Middle of the road

[Kathy Bowles]

Why have most people decided to drive in the middle of the road - even on sharp corners?

[Gavin Rae]

Batwing

Not defending poor driving BUT the 'fall away' on some of the verges on the stretch of road from Kilninver to Balvicar Cross are treacherous. You only have to stray over the side line and you are in serious danger of ripping the inside of a tyre or worse still damaging a wheel rim.i
Greater and more sensible use of passing places would also help to alleviate this problem !!!

Snoman

[Tony the Toad]

Aye, and as for the speed some folk drive through Balvicar crossroads heading down the Cuan road...

[Minimum]

I thought I could drive down the middle of a single track road.

[Kathy Bowles]

It is not a single track road most of the way - if it was you would have to stop every time a car came the other way. There are only one or two spots where you have to pull in.

[Minimum]

Are there any white lines in the middle of your road?

[Kathy Bowles]

You obviously have not driven on a proper single track road.

[Minimum]

Hm - well, I've been driving up and down the Kilninver to Ellenabeich road for 17 years. As far as I'm aware it's always been a single track road and has not been upgraded by the council. However, it was widened slightly when repaired a year or so ago but that doesn't make it suitable to two way traffic. Strange how quickly folk forgot how the road used to be.

[Kathy Bowles]

Do you stop at a passing place everytime a car comes the other way?

[Foxglove]

I do

[NickB]

I do

Even when you know the road is wide enough to pass without stopping?

[Foxglove]

No Comment!

[jimcee]

On the home page of this website is a notice which says "Is this a single track road" and clicking on it takes to the forum page and to this line of thought.
Since the big resurfacing recently there are only 3 places where ordinary vehicles cannot comfortably pass each other without much of a reduction in speed.
The first is between Duachy and Clachan farm where there is a narrow stretch with a passing place in the middle of it.
The second is between the Telephone exchange and Balvicar cross.
The third is outside Achnasaul.
Why the road department omitted to just broaden these stretches slightly when they made all the rest passable both ways when they did the resurfacing is beyond my comprehension, but maybe they would have had to upgrade it to an "A" road with extra responsibilities, if they had used an extra lorry load of tarmac.
Mind you, encountering a Highland Heritage, a Lochs & Glens, or a Shearings pantechnicon anywhere along the route will necessitate the use of passing places and possibly a bit of reverse gear in most cases.
The exception to all this is the stretch from Balvicar to Cuan which is virtually single track the whole way. If venturing South on this stretch and encountering an oncoming vehicle it is as well to sit in the passing place and wait while the rest of the convoy from the ferry passes by.