CALLS have been made for the speed limit on a stretch of road outside a retirement park to be dropped.

Complaints about vehicles speeding on the A199 – the old A1 – between Haddington and East Linton were raised at a recent meeting.

Barry Craighead, a Dunpender community councillor, told Dunbar’s Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) meeting that it was especially a problem outside Monks’ Muir Park.

The retirement and semi-retirement complex is less than two and a half miles from East Linton.

Mr Craighead said: “There are speeding vehicles coming from, mainly, Dunbar and East Linton, as they go to their work in the morning from 7am to 9am.” The community councillor added that the problem then resurfaced at night, with people returning from their work.

“There is no signage and drivers see an open road and go for it,” he said.

“Two or three of the residents within Monks’ Muir have had near misses because they are elderly and crossing the road.” Mr Craighead was keen to see a sign put in place warning drivers that people could be crossing the road and to slow down.

Councillor Michael Veitch, council spokesman for transport and roads, said issues outside Monks’ Muir had been raised before.

He said: “I’m, personally, very sympathetic to making it 50 miles per hour there.

“I know that is not the view of the police or East Lothian Council to date but maybe it is something to discuss again.” Mr Veitch acknowledged there were likely to be questions of how the speed limit would be enforced on the road, which runs alongside the new A1.

But he hoped dropping the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph would encourage drivers to slow down and cut the number of vehicles breaking the 60mph limit.

Police Constable Gavin Ross told the meeting there could be problems in terms of signage.

He said: “I agree with the council from a signage point of view. The more signs we have the more you dilute the benefit of signs. It’s death by signage.” However, he acknowledged the junction linking Monks’ Muir to the A199 was “a dangerous junction”.

The retirement complex also has a bus stop on either side of the road, linking the site to East Linton and Haddington.

A spokesman for the park’s residents feared the road and bus stops were an accident waiting to happen.

He said: “Every time a pedestrian is coming off or getting on a bus and crossing the road, they are taking their life into their hands.”