SPEEDING motorists are being blamed for leaving residents in a Peeblesshire village in fear of their lives.

Drivers on the daily commute to Edinburgh blatantly flout speed limits through Eddleston with little threat of being brought to book, it is claimed.

Many more than usual attended Eddleston and District Community Council to address concerns over the danger in crossing the busy A703 that runs through the village.

Community council member Kirsty Peebles said: “Outside the windfarm issue this is one of the biggest turn outs we have seen at one of our meetings.

“I have seen at least 25 email responses regarding the problems and there is fear and trepidation whenever you try to cross road.” Several ideas were put forward to improve safety - including a pedestrian crossing, a roundabout, rumble strips, a chicane system, a 20mph limit, lollipop patrols and speed bumps.

The suggestions were due to be put forward in a meeting between the community councillors and Scottish Borders Council officers.

But resident George Winter is convinced the main problem is caused by motorists who ignore the 30mph speed limit through Eddleston.

“I would like to see the police enforcing the law and having a proper system in place to enforce it,” he told the meeting.

“It seems there is a move for us to have a crossing but this is a move to accommodate the fact that motorists are speeding. There doesn’t seem to be an appetite to stop them.

“For different reasons I was told the police were unable to enforce the law in Eddleston.” Police Sergeant Alistair Bruce said: “I am told the A703 is a priority - police are patrolling this road on a regular basis - and we are in the process of training officers in the speed protection system.” Community council chairman James Taylor said: “A lot of people would like the police patrol van that you often see at Leadburn or Peebles to come here. I am sure we would all welcome a visible anti-speeding presence.” Another resident Liz Macrae said the worst time for speeding occurred between 7.30am and 9am with traffic coming from Peebles.

“There is only one safe place to cross on the west side of the road and the pavements are so narrow you can’t walk along there with one child on each side of you. I am convinced we will see a serious accident unless a crossing is put in.” Mr Taylor added: “Some times it’s like you are taking your life in your hands - if you are trying to cross you have to do it at a brisk clip.” Tweeddale West councillor Catriona Bhatia warned the residents it was difficult to get road safety measures introduced.

“The officers have a big manual to work with and the pedestrian traffic has to be very high for a controlled crossing - it’s not as simple as you might think,” she said.

But she did offer some hope when she added: “Kingsmeadows Road in Peebles does have a controlled crossing but is not as busy.” Councillor Bhatia revealed she would have “no hesitation” in supporting the idea of rumble strips to force motorists to slow down but pointed out engineers would have to ensure they did not make too much noise.

“It took about five years to get them at Neidpath but a lot of people living nearby complained when they were first put in as they were a bit fearsome,” she said.

Councillor Bhatia also suggested a chicane system as a possible traffic calming measure. These usually consist of staggered build outs, narrowing the road in one direction so that traffic in one direction has to give way. But she ruled out speed bumps as they generally only work within a 30mph zone and not on a main arterial road.

Councillor Bhatia added that another way of putting pressure on the authorities was for residents to sign a petition and present it to the petitions committee at Scottish Borders Council.

Mr Taylor added: “In an ideal world we’d have a 20mph area with lights flashing - an extended 30mph limit, a crossing and a roundabout but somehow I doubt it’s going to happen!”