Being an old fishing village, Lower Largo clearly was not designed with the motor car in mind, and never was this more evident than back in the 1960s. At that time, rising car ownership and the continuing popularity of local beaches combined with the narrow streets, blind corners and lack of parking facilities, to result in traffic chaos. Lower Largo might seem like an unlikely setting for road rage but that is precisely what could be witnessed on a warm and sunny weekend. Take, for example, a piece written in the East Fife Mail of 11 June 1969...
"Brilliant sunshine drew thousands of holiday-makers and day trippers to Fife beaches at the weekend looking for a place in the sun. And as the temperature soared so too did the tempers as motorists fought to find parking spaces or just find room to move. One of the worst places affected by the weekend rush was Lower Largo, which had one of the busiest weekends on record. Hundreds of motorists were jammed in the village unable to move out or in as traffic piled up in the narrow streets."
The report continued to say that this was not a new problem. Residents had seen "verbal battles" and "traffic chaos" for some time but no solution had been forthcoming. The one car park (at the Temple) would always be full early in the day, leaving drivers with little option but to seek out elusive alternative parking spots. All this fruitless crawling around the streets led to congestion and frustration.
However, one villager came up with a three-point action plan in 1969 - evidence of which can still be seen today. Mr Don Beaton of "Sea Brae" on The Temple told the East Fife Mail that the crux of the problem was the physical shape of the village, with one narrow main street and no outlet. Cars going up towards the Temple and its car park had no choice but to come back down the same way if they could not park. If cars were parked on the side of the main street, drivers coming back down from the Temple could not pass oncoming cars. Here are the three suggested changes that Mr Beaton made:
1. On public holidays, make the road between the Crusoe Hotel and the Sailing Club boat park one-way only. All traffic going out would go up the hill at Donaldson's Wynd (now Durham Wynd).
2. Provide more parking - either by extending the Temple car park or by developing the old railway station into a second car park (and using the old railway line as a path leading towards the beach).
3. Construct a proper turning circle at the Temple end of the village and ban parking there. This would avoid the need for reversing.
Mr Beaton commented that he had seen "people take anything from three quarters of an hour to an hour to get out of the village". He planned to put his suggestions to the District Council. I assume that he did, as his ideas were all followed through and are still in place (see images below). Of course, problems can still arise - see photo of a bus wedged between a house and a car below, having ignored the one-way restriction!
"Brilliant sunshine drew thousands of holiday-makers and day trippers to Fife beaches at the weekend looking for a place in the sun. And as the temperature soared so too did the tempers as motorists fought to find parking spaces or just find room to move. One of the worst places affected by the weekend rush was Lower Largo, which had one of the busiest weekends on record. Hundreds of motorists were jammed in the village unable to move out or in as traffic piled up in the narrow streets."
The report continued to say that this was not a new problem. Residents had seen "verbal battles" and "traffic chaos" for some time but no solution had been forthcoming. The one car park (at the Temple) would always be full early in the day, leaving drivers with little option but to seek out elusive alternative parking spots. All this fruitless crawling around the streets led to congestion and frustration.
However, one villager came up with a three-point action plan in 1969 - evidence of which can still be seen today. Mr Don Beaton of "Sea Brae" on The Temple told the East Fife Mail that the crux of the problem was the physical shape of the village, with one narrow main street and no outlet. Cars going up towards the Temple and its car park had no choice but to come back down the same way if they could not park. If cars were parked on the side of the main street, drivers coming back down from the Temple could not pass oncoming cars. Here are the three suggested changes that Mr Beaton made:
1. On public holidays, make the road between the Crusoe Hotel and the Sailing Club boat park one-way only. All traffic going out would go up the hill at Donaldson's Wynd (now Durham Wynd).
2. Provide more parking - either by extending the Temple car park or by developing the old railway station into a second car park (and using the old railway line as a path leading towards the beach).
3. Construct a proper turning circle at the Temple end of the village and ban parking there. This would avoid the need for reversing.
Mr Beaton commented that he had seen "people take anything from three quarters of an hour to an hour to get out of the village". He planned to put his suggestions to the District Council. I assume that he did, as his ideas were all followed through and are still in place (see images below). Of course, problems can still arise - see photo of a bus wedged between a house and a car below, having ignored the one-way restriction!
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