A ceilidh solution to drive out the banshee drivers for good - Bruce Whitehead
An Enemy of the People, Ibsen’s heroic tale of small-town corruption, filmed in Kirkcudbright in 1980, is currently on iPlayer. Doctor Thomas Stockmann detects chromium poisoning of the water table and proposes closure of the town tannery and cleaner water supplies. The union leader, Mr Geikie replies: “It wouldn’t do any harm to have the people behind you. Our local authorities are often reluctant to act on proposals from others.” (My italics)
The newspaper editor declares: “What this town really needs is some people with drive and guts!”
I couldn't help thinking of South Queensferry, where local authorities are refusing residents’ demands for action against antisocial drivers’ drag racing around the town day and night.
As in the Ibsen play, reasonable local requests are being refused by officials of the Queensferry & District Community Council, and by higher-ups on the notorious city council transport committee. Q&DCC opposes a carpark curfew where the driver gangs gather, possibly under pressure from businesses, worried it might restrict custom.
Despite cancellations and compensation demands from sleepless guests, some hoteliers fear a carpark curfew might drive away custom – even though most have large carparks. Exemptions for the Hawes Pier maritime staff are easily arranged via access codes. And by the way, these racers are becoming ever more reckless in drag racing up and down the slippery pier, with Hound Point terminal staff and ferry crews powerless to stop them because the council insists on 24-hour public access for jet skis!
A year ago 700 signatures supported a trial dusk-till-dawn curfew at the Hawes carpark. Although this wouldn’t stop the offending, it would at least discourage deafening burnouts at two of the worst-hit apartment blocks. Along with a sustained police enforcement campaign handing out fines for idling and parking offences, this would make many offenders leave.
Despite much handwringing and a few penalty notices (which the council struggles to collect) there’s been zero progress in stopping the offending and tackling the gradual descent of the seafront into a threatening no-go area, especially in the evenings.
Although the QDCC old guard is to step down (in place since my late father helped form it in the 1980s), and while its transport officer is sympathetic, the Community Council has seemingly reverted to its previous head-in-the-sand approach.
It doesn’t help that LibDem councillors have reportedly fallen out with the community council, apparently over the cancellation of Kirkliston High School to save money (pupils will have to get the bus or walk three miles). Because of this, the three LibDem councillors allegedly won’t talk to the community council, although the respected long-serving SNP councillor Norman Work still attends.
Instead the LibDems organise meetings, or polls that get kicked into the long grass: their latest one, despite 56 per cent in favour of a trial curfew, was deemed unrepresentative. They should remember that re-election is only a few months away; they might get a fright if the smaller parties get their act together!
In this petty deadlock, something needs to give. I suggest a ceilidh in the Rosebery Hall for all Edinburgh and Queensferry Community councillors with tea and sandwiches, to thrash out a workable way to drive out the banshee drivers from hell once and for all.