Thoughtless speeding motorists are driving me to distraction – Helen Martin

LAST week when England reduced lockdown, it was peculiar that more cars and people filled our roads. Had some Scots decided to follow English rules, had people become impatient or did they believe the crisis was over?

Drivers should be going slower than normal during the lockdown, not faster (Picture: Neil Hanna)

The WHO revealed that just as we had never found a vaccine for the common cold, we may never find one for the related Coronavirus and might have to live with it for ever. So, we don’t know if ‘back to normal’ will be possible.

But even roads moving ‘back to normal’ could be tragic right now. Wildlife reacts quickly to peace and quiet. In Morningside and the Grange, deer have been seen on roads and Carlton Cricket ground. Foxes seem to have returned with hedgehogs, hares and dear knows what else at night. Domestic pet cats, which avoided roads and vehicles before, have left their connecting gardens to explore streets.

Some bus, lorry, delivery van and car drivers ignore speed limits because their route is clear. They should be going slower than normal because there’s more chance of animals, or even little kids on bikes, running or cycling in front of them.

When people are walking along a pavement and meet others approaching them, they have to step a couple of metres into the road. Especially elderly having a little exercise won’t be able to leap instantly back to the pavement.

Can drivers log that suburban, residential areas are not short-cuts in which to put their foot down to save a few minutes?