Primary school pupils in Invergarry take part in road safety project
Issued by Police Scotland - Highland and Islands Division
Between February and May of this year (2013) pupils of the Invergarry Primary School took part in a road safety school project with local police officers from Fort Augustus.
The use of the A87 and in particular the speed of vehicles passing through Invergarry has always been a concern to staff at the primary school, Community Council, parent groups and residents as a whole.
Police officers made several visits to the Invergarry Primary School during their Eco afternoons. All of the pupils took part in the project and worked within groups wearing their high-visibility vests and joined officers at the roadside, outside the school gates, to survey the passing traffic. The pupils each used the Pro Laser 3 radar device to record the speeds of all the passing vehicles. The vehicle types and numbers, together with their speeds were all recorded on survey forms.
Officers also discussed roadside safety with pupils looking at how they walk, run and cycle near a main road. Further advice was also provided on how to play safely in a similar environment.
One of the police officers involved in the project, PC Tony Hannah said, "The traffic survey was a great success and I am sure that the pupils got a great deal from the experience. The results show that the majority of people using the A87 do so in a proper manner paying due respect to the speed limits indicated. As with all major roads we still have one or two motorists who do not abide by the speed limits in place.
"The Local Community Policing Team will continue to positively engage with motorists and target speeding and inappropriate driver behaviour through a combination of education, awareness and enforcement."
Invergarry Primary School is quite unique in that its main gates open up onto an "A” class road, namely the A87 Invergarry to Bunloyne road, which is the main arterial route to the Isle of Skye. The A87 through Invergarry is governed by a statutory speed limit of 40 miles per hour, which then drops to an enforced speed restriction of 20 miles per hour during school drop off, pick up and lunch times.
On Thursday 20 June 2013 the pupils presented their results to an audience of the local Community Council, parent council, parents and police. In attendance from Police Scotland - Highland & Island Division were PC Tony Hannah and Inspector Angus Stewart.