# General > General >  Dounreay traffic

## BIG BLUE

Has anyone else out there had a close call at Dounreay? Living in the Dounreay area i have had several close calls driving from Reay area towards Thurso around kick out time at Dounreay as the people leaving Dounreay going towards Thurso drive straight out as if they had right of way, several times iv been aproaching the Dounreay road doing 50 to 60mph and a string of cars just pull out some times not even looking to their right and if you hit someone from behind its automatically deemed your fault!!! Iv had to perform an emergency stop veering onto other side of road luckily so far nothing has been coming towards me so far. If the "skimmed" police at Dounreay cant stop this then the "full fat" police from Thurso should watch what happens most nights? Is someone going to need to be killed for something to be done????

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## davie

This has been the situation for the past 50 years. You must appreciate that these drivers have spent a long and strenuous day at the Dounreay 'mine' and the thought of giving any consideration to other road users is not a priority.
It is getting better, many moons ago it was a steady two lanes of traffic heading towards Thurso - any yokel coming the other way had to go via Shebster or take to the fields.

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## brandy

stop lights maybe only in use at certain times of the day? *grins* or maybe a crossing guard

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## BIG BLUE

Oh that makes it ok then??? I suppose putting my young lads life in danger on several occasions is fine because these people have had a hard day!!!! So what your saying is if i have a hard day and through being ignorant to other road users cause the death of someone i can stand up in court and say i wasnt to blame because i spent 12 hours wandering around trying hard to look busy and turning onto a main road automatically gives me right of way?? Dont talk tosh, do you even have a driving license?? Im even more worried if you can reply yes to that question,,,,from now on i will be carrying a video camera so i have something to take to the full fat police!

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## RecQuery

Its really annoying, just a backlog of cars at 16:30, I wouldn't mind but theres only one or two people to a car. I'm not an environmentalist but from an efficiency stand point there should be more carpooling.

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## davie

Big Blue
Time you had a sense of humour transplant.
Hope you are not going to use that video camera whilst driving - that is a serious offence.

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## Dog-eared

All bow to the great god Dounreay. The highway code does not apply to robots.  ::

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## BIG BLUE

The Dounreay snake we call it.....my old man was a fireman at Dounreay for many years, hes gone now bless him but back in his day nearly all the traffic to and from Dounreay was busses, Yes i agree traffic lights would be a good idea if it spared someones life(which will happen sometime) i would gladly sit at lights for a couple of minutes most days....great idea but who would you aproach with it?

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## BIG BLUE

a sense of humour transplant???? having your son thrown forward into his car seat belts would be funny then??? your sick! and my video camera will not be held by myself while driving i obey the rules of the road! ::

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## LMS

> Oh that makes it ok then??? I suppose putting my young lads life in danger on several occasions is fine because these people have had a hard day!!!! So what your saying is if i have a hard day and through being ignorant to other road users cause the death of someone i can stand up in court and say i wasnt to blame because i spent 12 hours wandering around trying hard to look busy and turning onto a main road automatically gives me right of way?? Dont talk tosh, do you even have a driving license?? Im even more worried if you can reply yes to that question,,,,from now on i will be carrying a video camera so i have something to take to the full fat police!


Have you ever worked at Dounreay?  I think Davie was being a tad sarcastic.  

I think that anyone who has been in the vicinity at kicking out time will agree with your comments on the standard of driving.  It was atrocious when I was there and that was some years back. 

With regard to the car-pooling comment posted by RecQuery, there is an excellent bus service, but due to a lot of snobbery at Dounreay, not a lot of workers use it.  Once people get up a few grades, they ditch the bus in favour of the car.  I always thought it preferable to driving - both for the cost and hassle factor.  I am sure that a lot of people will shoot me down in flames for calling it snobbery but that is my opinion.   When I was there it was a bit dearer for contractors to use, with a lower rate for UKAEA workers, but even then it was much cheaper than driving.

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## ducati

On approaching any hazard, you must drive appropriately. If you have to violently manoeuvre, for whatever reason, you are not  ::

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## davie

Without trying to be sarcastic or humerous I would go back to the original post where the op refers to "several" close calls.
By that I can only assume that he/she is aware of a possible problem at the Dounreay junction but still persists in driving East at whatever speed is required to cause an "emergency stop and veering towards the other side of the road".

It is probably not taught in Caithness but in many of the countries I have driven in something called "defensive driving" is practised. This means that you look ahead for hazards, if you see one you slow down, if you are aware of a possible hazard, you slow down. 
Undoubtedly there is bad and inconsiderate driving on the part of the Dounreay 'drones' but in my considered opinion, the attitude of the op is just as bad. 

Methinks the op should go back and have another look at "the rules of the road" and if your driving technique is anything li8ke your attitude on an internet forum perhaps you should consider sending your licence back to DVLA.

Ducati said it in one line !

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## Andy

The first step in getting traffic lights would be to approach your community council and your Highland councillor

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## brandy

the thing is when someone pulls out in front of you, you cant really anticipate that. what are you suppose to do.. ohhh dunreay is coming up.. i had better slow down to 30 as some idiot may not know how to wait until the car on the main road passes. 
back home we use to call it opening the gates.. because that was what it was like.. cars in every direction. hmmm i wonder if they started charging for parking at dounreay if people would be more likley to take the bus? its cheaper and more economical to take the bus than to drive. hubby works at dounreay and ive picked him up before when we have had to be somewhere, and in 10 years its only been about 6-7 times.. for a main road where cars are going 60.. you would think more people would have more common sense than to just think they could do what ever they want. its not hard to look in both directions before you pull out.. and at the end of the day and extra minute is not the end of the world .. where being reckless just might be.

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## Dadie

Its not snobbery these days people have to resort to using cars and car schools because you cannot get on the buses on some routes as the service is oversubcribed!
Even though some of the buses are not full ::

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## Tubthumper

I could complain about residents of Reay driving like lunatics when using the 'back' road. Including some with children in the car, and especially when they've slept in and are rushing to get their sprogs to Miller Academy on time.
Number of times I've been about to pull out onto the road and some mad git doing 100mph has nearly took my nose off.
BigBlue, you seem to have a thing about Dounreay people's driving - I hope you're not one of the 'West' loonies I regularly encounter on that road!?

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## sids

> there is an excellent bus service, but due to a lot of snobbery at Dounreay, not a lot of workers use it.  Once people get up a few grades, they ditch the bus in favour of the car.  I always thought it preferable to driving - both for the cost and hassle factor.  I am sure that a lot of people will shoot me down in flames for calling it snobbery but that is my opinion.   When I was there it was a bit dearer for contractors to use, with a lower rate for UKAEA workers, but even then it was much cheaper than driving.



The bus is dearer than most types of car school, especially from Thurso.  

The bus is dearer to higher grade workers.

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## sunshine23

I have to agree with some of these comments.  I live in the Janetstown area and the speed that some of these cars travel is ridiculous and definitely not necessary.  Funny, the police sometimes sit at the old Janetstown postoffice with their radar, *Note* once the Dounreay traffic has passed.

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## sids

> Funny, the police sometimes sit at the old Janetstown postoffice with their radar, *Note* once the Dounreay traffic has passed.


I have seen the Police speed-checking Dounreay traffic many times.

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## sunshine23

Not by the postoffice you have not because they sit there at and around 10am.

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## RecQuery

Ignoring the buses, that still doesn't prevent carpooling, car sharing, getting-a-lift; whatever you want to call it. Traffic drags to a crawl between 16:30 and 16:50. Like I said I see a backlog of cars with just one person, two if your lucky. I'm not saying it'll be applicable to everyone but it might improve traffic.

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## BIG BLUE

Whether you aproach the Dounreay junction at 60mph or 30mph the flow of traffic doesnt stop out of ten cars one driver may actually look right and give way to traffic on main road...and in answer to a question i was asked....NO im not one of the westies who fly past nearly taking your nose off as most of the time im out in my car i have my young son which means i travel around 50mph and when hes not with me i still dont break the speed limit after driving for 28 years iv never had a conviction of any kind on my licence which is the reason i first put anything on the forum!!!! i now always slow right down and wait untill someone actually acknowledges that i have right of way and i didnt say i lived in reay either and my son isnt of age to go to any school  :: ......wish i hadnt asked the original question...is this my welcome to the forum? its a wonder any new members bother!! :Frown:

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## Dadie

The reasons most people are not in carschools are-
people live in difficult areas to get people to share from ie country folk!
Lots work part time (after schools go in or have to go home early and no transport other than the car and no one to share with)
People pick up the kids from childcare on the way home so no room in the car
Higher management have meetings/work after knocking off time 
This is Caithness and not a city even if you live on a bus route there is no chance of actually getting a bus when you need to be somewhere!

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## davie

> i now always slow right down and wait untill someone actually acknowledges that i have right of way !


So after several" near misses, apparently with a child in the car, you NOW slow right down!
Any competent driver, especially one with a child in the car, would be looking at the traffic coming up from Dounreay as they proceeded along the road and using just a little commonsense might realise that one of these "tchubes" is going to pull out in front of me.

That is called anticipation and after "28 years accident free driving" I would have thought it to be second nature. Even "sick" people like me figured that one out a long time ago.

There is no defence for the "Dounreay traffic" as there is no defence for your admitted driving style.

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## Phill

> ...is this my welcome to the forum? its a wonder any new members bother!!



Welcome to the .org Big Blue.
You'll find it's a fun little place although some get a tad pernickety if you mention driving standards, rather hot topic on here from time to time. (remember to pull in to allow people to overtake and all that)
 :: 

Anyway, don't take it to heart, half of 'em cannea drive anyway.

Are you a tractor BTW?

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## Olin

> Bothered???????????nah!


Im not bothered what antics you get up to either but to complain about a place that your not bothered about being on in the first place is kinda ridiculous?

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## highland red

> Has anyone else out there had a close call at Dounreay? Living in the Dounreay area i have had several close calls driving from Reay area towards Thurso around kick out time at Dounreay as the people leaving Dounreay going towards Thurso drive straight out as if they had right of way, several times iv been aproaching the Dounreay road doing 50 to 60mph and a string of cars just pull out some times not even looking to their right and if you hit someone from behind its automatically deemed your fault!!! Iv had to perform an emergency stop veering onto other side of road luckily so far nothing has been coming towards me so far. If the "skimmed" police at Dounreay cant stop this then the "full fat" police from Thurso should watch what happens most nights? Is someone going to need to be killed for something to be done????


I can tell you now that the "skimmed" Police as you unkindly put it have their hands tied by people that should be backing them when they DO enforce speed restrictions.  It's always the same........complain that nothing is being done..........UNTIL IT'S THEM THAT GET CAUGHT SPEEDING, and then the Police are accused of having nothing better to do.

You can't have it both ways.

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## horseman

Lighten up Big Blue, davie was only pulling your plonker. :Wink:

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## sids

> Not by the postoffice you have not because they sit there at and around 10am.


That's right. It's not on my route.  What I meant was they don't always avoid pointing their speed trap at Dounreay commuters.

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## sids

> Whether you aproach the Dounreay junction at 60mph or 30mph the flow of traffic doesnt stop out of ten cars one driver may actually look right and give way to traffic on main road..(


Frankly, you're exaggerating.

Welcome to the forum.

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## thebigman

Doing 50 - 60 mph while approaching this area is obviously not the best idea given that you're aware of the hazard, and have your boy in the car.

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## jay

I work at Dounreay and drive home every night (buses are far to expensive even given the cost of petrol) I can honestly say that in the 15 years I have been there I have seen only one close call at the road end and that was caused by reckless driving by someone coming from the west ( some years ago) The Dounreay police sit just inside the junction often  monitoring the traffic leaving site - as for the driving between the site and Thurso I can't really comment but certainly on the "front" rroad it's mainly just nose to tail all the way in.

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## Mall67

The worst thing on the road to dounreay is the push bikes weaving about. Friday morning last week, thick fog, lashing rain, 3 bikers their lights barely visible in the fog, because I was not going fast ( before anyone thinks I was ) I saw them in time.
These guys must have a deathwish to ride that road in the morning or they are being conned into saving the planet.

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## lasher

> This has been the situation for the past 50 years. You must appreciate that these drivers have spent a long and strenuous day at the Dounreay 'mine' and the thought of giving any consideration to other road users is not a priority.
> It is getting better, many moons ago it was a steady two lanes of traffic heading towards Thurso - any yokel coming the other way had to go via Shebster or take to the fields.


Long and strenuous day at dounreay, your having a laugh are you!! ::

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## Mall67

> Ignoring the buses, that still doesn't prevent carpooling, car sharing, getting-a-lift; whatever you want to call it. Traffic drags to a crawl between 16:30 and 16:50. Like I said I see a backlog of cars with just one person, two if your lucky. I'm not saying it'll be applicable to everyone but it might improve traffic.


Cost to much in fuel carrying 3 passengers ::

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## windswept

> All bow to the great god Dounreay. The highway code does not apply to robots.


I didnt know there was robots?   They must leave before me!

drive according to the conditions of the road.

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## davie

I think what Big Blue was originally looking for was a bunch of other middle aged wifies saying " "Aaaaw, zat no terrible, you poor cratur".

Obviously any other answer constitutes a breach of protocol and an unpleasant welcome to the .org.

The fact that she/he can call another contributor "sick" in her/his 5th post must be accepted of course.

Could it be that thing that affects wimmin of a certain age (men also I believe) and makes them more ratty and irrational than normal ?

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## sweetpea

> Long and strenuous day at dounreay, your having a laugh are you!!


Anyone who doesn't see that he's having a laugh must have arrived up North very recently, possibly on a barley boat.

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## sweetpea

> I didnt know there was robots?   They must leave before me!


Robots, power manipulators, tyrannosauri, Cod-zilla, Budger, they're all there!

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## Yoda the flump

Problem is not just limited to Dounreay. 

Bad driving is common in Caithness.  Drivers seem to have problems with roundabouts, zebra crossings and speed limits to mention three.

The amount of times that cars have not stopped on zebra crossings is alarming.  I have been on a crossing and a car has not stopped just missing me and I know of several other people who have been in the same position.

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## ducati

> Problem is not just limited to Dounreay. 
> 
> Bad driving is common in Caithness. Drivers seem to have problems with roundabouts, zebra crossings and speed limits to mention three.
> 
> The amount of times that cars have not stopped on zebra crossings is alarming. I have been on a crossing and a car has not stopped just missing me and I know of several other people who have been in the same position.


With you being so short, you should carry a long pole with a flag on top for your own safety, like Sinclair C5s used to  ::

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## Bobbyian

> Problem is not just limited to Dounreay. 
> 
> Bad driving is common in Caithness.  Drivers seem to have problems with roundabouts, zebra crossings and speed limits to mention three.
> 
> The amount of times that cars have not stopped on zebra crossings is alarming.  I have been on a crossing and a car has not stopped just missing me and I know of several other people who have been in the same position.


Thats not just common to caithness.....  thats normal daily life here at any time of the day   think yourselves lucky  you only have rush hour traffic on one road at a well known time...

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## Tubthumper

> ... using just a little commonsense might realise that one of these "tchubes" is going to pull out in front of me.


Oy. It's 'Tchyoubs'. Make an effort, will you davie?
Anyway, what happens when the buses pull out onto the main road? You can't expect the traffic to instantly do 60mph just to match your ambitions BigBlue.
Anyone else sense a 'Dounreay-baaad' attitude here?

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## Yoda the flump

> Anyone else sense a 'Dounreay-baaad' attitude here?


Aye, and its gonna get worse as the place declines over the next few years :Frown:

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## davie

> Oy. It's 'Tchyoubs'. Make an effort, will you davie?


I bow to your superior knowledge, o great  poety one.

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## horseman

> Aye, and its gonna get worse as the place declines over the next few years


Is it really going to decline that soon?----Please yoda--I'am a Weeker an am taken back at that thought.

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## changilass

Its declining rapidly, with quite a few folks being laid off.

If nothing else it should cheer up those complaining about traffic from the place.

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## sweetpea

> With you being so short, you should carry a long pole with a flag on top for your own safety, like Sinclair C5s used to


That made me smile :Wink:

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## Dounreay

It's always useful to get feedback about the impact of the site on the community.

While road traffic offences on public roads are a matter for Northern Constabulary really, the site has taken a number of steps in the recent past to improve the standards of driving on the site itself.

These have included a rigorous campaign to enforce the Highway Code on the site - driving within the 20mph limit, wearing of seatbelts, prohibition on the use of mobile phones at the steering wheel etc.

The Highway Code is intended to make driving safe. The site takes the view that anyone working here must follow safety rules - irrespective of whether that's while driving on the roads or handling hazardous substances in controlled areas.

We recognise, too, the need for staff to respect the neighbourhood when arriving and departing the site.

Following feedback recently from local residents, we issued a reminder to all staff about the importance of taking care at the junction with the A836, particularly when livestock is being moved.

I hope this helps.

Colin Punler
Communications Manager
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd

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## davie

Meinn Gott - the power of the .org. !!!

"The Highway Code is intended to make driving safe" - who would have ever dreamt of that one !

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## northener

> Meinn Gott - the power of the .org. !!!
> 
> "The Highway Code is intended to make driving safe" - who would have ever dreamt of that one !


Yes, you can use it to wedge the accelerator down enabling you to pick your verracurs without losing momentum.......

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## Yoda the flump

> Is it really going to decline that soon?----Please yoda--I'am a Weeker an am taken back at that thought.


Yep, there will be quite a few DSRL going over the next three years and quite a few contractors.

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## Tubthumper

I bet there will be lots of anti-dounreay people who will smirk at this news. I've never fathomed it, but there seems to be some form of affliction that means some folk in the county smirk snidely at any misfortune the establishment and it's workers suffer. What's all that about?
I don't personally have a problem with the ones I have met, they seem like nice enough folk.

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## davie

Having started life in Caithness pre Dounreay I can imagine what the county would be like without it, a gey sorry place.
Although I regularly take the urine out of my many friends who work at Dounreay as in "have you ever actually had a real job" etc my self and the majority of my contemporaries owe a great deal to the training and work experience we received at Dounreay.
I would imagine there are few native Caithnessians who did not have at least one family member employed at or through Dounreay over the past fifty odd years.
i am sure there are varied reasons for the anti Dounreay sentiment shown by some but I can not really think of any valid ones.

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## LMS

> Having started life in Caithness pre Dounreay I can imagine what the county would be like without it, a gey sorry place.
> Although I regularly take the urine out of my many friends who work at Dounreay as in "have you ever actually had a real job" etc my self and the majority of my contemporaries owe a great deal to the training and work experience we received at Dounreay.
> I would imagine there are few native Caithnessians who did not have at least one family member employed at or through Dounreay over the past fifty odd years.
> i am sure there are varied reasons for the anti Dounreay sentiment shown by some but I can not really think of any valid ones.


Excellent post!

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## sids

> i am sure there are varied reasons for the anti Dounreay sentiment shown by some but I can not really think of any valid ones.




Because it's there?

The problem in this thread seems to be that so many people work there that they're using all the road up!

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## webmannie

> Yep, there will be quite a few DSRL going over the next three years and quite a few contractors.


People started being made compulsory redundant today Yoda, not quite DSRL but Engineers at the parent company UKAEA Ltd based at Forss.

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## Tubthumper

I'm a bit confused about UKAEA and Dounreay - are you saying it's not Dounreay itself that's laying off? I thought Babcocks had bought the whole thing, where do they fit in?
Whatever's going on, the county had better switch on to the idea that the site isn't going to be providing much income shortly. We'd better start making the most of what's left, eh chums?

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## webmannie

> I'm a bit confused about UKAEA and Dounreay - are you saying it's not Dounreay itself that's laying off? I thought Babcocks had bought the whole thing, where do they fit in?
> Whatever's going on, the county had better switch on to the idea that the site isn't going to be providing much income shortly. We'd better start making the most of what's left, eh chums?


Ok lets go back to the start, Dounreay used to be part of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. NDA got formed out of nowhere as the 'purse holders' of the UK's nuclear liabilities and decided they wanted a site company (DSRL) with the staff employed by that company and that company in turn would have shares owned by a Parent Body Organisation (initially UKAEA Ltd/Amec/Ch2mHill) and that shares would then be competed for in the future. During all this the 'old' UKAEA decided to set up a commercial company and 'hived off' some of the Dounreay staff into a new company, UKAEA Ltd which then went out and won Engineering/Technical consultancy/design work on site, in the uk and 'overseas', it was then sold off to Babcock International Group for £38m, which meant BIG inherited the PBO.

And yes the County had better 'switch on' blinkin fast!

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## Tubthumper

> Ok lets go back to the start, Dounreay used to be part of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. NDA got formed out of nowhere as the 'purse holders' of the UK's nuclear liabilities and decided they wanted a site company (DSRL) with the staff employed by that company and that company in turn would be owned by a Parent Body Organisation (initially UKAEA Ltd/Amec/Ch2mHill) which would then be competed in the future. During all this the 'old' UKAEA decided to set up a commercial company and 'hived off' some of the Dounreay staff into a new company, UKAEA Ltd which then went out and won Engineering/Technical consultancy/design work on site, in the uk and 'overseas', it was then sold off to Babcock International Group for £38m, which meant BIG inherited the PBO.


Ah, now I see, it's so simple!   ::

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## webmannie

> Ah, now I see, it's so simple!


Yep, as simple as the piecebox gag we came up with my friend  :Wink:  ::  Only Tubby will get this one folks!!

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## Yoda the flump

> People started being made compulsory redundant today Yoda, not quite DSRL but Engineers at the parent company UKAEA Ltd based at Forss.


True indeed, a sad state of affairs there and there were quite a few who had their last today with DSRL.

Plenty more to go at DSRL over the next year, ERT but if they don't get enough then.........

Caithness is getting pulled into the commercial world very quickly and its gonna hurt.

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## brandy

i hate to say this but do you know when you get to the point in a post that all you can read is blah blah blah blah.. no matter how hard you are actually trying to read it?
unfortunatly im there.. *cringe*
just so it dosent drive me crazy.. lets recap..
1: is there a saftey issue at the entrance to dounreay?
2: what can we do to raise awarness of said issue and what is feasable to do about it?
3: who do we contact to raise our concerns..
4: let quit blethering on about it.. and actually do it.. 
erghh.. i  think my time is coming cause i just wanna shake people now *Grins* 
runs and grabs the nearest choc. bar..
really its for everyone elses saftey...

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## webmannie

> 1: is there a saftey issue at the entrance to dounreay?
> 2: what can we do to raise awarness of said issue and what is feasable to do about it?
> 3: who do we contact to raise our concerns..
> 4: let quit blethering on about it.. and actually do it.. 
> ...


1. No
2. Nothing, it is the drivers responsibility to read the road ahead
3. Nobody
4. Nothing to do

There you go, you can eat your chocolate bar you've got your answers, #GRINS back#

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## luskentyre

> Whether you aproach the Dounreay junction at 60mph or 30mph the flow of traffic doesnt stop out of ten cars one driver may actually look right and give way to traffic on main road...and in answer to a question i was asked....NO im not one of the westies who fly past nearly taking your nose off as most of the time im out in my car i have my young son which means i travel around 50mph and when hes not with me i still dont break the speed limit after driving for 28 years iv never had a conviction of any kind on my licence which is the reason i first put anything on the forum!!!! i now always slow right down and wait untill someone actually acknowledges that i have right of way and i didnt say i lived in reay either and my son isnt of age to go to any school ......wish i hadnt asked the original question...is this my welcome to the forum? its a wonder any new members bother!!


Sorry to hear you've had such an unsavoury welcome from certain members.

To address the issue, you're right in stating that some people have no concern for others when pulling out onto the main road.   It seems like the urge to get home overrides any instincts for self-preservation (or the safety of others).  

There have been several crashes at the entrance to the site over the years, so anyone saying that there isn't an issue is talking nonsense.

I've seen many near misses (and mangled cars) both on the way to Dounreay and from there.  Stupid drivers overtaking on corners, in fog etc.  I'm not saying that workers at Dounreay are any worse than the rest of the population, but the sheer volume of traffic (and the need to get to a certain place at a certain time) tends to increase the risk.

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## BIG BLUE

And to think all this started with a simple question asking if anyone else had dounreay traffic taking the piss?????.....jesus!

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## Tubthumper

> And to think all this started with a simple question asking if anyone else had dounreay traffic taking the piss?????.....jesus!


_"Has anyone else out there had a close call at Dounreay? Living in the  Dounreay area i have had several close calls driving from Reay area  towards Thurso around kick out time at Dounreay as the people leaving  Dounreay going towards Thurso drive straight out as if they had right of  way, several times iv been aproaching the Dounreay road doing 50 to  60mph and a string of cars just pull out some times not even looking to  their right and if you hit someone from behind its automatically deemed  your fault!!! Iv had to perform an emergency stop veering onto other  side of road luckily so far nothing has been coming towards me so far.  If the "skimmed" police at Dounreay cant stop this then the "full fat"  police from Thurso should watch what happens most nights? Is someone  going to need to be killed for something to be done????"_

A simple question? Looked more like a rant to me. Especially with multiple !!!s. Maybe a member of the 'skimmed' police might take offence as well. If you want sympathy, maybe changing your tone would help???
As many folk have said, if you know it's a hazardous area for traffic at 4pm, why drive at it full pelt with a bairn in the car??
You were angry, you let rip. Hey, it's the internet, isn't it?? We can all handle it.

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## Fisherbigin

> And to think all this started with a simple question asking if anyone else had dounreay traffic taking the piss?????.....jesus!


Go back in yer pram an play wae yer toys. ::  :Grin:

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## tahi

I remember the "the Nigg traffic "when i was a kid, and the permanent ghostly silence that fell with it when it came to an end. Surely we can put up with it whilst it lasts......

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## Bobinovich

Very true tahi - surely the time to have put in some sort of traffic measures would have been years ago when the number of busses declined and cars spiralled?

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## Kevin Milkins

I think I might go over to Dounreay tomorrow and have a look at this. :: 

I haven't seen any traffic congestion in the four years that I have lived in Wick.
I like nostalgia.

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## Tubthumper

Kev, watch out for the psychopaths driving in from the Reay direction...

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## sids

The silly roundabout at Navidale should be moved to Dounreay.

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## Kevin Milkins

> Kev, watch out for the psychopaths driving in from the Reay direction...


Thanks for the heads up on that one,Tubthumper, I will be on full alert. :Wink: 




> The silly roundabout at Navidale should be moved to Dounreay.


I bet the drivers of very large lorries love that one. ::

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## secrets in symmetry

> The silly roundabout at Navidale should be moved to Dounreay.


That's not a bad idea. I like it.  :Smile: 

The big trucks could drive over the top of it.

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## Penelope Pitstop

> Problem is not just limited to Dounreay. 
> 
> Bad driving is common in Caithness. Drivers seem to have problems with roundabouts, zebra crossings and speed limits to mention three.
> 
> The amount of times that cars have not stopped on zebra crossings is alarming. I have been on a crossing and a car has not stopped just missing me and I know of several other people who have been in the same position.


 
I think you'll find this is not just a Caithness problem...same where ever you go.

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## Sara Jevo

> I think you'll find this is not just a Caithness problem...same where ever you go.


 I've lost count the number of times I've almost been knocked down on the pedestrian crossings in the supermarket car parks. Drivers don't seem to realise I have the right of way at these crossings - they just drive straight over them when I'm crossing. It's really poor.

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## Penelope Pitstop

> I've lost count the number of times I've almost been knocked down on the pedestrian crossings in the supermarket car parks. Drivers don't seem to realise I have the right of way at these crossings - they just drive straight over them when I'm crossing. It's really poor.


Point I'm making is that it doens't matter what supermarket in which ever city you go to ..... the same thing goes on. i.e. not just confined to Caithness.  (i'm not saying it's right)

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## Vistravi

> And to think all this started with a simple question asking if anyone else had dounreay traffic taking the piss?????.....jesus!


 
You set the tone and aggression in the thread with your opening post therefore you have no grounds to complain about the way the thread has gone  :: 

The word "civil" comes to mind.  :Wink:

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## BIG BLUE

Awa an boil yer heeds all o ye!!!!

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## bhoy1973

> Awa an boil yer heeds all o ye!!!!


I'd ask for a refund of your road tax if I were you.

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## John Little

I tell ye what guys - I'd swap you the Dounreay drive in the morning for mine any time you like. M20 London bound... ::

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## Mik.M.

> I tell ye what guys - I'd swap you the Dounreay drive in the morning for mine any time you like. M20 London bound...


 I remember the M20/A2/M25 traffic as well as the London traffic,I don`t miss it one bit.Mik.

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## Vistravi

> I tell ye what guys - I'd swap you the Dounreay drive in the morning for mine any time you like. M20 London bound...


 
Now that's rush hour traffic!

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## Boozeburglar

London is much improved within the central area. I cannot understand people who opt to sit in queues every day. Public transport is excellent for commuting and travel within Greater London. Cheap too.

There is every reason to complain about the idiots who drive like they do from Doomedreay. I am amazed some of these idiots have ever passed a test.

They have zero consideration for the rural hamlets they fire through on the Shebster road.

What is it about Caithness that people cannot get their asses out of their cars?

I remember in the 70s most people got there on the bus, and the reason is purely economical, in that most of us now have cars.

Nothing to do with the price of the bus, it is always cheaper than the costs associated with driving.

Whatever knowledge you might have of a local hazzard, no one who pulls out without looking should be allowed to retain their license.

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## Leanne

> Nothing to do with the price of the bus, it is always cheaper than the costs associated with driving.


The bus gets me to work in the morning for 8:45 - the time I leave if I am driving... On the return journey there is a bus at 17:15; I finish at 17:30 and the next one isn't until 18:40. Waiting for an hour and 10 minutes for a bus - I think not.

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## Boozeburglar

Leanne, that kind of proves my point?

Your decision is nothing to do with the cost of the bus. 

It is only where it is nearly as convenient that people start to weigh up that choice and take a bus instead.

More car schools would be one way forward. 

Even in London I used to carry six people to work rather than us all using public transport. It was a bit faster, but ideal because we all were equally late so no one got fingered!

 :Smile:

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## Bobinovich

> ...Your decision is nothing to do with the cost of the bus...


Maybe some people put a higher price on the amount of free time they have - I know I do, but then it does only take me seconds to get home from work!!

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## theone

> Nothing to do with the price of the bus, it is always cheaper than the costs associated with driving.


That's only true if travelling alone.

Two or more people travelling from Thurso are cheaper taking a car than the bus to Dounreay.

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## Boozeburglar

> That's only true if travelling alone.
> 
> Two or more people travelling from Thurso are cheaper taking a car than the bus to Dounreay.


 
Mmmh, I did kind of mention car schooling...

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## Boozeburglar

> Maybe some people put a higher price on the amount of free time they have - I know I do, but then it does only take me seconds to get home from work!!


I think everyone does, and that is my point.

When I am working in London I get paid for my travelling time.

Unless employers are proactive in supporting public transport, there will be little progress.

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