Fears Crown area of Inverness could suffer under Academy Street plans
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A community leader in the city’s Crown area has raised fears about the impact potential road changes in Academy Street could have in the area.
The Courier reported last week on Visit Inverness Loch Ness chairwoman Jo De Sylva’s dissatisfaction with the plan to seriously limit vehicle access to the thoroughfare.
She said that when discussing the impact of the plans on her daily commute she was told by a council officer she could drive through the Crown area into the city centre instead.
She suggested trialling the plan before full implementation which, in her opinion, would see the city “grind to a halt”.
The council said at the time it could not comment on individual suggestions while consultations are still ongoing but this week Fiona MacBeath, chairwoman of Crown and City Centre Community Council, said the idea of a trial, which she agreed with, had been “bombed out” by council officers at an earlier stage on the grounds that it would be too expensive.
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“I have repeatedly asked what measures are to be put in place to prevent or even divert some of the traffic which may resort to a shortcut through Crown,” she said. “Not one response.
"Have asked Shane Manning (Highland Council’s principal traffic officer) directly too. Asked Ian Brown, a Millburn ward councillor the same question when I was at the consultation at the Spectrum Centre. Nothing.”
She added: “We have some fairly narrow streets in our area plus a very congested street in Kingsmills Road running straight past Crown Primary, through all the shops, cafés and hotels. A lot of children, parents and shoppers milling.
"The speed limit through here is a currently unenforced 20mph. We have rat run problems on several several streets.
"In response to changes to Academy Street, I would think promising speed checks in Crown would be the least they could do.”
