have stickers on the windscreen reminding drivers of the need to drive on the left.”
He has also urged the Minister to introduce additional “Drive on the left” signs, in three languages, along with a requirement that all hire cars include signage within the vehicle stating “drive on the left”.
Are campervan and motorhome drivers being unfairly targeted? Share your comments below the article.
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3 comments
there is a frustration being stuck behind a slow moving vehicle so will this apply to all ,lorry,s tractor,s bin wagons caravan,s etc or just campervan and motor homes. and if a pull over be comes a requirement are they going to increase the amount of lay-by,s to make this feasible
also in high traffic who will let us back out ,probably no-one as they Don.t want to be stuck behind us
and If a convoy does happen no lay-by will help ,if the first one,s pull in the other,s will still have to drive on
and therefore not helping
however reducing speed limits would help so the campervan etc can travel at the speed limit and the speeding traffic are the law brakers
I have to agree with Ian’s comments, yesterday, Aug 31st.
WILL Ian Blackford, MP suggestion, be applied to all vehicles causing a tail back, and not just motorhomes. I do agree with his suggestion for more road signage, and stickers in hire vehicles. Having just completed the NC500 clockwise between 19th June -1st July this year, I find it hard to see how bigger, longer passing places could be created, without spoiling the beauty, that is the Highlands, and the NC500
As we were on our own, it was easy to pull over, and let any ‘tail back’, pass us.
Unfortunately this is no easy situation to control now that social media has essentially taken over the promotion of this route. I can’t bear the the thought of visiting this area unless I now consider a trip well out of season. The poor locals must be tearing their hair out in utter frustration and annoyance especially when mindless idiots dispose of their toilet waste and other rubbish wherever they feel fit.
I regularly visited the West coast both by car and by cycle from the 1960s through to about 2010 and because of this debacle I have not been since and now rely on my memories of unforgettable beautiful scenery. The ruination of this area is essentially irreversible as it is virtually impossible to stem the flow and this inevitably will result in more services and road improvements. This will then negate the very reason most decent minded people visit the area, in order to experience this largely unspoilt scenery and the remoteness which cannot be found elsewhere in the UK. Joining queues of traffic and dodging mindless speeding cars and motorbikes doing a speed circuit of the route significantly degrades what at one time was a most wonderful experience.