Inverness councillors to consider new active travel investments
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They will consider measures for Riverside Way and the Raigmore interchange in Inverness.
Earlier this year, councillors agreed to a traffic order making the Riverside Way one-way system permanent.
The scheme has proved controversial to date, with the local community council and disability groups raising concerns about the impact on surrounding streets.
However, council officers say the scheme has worked well in the summer. Its traffic monitors showed that active travel made up more than half of all journeys on Riverside Way in May and June. In total, 1713 people walked or wheeled on the street, and a further 538 travelled by bike.
The council does not have figures for July and August due to a power glitch, but believes active travel was probably more prevalent in these warmer months.
Now, officers want the go-ahead to start construction on permanent design changes.
At a meeting in February 2022, Inverness councillors were divided over the controversial plans – agreeing the traffic order by 12 votes to seven.
Ballifeary Community Council had raised concerns that the one-way system created rat runs and speeding traffic in the surrounding streets.
Since then, the council roads team has come up with six potential solutions and brought these to a public meeting on November 9.
Councillors will receive a verbal briefing on these design tweaks.
The council has also hosted two site visits with disability groups and held an equalities impact assessment meeting at Eden Court last month.
They say the meetings were mostly positive, and urge councillors to agree the “pivotal” investment in active travel.
The second big infrastructure project up for approval is to Raigmore interchange.
The Scottish Government has provided £1.14 million funding to improve non-motorised use of the busy junction.
Highland Council has considered a range of proposals to improve active travel, eventually settling on a new three-metre wide route through the roundabout.
This will provide a safe road for active travel going north-south and east-west.
The plans also include several signal-controlled crossings for non-motorised vehicles.
If agreed, contractors will draw up detailed technical designs early next year.
Construction on both the Riverside Way and Raigmore active travel plans is expected to start in spring and be complete by the end of 2023.
