MOVES to create a 'safe road' out of a "dangerous" one in Moray were halted just five months before a 14-year-old girl died and three other teenagers were seriously injured there in a two-car crash.
Neringa Narusyte died after the Vauxhall Corsa she was in and a Nissan Terrano crashed on the B9016 near Keith on Wednesday night.
Another 14-year-old girl suffered life-threatening injuries. Two girls aged 16 and 17 had serious injuries. They were all passengers in the Corsa.
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Ilona Narusyte, the 34-year-old mother of the third year Buckie High School pupil, paid tribute saying she was a "lovely girl" and adding: "She's always going to be loved and remembered.
"I still can't believe that she's gone."
The family moved to the Moray coast 11 years ago from Lithuania.
Now there are calls to reinstate plans to straighten the B9016 first laid nine years ago, and halted in May after Moray Council u-turned on a commitment to spend £42,000 to kickstart the £5 million scheme aimed at straightening out the sharp bend-laden route.
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald who knows the Narusyte family said: "I couldn't believe it when I heard about the accident and saw where it was.
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"We don't know what caused the accident, and my main concern is for the family, because they are local and I know them. That is a tragedy for Buckie. It's a tough time today.
"But the road is clearly a dangerous road, and as far as I am concerned it is something that has to be tackled.
"I have been arguing about having things done to that road for years and I was pretty appalled they pulled back from doing something about it this time."
A council-commissioned study of the B9016 completed in 2007 recommended improvements to the whole route to provide an "upgraded safe road".
In December, before the latest crash, the council estimated there had been six crashes over two years, one of which was fatal and another serious.
In June, 2014 Iain MacDonald of Buckie died when his Mini caught fire in a crash on the B-road two miles from Aultmore.
And in August, last year, a motorcyclist travelling along the treacherous stretch sustained serious head injuries after colliding with a purple Mazda 3 at Croft of Ryeriggs near Aultmore.
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But Mr McDonald said he was aware of several fatalities on the road. "It is a very dangerous road," said Mr McDonald. "And it wasn't just about the economics of the case, it is very much a safety issue.
"The trouble is that it has lots of twists and turns and it is hilly, and the camber is wrong in parts. If you are driving along, with the camber out, it's sloping the wrong way, it can drag you across the road. It's about realignment, to straighten out the bad bends."
The u-turn happened after the council's Corporate Director of Corporate Services Mark Palmer advised that spending the £42,000 would be financially irresponsible as "no substantial case had been put forward to justify this expenditure".
He said the council is not in a position to commit to the entire Buckie to Keith road improvement project. He said: "The council was provided with a clear warning at the meeting on March 30 in relation to the council’s financial situation.
Councillors demonstrated their understanding of the warning by agreeing 'that the current range of council service provision is financially unsustainable and that the council will work towards achieving a sustainable financial plan during the next two years'.
"In light of this position, a substantial case for increasing expenditure would need to be made to avoid such action being regarded as financially irresponsible."
Neringa is also survived by her older sister Erika, 17, 10-month-old brother Jay, and stepfather Colin Milne.
Floral tributes have been laid at the family's home in Buckie, where they moved 11 years ago from Lithuania.
Rector Neil Johnson, who described her as a popular girl with a wide circle of friends, said: "This is the type of news that all schools dread and it has hit everyone here very hard.
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"Staff spoke to all our pupils first thing this morning to break the news to them and, along with members of our chaplaincy team, we held a special assembly for S3 pupils this morning.
"The loss of Neringa is felt by us all but I am confident that the very strong community spirit at Buckie High will help us support each other and deal with this tragedy.
"A support centre has been set up in school by our guidance staff, chaplains and support staff to help pupils and staff who are affected by this tragedy share their feelings and support each other. This will remain open for as long as it is needed."
A Moray Council spokesman said: "As the cause of this tragic accident has not been established by the police investigators and the bereaved are still coming to terms with their loss, it would be completely inappropriate for the council to speculate on any future decisions by councillors."
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