Passing Places

Thirty of the forty-five miles of the road that connects us to Corran Ferry and 'civilisation' are single track. To enable vehicles to pass each other, there are passing places. Most people work them fine, but some misunderstand the concept of 'passing'. 'Passing' doesn't only refer to passing a car coming in the opposite direction, it also refers to the legal requirement to allow cars to overtake.

The police try to make this clear by putting up large, graphic notices, but some drivers either never notice the notices or willfully ignore them. The instructions in the Highway Code are also quite clear:

"Single-track roads are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass."

If you add in the smaller, more discreet version, there are quite a few notices making the point.

Failure to allow overtaking is downright dangerous. Many drivers on the peninsula will tell stories of coming up behind a vehicle which is crawling along, its occupants either enjoying the scenery or with their minds wandering on another planet, and how frustrating this can be. Some of us have travelled the twenty miles from Salen to Kilchoan behind such thoughtless drivers. And frustration on the roads leads to accidents, because it is, at certain points, possible to attempt an overtaking manoeuvre - possible, but hardly safe.

It's not that we're short of passing places, and they're all marked with a white sign, so there's no excuse for not using them.

Of course, like everything in life, wherever there's a space people will find alternative uses for it - like stopping to enjoy a gossip.