PEOPLE who cross the railway line between South Kessock and the Carse are just an accident waiting to happen. The dangers of workers, shoppers and children crossing the line – usually between Old School Place and Wyvis Place – were spelled out to a recent meeting of South Kessock Residents Association.
Two members of British Transport Police – Constables Richard Mansfield and Mark Laurie – told the SKRA meeting that there were six trains a day along the line. And someone walking along the track in bad weather, slipping and tripping with their anorak hood up, could be totally unaware of a train at their back. “It's an accident waiting to happen,” said Constable Mansfield.

“The maximum penalty for trespassing on the track was £1000 to £1500 – but the worst penalty is death,” he warned. A further danger was people using trolleys and other wheeled contraptions on the line.

The traffic did not justify the enormous cost of a bridge; besides, people who crossed the track were unlikely to go to the trouble of going over a bridge. As to a level crossing, the police said that Railtrack were trying to get rid of crossings where there was a conflict of interest. CCTV had been installed in Dingwall where drivers were jumping the red light at crossings and there had been no accidents since.

According to the December issue of Rail News trespasser deaths (not suicides) in Scotland had seen a big increase with a total of 35 people being killed accidentally in 2000 compared to 35 the previous year.