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Anger at bid for nursery at accident blackspot



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Published Date: 08 August 2008
MOVES to create a children's nursery next to a notorious accident blackspot on a busy Edinburgh commuter route have been criticised, it was reported today.
The nursery would be built at the Leadburn junction, near Penicuik in Midlothian, which has been at the centre of a series of horrendous crashes – including a fatal accident in 2005 when a car smashed into a pub.

The nursery would be set back fro
m the road with a sizeable perimeter fence but local landowner Tom Flynn said the site was just not suitable.

He was reported as saying: "This is insanity. It will have to be built like Fort Knox.

"If a child was to get out of the grounds they could wander on to one of the worst junctions in Scotland."

The junction connects the A701 Penicuik road, A703 from Peebles and A6094 to Bonnyrigg.

The 228-year-old Leadburn Inn was damaged beyond repair after an accident at the junction in 2005, which killed the driver of a Vauxhall Cavalier, and the building has since been demolished.

Plans for a roundabout at the junction were put forward in 2006 but have not so far been progressed.

Angela Thinn, who is behind the nursery plans, said the nursery would be set further back from the road than the hotel was.

She added it would also have a huge perimeter fence to protect the youngsters.





The full article contains 239 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 08 August 2008 10:19 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: East Lothian , Midlothian
 
1

David Harrington,

Edinburgh 08/08/2008 12:37:07
A simple speed limit reduction would have the most pronounced effect
2

Niadh,

Edinburgh 08/08/2008 13:04:05
#1 David.

I agree with you in principal but what speed would you post there?
Road speed limit is already 60 but I would be surprised if the majority of people driving through the junction on the A701 go as slow as that.
Even if you reduce the speed limit how do you expect to enforce it?
Due to the shape of the road there speed cameras would not be usable.
3

alex paterson,

edinburgh 08/08/2008 13:10:21
A countryside nursery sounds great,but its that road again,speed reduction would be great but i cant see that working,a roundabout would be good.
4

Charles Linskaill,

Edinburgh 08/08/2008 15:53:11

I used to live in this area, to build this nursery here is complete madness, unless the council make changes to road layout, for sped reduction, parents access must be taken into account, and not much can stop a 10ton truck.
Also one must remember, 'tots' are fast as lightning on their feet, take you eyes of them for a minute, and they will be half way down the A74 before you know it!
5

allknowing,

08/08/2008 16:41:46
Mmm. it is a pain while trying to get out, as the 701 can be very busy. A roundabout would work, but not sure how you would do that due to the topography of the area (ie very steep). Would traffic lights not be cheaper, but then you run the risk of causing huge traffic tailbacks!!!
6

jdships,

08/08/2008 20:23:55
Sorry the road layout is all against this project .

5 allknowing,
Your post makes a lot of sense !!
7

Jambo 3,

EDINBURGH 08/08/2008 20:35:11
But naebody lives near there. Where are all the bairns goan tae come frae ? A certain business loss for sure. Or is there an ulterior motive ? Apply for a nursery and build a casino for example
8

Ian down under,

Kawerau 08/08/2008 22:26:36
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
9

Incandescent,

09/08/2008 13:05:57
No need to panic people. This issue involves children, therefore Skip McClendon - AKA Duncan in Edinburgh - will pronounce shortly on the suitability of this location.
10

Applecrumble,

Somewhere near the equator 09/08/2008 21:39:39
This stretch is as treacherous as putting me in the bath with a spider and locking the door - no good idea!! I used to go to Balgreen nursery and Balgreen primary and as we all know Blagreen Road is very busy. with careful handling it is possible. We just need to think it through before charging ahead... erm... ok that's a no go then since planners always just think about profit and speed of building...

just consider the kids in this.
11

Concerned commuter,

Peebles 11/08/2008 12:43:52
I drive through this junction daily, and I disagree that the speed of traffic is the issue here. The majority of cars travelling from/to Peebles are already doing less than 60mph, as most of them are turning off the A703 at this junction. The main problem, especially heading onto the A703 or A701 from the A6094 Howgate road is the lack of visibility, with the boundary wall of the old Inn site being the major obstruction. I always feel the need to accelerate quickly when joining the A703 in case there's a car heading my way that I can't yet see. The roundabout option is surely the only practical way of making this junction safer, but as usual nothing seems to happen about it. Even a fatality, lots of other accidents and an offer of some free land from a local farmer to build the roundabout on hasn't spurred the council into action.

The EEN article states that 'the nursery would be built..'. Looks to me like the building is already taking shape as some foundations have already been laid, so surely the council must have given planning consent for whatever it is. Whatever is built there will be at risk unless the road is altered, but a nursery just seems ludicrous.

I couldn't help noticing that Angela Thinn is the old owner of the Leadburn Inn, and according to an old BBC News article they'd submitted plans to re-build the Inn. Call me cynical, but something tells me they just figured there might be more money in running a nursery than running a rural pub?! The car that destroyed the Inn cleared a brick wall and went through a hedge before hitting the Inn, so how will a perimeter fence stop this happening in future?

Pure madness!!

 

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