Our Timber Waggon Survey closed on 31 July, and we were very pleased with the level of response.  We received 79 replies (paper copies and online responses), with 70 votes in favour of us negotiating TIME RESTRICTIONS on chapel Street at School Entrance / Exit times.

Here’s what one respondent said: “I have to walk my children up that street two or three times a day to access the school and Playcare. The street is always busy with pedestrians, especially young children and older people going to school or the doctors. Furthermore the shop often gets deliveries at this time, and it makes the street very busy and increases the danger to these pedestrians, who don’t have the safety of a pavement and often have to come out from behind parked vehicles. Restricting timber lorries would go some way to making this street safer.”

Of the 9 respondents who voted against our proposal, only 5 left comments, two of which touched on the possible impact to the forestry industry. Here is one of them:

“Driver hours are already restricted without villages starting to create times when they can’t go through them. This will cost haulage companies thousands of pounds and that will be passed on inevitably to customers, ie me and thee. Can you imagine if every village done this? Absolute carnage and chaos. This is utter stupidity.”

We would like to reiterate that Moniaive Initiative are very aware of the strategic importance of the local route through Moniaive to the forestry industry, and will be mindful of this throughout any negotiations. One of the remits of the Timber Transport Forum is to minimise the impact of timber transport – both the road network and the communities it serves – through voluntary agreements adhering to agreed routes. The B729 Carsphairn to Moniaive road currently carries an estimated 70,000 tonnes of timber per year, and is subject to ongoing monitoring due to the heavy impact of this.  The roads around Moniaive are currently graded:

B729 Carsphairn to Moniaive: Severely Restricted

B729 Moniaive to Dunscore: Consultation Route

Dalwhat Glen: Consultation Route

A702 Dalry to Moniaive: Consultation Route

A702 Dunreggan Road, Moniaive: Excluded Route

All our through-routes are therefore subject to some level of ongoing consultation and agreement.  Other villages do already have restrictions in place, including time restrictions outside schools. We therefore hope to negotiate a time restriction that will provide a similar benefit to Moniaive without impacting adversely on an important local industry.

 

Our Safety Scarecrow has been on patrol through the summer holidays to politely remind motorists to slow down as they enter Moniaive.

Thanks to the pupils of Moniaive Primary School who created him.

While he may not be the only safety scarecrow in Dumfries & Galloway (….we spotted a duo in Carsethorn recently!) he must surely be the only one with tinsel hair!