Johnshaven residents were left bewildered after a mysterious concrete roadblock appeared “out of nowhere” in front of their homes.
Michael Bennett and Don Marr woke up to find the large barricade hefted into place on Seaview Terrace at the junction with Back Road.
But it wasn’t clear who left the “great lump of concrete” there.
Suspicion soon turned to Aberdeenshire Council, as workers had previously placed temporary barriers on the road due to ongoing problems with lorries.
Michael offered his theory on why it was there: “The bend on the road is a pinch point, particularly with long delivery vans, they just can’t get round…”
Vans have previously clipped the homes on either side of the road over the years, resulting in thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Don lives in the C-listed Old Schoolhouse which was hit six times in 2020 alone.
Michael revealed that drivers are often forced to reverse back up the lane after realising they can’t quite fit around the tight bend. A dangerous move, when there’s a school nearby.
Johnshaven road ‘designed for horses and carts’
Signage had been installed in the past in a bid to deter drivers from using the Johnshaven road, but the damage continued.
Michael explained: “It’s not a problem with the heavy goods vehicles because they realise they can’t get down here.
“It’s the long and tall vans that are being used for deliveries now – and to be fair, some of it is not very good driving.”
Don added: “The road was designed for horses and carts, these delivery vans that bring your groceries now are much bigger.”
Drivers ‘glued to sat navs’
Village residents even put forward their own suggestions to the council such as a height barrier or narrowing the road to deter any attempts to use it.
But Michael said: “Drivers are just following sat navs that bring them down this way.
“People don’t always read signs as they are glued to their sat navs.”
He also suggested that closing the road would cause “major disruption” to people living there and youngsters going to and from the nearby school.
Barricade placed after council blunder
But, while these issues persist, the case of the curious concrete block has now been solved.
Aberdeenshire Council has claimed responsibility for the barricade – but admits it was placed prematurely.
A spokesman said: “After the most recent incident of property damage, the concrete barrier was put in place as a temporary measure to protect the properties until the council could design a solution and begin consultation.
“However, this temporary solution was installed before the formal order was in place and has therefore been removed in the interim.”
The local authority has also confirmed it will temporarily close the road from June 3.
It will only open again for good once permanent safety measures have been put in place.
The council has also pledged to involve local residents and elected members with any future road discussions.
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