Letham.org.uk » roads

Still In the Dark- but the pillar is going….

Dave — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:57:26 +0000

Latest update from Fife Council is that Scottish Power have located the fault in their power cable.

They plan to change the cut-out in the lampost that has the existing controller to enable the fuse to be changed. If the new cut-out will accept both the incoming services that it needs to then the pillar will be removed entirely.

If however that doesn’t work and the pillar is required, then they propose to relocate it to a shrub bed on the inside corner of the bend where The Row becomes Monimail Road (see attached map. the proposed new site is the blue circle).

Please let me know your thoughts on this ASAP. I’ll speak directly with those in the immediate area.

Letham-A4_LAYOUT

In the dark

Dave — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:28:22 +0000

Letham at Night

Residents in Letham won’t fail to have noticed the lack of street lights in the village. Nor will they have failed to noticed the hideous lighting cabinet that has been erected on the pavement of this ‘conservation village’ at the top of The Row.

Today I met with one of the council lighting engineers and he helpfully explained the problem.

Essentially there is a fault in the Scottish Power underground electric cable that powers the street lights, but noone knows where abouts the fault is. To find it they need to burn extra current through the cable until it burns itself apart and can be located- thats why the lights were on 24 hrs for a while. The fault and the extra current being used is blowing the fuse in the existing controller and causing the frequent light failings. With me so far?

Unfortunately our lights are about 40 years old and the fuses for the controllers are rare and it will take a while to get a replacement fuse so we’ll be in the dark for a bit more.

Now for that awful box. The existing controller is housed within one of the old lamposts and is no longer fit for purpose. The new controllers fill the box that has appeared (so much for minaturisation!) . There are certain constraints on the location of the box and we are looking at relocating it into one of the shrub beds at the junction where it will hopefully be camouflaged by plants. This needs a wee bit more work but I’m hopeful we can get this resolved satisfactorily in the next week.

Any comments,thoughts or suggestions are welcome

A91 re-opens 23rd October2010

Dave — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:25:19 +0000

The roadworks at Collessie are at a stage that the A91 can reopen on Saturday 23 October under traffic light control to allow traffic through the works.

These works have been completed 4 weeks early due to Cemex Ltd and the Contractor RMB working longer hours and weekends to assist in getting the works completed as early as possible.

Well done to all the contractors involved in getting these work completed so quickly.

Increased traffic on Monimail Road

Dave — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 21:02:36 +0000

I have been in touch with an officer from Transportation Services regarding the terrible state of Monimail Road, since the A91 was closed for the tunnelling works at Melville Lodges. With Monimail Road being used as a ratrun by drivers wanting to avoid the lengthier official diversion to the south, the increased volume of traffic and dangerous speeding by some drivers is making the road very dangerous

Specifically I asked if we could either erect, “No through route to A92″ signage or install some temporary traffic lights to equalise the journey times for both diversions. Below is an excerpt of the reply I got.

We had discussions regarding this road and the putting out of signs at the A92 and B937 Junctions to advise not suitable for HGV’s etc, but decided against this. This was because any signs placed out at these junctions would automatically make drivers think that this is a through route and would then use it as an alternative route to the signed diversion.

Unfortunately we cannot put signs out to mislead road users or advise ‘No Through Road’ as this would be false and could lead to legal action against the Council for misleading the Public. Any vehicle has the right of passage along an adopted road unless a weight restriction was in place.

Transport Scotland Act 2005 clearly states that no traffic management can be placed on a road without proper notification or just cause. To slow vehicles down is not an acceptable cause. this is only or the carrying out of Road works. If Fife Council put lights up then we could receive a hefty fine from the Scottish Executive Tsar of Roadworks for non-compliance in their duties to control and administrate roadworks.

So basically the news isn’t good! On a positive note,

Other works have been programmed within this closure of the A91 to prevent other traffic restrictions on this route. Mount Castle Quarry brought forward their works to construct a new vehicle access just to the east of the ‘Doocot’ and these works will be finished this week.

and work is progressing fairly quickly. It is hoped that, weather permitting the road could be reopened by the end of the month and completed in half the time originally anticipated.

I will be in touch with Fife Police to request some extra patrols/enforcement in Letham and Monimail, meanwhile the Council are to inspect and if necessary clean the road to make emergency braking less hazardous!

Road Closure on A91 until 21 Nov: Trafalgar to Melville Lodges

Dave — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:47:23 +0000

From 13 September until 21 November 2010, a section of the A91 from Trafalgar to Melville Lodges roundabout is marked for closure, to allow the installation of a conveyor tunnel for Collessie Quarry.

The alternative route for all traffic heading to Cupar and Dundee, and back again, will be via the B937, Q63 and the A92.

School Brae- Complaint goes to the Ombudsman…

Dave — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:10:51 +0000

For the full story follow this link.

Fife Council’s latest reply…

Download (PDF, 206.84KB)

and Julie and Lance’s letter to the Ombudsman…

Download (PDF, 36.08KB)

Will keep you posted!

School Brae- and still the council ignore the issue

Dave — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:12:31 +0000

Latest correspondence from Lance Thompson to Fife Council. I think everyone would agree that this issue needs sorted- particularly as this is the access road to the school.

Download (PDF, 22.38KB)

Fife Council’s Pothole Reporting Site

Dave — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:42:57 +0000

Well you can’t moan unless its been reported!

Follow this link to be taken to the council site

(I reported the lunar surface known as The Row, Letham at 2040 hrs, 1st February.)