Rosyth has its own ‘pop-up polis’ to deter speeding motorists

And local councillor Brian Goodall is hoping they will act as a deterrent and encourage motorists to reduce their speeds. The ‘pop-up polis’ – Cllr Goodall’s name for cut-outs of police officers – are intended to make those in the area more aware of speed cameras, and thus take more care on the road to protect themselves and others. They’ve been deployed by Cllr Goodall at areas of concern across the area, and there are hopes that a small team of volunteers could be put together to put them out at various locations in the future.

Cllr Goodall said: “Concern about speeding is the one issue that’s raised by residents within every community across the Rosyth ward. Police Scotland already have pop-up officers that they will sometimes deploy at speeding hotspots, but they obviously have a massive area to cover, and we weren’t always seeing them used locally as much as many folk would like.” Around six months ago, Cllr Goodall suggested some available council funding for the area should be used to purchase three additional ‘pop-up polis’ and they arrived just before Christmas.

He’s been deploying them himself at speeding hotspots around his ward, but he’s hoping that in time, a small team of community volunteers could help out. Cllr Goodall said: “There’s now one for Crombie, where there is constant concern about speeding traffic on the A985 going through the village; and one for Limekilns and Charlestown, where I’ve often been contacted about speeding at the school, on the prom and outside the doctor’s surgery. “There’s also one for use around Rosyth itself, where each of the main roads are often cited as speeding hotspots.”

He added: “I’ve also been encouraging local people to volunteer for Police Scotland’s Community SpeedWatch initiative where they are trained in the use of a speed camera, and drivers found to be speeding are then contacted regarding the impact their behaviour has on the local community.”

The plans to build the new high school Rosyth to replace the current Inverkeithing High are likely to bring concerns of speeding to the forefront again.

Cllr Goodall said: “Speeding is already a big concern in and around Rosyth, but with plans for the school just off of Admiralty Road, I can see road safety becoming an even more important concern for many, as we see children and parents starting to plan how best to walk to the new school.”