Calls made to deal with Inverness's 'most dangerous' junction
A JUNCTION in a busy residential area has been labelled "the most dangerous in Inverness and possibly the whole of the Highlands".
Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans is calling for urgent action following recent accidents in Westhill between Tower Road and Culloden Road.
Last Thursday two cars were involved in a crash that resulted in three people being taken to hospital and the week before police were called to an incident where another two cars had collided.
Cllr Gowans said: "I have been dealing with this issue for two or three years now, but recently it has been a lot worse.
"It is a serious concern. Accidents often occur because of the low sun, but because of the speed of cars and the gradient of the junction it is a danger all year round.
"People avoid it because it is dangerous, but it moves the problem along to the junction between Caulfield Road and Tower Road."
Cllr Gowans himself was involved in an incident at the Culloden Road junction in October when low sun obscured the road and he knocked a cyclist from his bike as a result.
He is calling for traffic lights or a stop sign to be installed and says he has now had confirmation from Highland Council that it is monitoring traffic in the area with a view to seeing what can be done.
"Currently it is the most dangerous junction in Inverness and possibly in the Highlands," he said.
Fellow ward councillor Duncan Macpherson is also aware of the issue.
"Councillors asked the police for statistics because everyone knew it was a black spot," he said. "They revealed that there were 33 accidents on that road in a 36-month period.
"I would hate to think that a shortage in funds is holding back making these necessary improvements.
"Inverness South has the greatest population in Inverness and the Culloden Road and its surrounding junctions are their biggest complaint.
"We should not wait for a severe accident and fatality before we do something."
A council spokeswoman said: "Accident stats in conjunction with other issues would be instrumental in considering any potential improvement works."
