Residents of Gladsmuir were delighted when East Lothian Council agreed to lower the speed limit in the village to 30mph, with an extended area at 40mph.

Our delight was, unfortunately, short lived when we realised that, just as before, drivers of private and commercial vehicles, motorcycles and buses treat the limit as optional rather than statutory, with speeds of over 60mph remaining the norm throughout the day, and even more at night.

Older residents have told us that the promise of reduced speed and traffic usage when the ‘new’ A1 was built resulted in only a temporary respite from the heavy and fast traffic through the village.

Many of them continued to campaign for stronger measures to be taken without success, for years.

Observant drivers may have noticed that we also have a new ‘deer’ warning triangle placed by the council at the east end of the village, following the deaths of at least three young deer on the road during the first months of this year.

Local cats and dogs have been hit by cars speeding through Gladsmuir in the past couple of years.

We hope this sign proves to be an additional reminder that this is a village with a speed limit, but while grateful to East Lothian Council for the installation, we are not optimistic.

For years village residents have drawn attention to speeding vehicles; contacting the council, police, and the commercial companies whose vehicles travel along the A199.

Despite positive and sympathetic responses (on the whole), little changes.

We now hope to plant some trees along the road, which may also serve as a reminder that this is a village. Again we are not optimistic.

It is lovely that more people enjoy Butterdean Wood since lockdown, but cars queuing to turn off the main road, while others travelling at speeds well over the limit, cheerfully ignoring the flashing warning lights on the west side of the road, seem likely to result in more accidents at this junction.

There have been several ‘bumps’ already.

Equally, visitors to the wood who choose to park on the verge of the single track farm road rather than the car park not only add to the congestion, but also continue to cause erosion of the verges and the road itself.

Those walking down to the wood have to jump aside when cars hurry past.

Gladsmuir is a tiny village in the scheme of things, and of course we cannot expect the police or the council to concentrate already overstretched resources on our small place.

Is it too much to ask that the people who use the A199 to travel to work or home, for access to the countryside or for leisure, respect the measures already in place to reduce speed and increase safety for those of us who live here?

Gil Gray; Iain Gray; Susan Wood; Jackie Millbourne; Harriet Millbourne; Paul Fairley; Dee Fairley; Lorraine Stenhouse; Jake Stenhouse; Daphne Loads; Gill Highet; Susan Wood; Fraser Wood; Andrew McCormack; Irene Kirkness; Adrian Palmer; Sue Richardson; Lee Glass.

Residents of Gladsmuir