The Highland Council is to engage in a two-year programme of painting directional arrows on roads to remind tourists to drive on the left.
During a recent area committee meeting in Portree, Gordon MacDonald, Highland Council’s roads manager, told local councillors that the scheme would begin in April 2020. It would involve arrows being painted on two-lane roads at locations where tourist traffic may exit from a single-track side road on to an A-class road.
A report to members of Highland Council’s Skye and Raasay area committee considered by councillors added: “In addition, lane arrows will be provided in close proximity to the entrance to designated parking areas on the A-class network as a reminder to tourist traffic to drive on the left. It is considered that road marking will have more impact on tourist traffic than a proliferation of signs which are also subject to language barriers.”
Councillor John Finlayson said he was “delighted” that the council were going to do this, given the ‘Keep Left’ campaign he is involved in along with local MSP Kate Forbes.
The campaign was started by Sharon Anslow from Carbost who just before Christmas collided head-on with a tourist car which was on the wrong side of the road.
Another such collision on Skye involving a woman from Kyleakin happened in February. Both incidents took place near the Dunvegan road junction on the A87 at the Sligachan Hotel.
Article by Michael Russell