Councillors demand changes to half the Spaces to People active travel measures that divided both the public and the council but the Academy Street measures will remain in place
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Highly divisive active travel measures in Academy Street will stay but the controversial one-way system around Inverness Castle will go.
Inverness councillors backed the bollards and barriers in Academy Street with a 14-6 vote despite complaints about danger, ugliness and unpopularity.
However, they voted 12-8 against Highland Council officer recommendations to retain and make permanent the one-way system.
The measures were all put in place during the temporary Spaces for People programme – designed to help with social distancing during the pandemic.
Finally, the Millburn Road cycle lane will be shortened and will now start at the Morrison's junction while an additional pedestrian crossing will also be added.
Council officers argued in favour of retaining the measures chiefly through noting the before and after impact on vehicle movements in the city that have plummeted since the introduction of the programme.
The full list of decisions are likely to please and anger many after almost 4000 people signed online petitions on the issue, as supporters and objectors sought backing.
The bollards and wider segregated pathways in Academy Street will now become a semi-permanent fixture in the city centre ahead of a permanent overhaul of it by the council, scheduled for completion by December 2024.
Changes to Academy Street have been a long-term target under the Places for Everyone scheme.
The council will have to conduct a full public consultation about the future of Academy Street measures, with a concentration on those with disabilities, after a motion by Councillor Emma Knox was accepted. It means the existing bollards might be removed and replaced by new ones.
In all, £800,000 is available to spend on improving the Academy Street scheme and officers claim that a further £7 million more could also be found.
Cllr Knox said: “We have to be clear that the proposal is not to retain the temporary measures that are there just now indefinitely but to retain the overall concept and secure the funding that we need to make spacing measures permanent.
“We have an opportunity to make it better and make it work for the majority of people.
“I’m also mindful that if you vote against it today, we lose further funding of millions of pounds and we would lose the opportunity to make our city centre better.”
Cllr Isabelle Mackenzie was staunchly against keeping the bollards without garnering more public support and consulting accessibility groups.
“We have all travelled down Academy Street,” she said. “I have done it by car and I have done it by bike and I will say time and time again – the bollards are absolutely dangerous, I’d prefer to be on the road.
“We are getting rid of the buses from Academy Street but people still have access to the shops and the businesses and I am hearing a huge number of people from the business sector who are not happy. They are the ones who are struggling to survive.”
A bid to rip out the bollards in Academy Street by Councillor Andrew Jarvie failed.
“Just what do we have to do to get this council to listen and make the right decision?” he said.
“After millions of pounds, we don’t have even basic things like dropped kerbs in the centre. I’m just tired of being told if we agree to something this time, then it will definitely improve.”
Traders and motorists have been vocal about their opposition to the one-way system around Castle Street and several councillors described it as a mess.
Deputy council leader Alasdair Christie said: “In my opinion, this was a very ill-thought out intervention It doesn’t matter how ugly or clumsy or annoying it is – it simply doesn’t work. If it was beautiful, it still wouldn’t work and to my mind that’s the key thing.
“It’s causing tailbacks, it’s causing stress for people. Cyclists don’t benefit from it, pedestrians don’t benefit from it, drivers don’t benefit from it and people on public transport don’t benefit from it.”
It could take until Christmas for the measures to be removed.
Councillors also agreed to retain measures in Riverside Way, with a wafer-thin majority of 10-9 with one member abstaining. The scheme has £1.4 million of external funding already available to make them permanent.
A consultation is already under way for a permanent scheme by Inverness City Active Travel Network team with a target completion date of March 2024 in mind.
The Millburn Road cycle lane is set to be shortened after councillors baulked at the idea of keeping it in place while a move by Cllr Ken Gowans will see a pedestrian crossing added.
That will be put in place near Diriebught road so that it is safer for pupils from the nearby Millburn Academy to access a bus stop on the other side of the busy road.
Related Story – Inverness traders welcome news that Castle Street will be returned to two-way traffic
