Fears roll on over Maybole rail access
ALARMED: Maybole Community Council chairman Mark Fletcher said the new access gate is a dangerous invitation.
MAYBOLE residents have been laying it on the line over railway safety fears as a new gate with access to the track appears at Memorial Park.
Residents claim there has been no local discussion or consultation about the implementation of new arrangements, and are concerned about the dangers an access gate to the line will cause.
The gate is located close to Carrick Academy, the swimming pool, the golf course and the park, and it is feared it will prove a potentially fatal temptation - particularly to children.
It is claimed the gate has already been scaled, with muddy footprints observed on the post and rail.
Mark Fletcher, chairman of Maybole Community Council, said he was alarmed at how easy the track is to access, with only a basic snib and padlock to secure the metre-high gate.
“We can accept the fact that hundreds of miles of track can be accessed by people with a mind to, but this is as good as putting out an invitation,” he said.
“By removing all the undergrowth, which would have been incredibly difficult to get through, and putting in this structure without any signage of the dangers in my opinion is ludicrous.”
He said the rail network should have worked with Scottish Power and created access through an already secure area at a sub-station a little up the line, and confirmed the community council will be contacting the relevant authorities to have the new access reviewed.
Maybole councillor Brian Connolly said: “This is a high-pedestrian area, particularly for the children using the facilities within the park.
“To position easy access to the rail-track seems highly irresponsible and has caused great concern within the local community.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Girvan
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west
