One-way system round Inverness Castle should stay, councillors will be urged
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COUNCILLORS are being urged to make permanent two of the controversial Spaces for People schemes brought in to ease social distancing.
They are the highly contentious one-way system round Inverness Castle, and the Academy Street intervention.
Inverness city committee will debate the thorny issue on Thursday.
As well as being asked to agree to retain the castle one-way system and changes in Academy Street, it is recommended that the Riverside Way intervention also stays.
However, members will be urged to approve alterations to the scheme in Millburn Road. This involves keeping the new bike lane from Morrisons’ entrance to the Eastgate underpass, but the bike lane from the Chieftain Hotel to Morrisons would revert to road.
Inverness BID has spoken out strongly against some aspects of the interventions, especially the castle one-way system, and the public are not solidly behind them.
A major gripe is the plethora of bollards and barriers used to create the Spaces for People scheme, a Scottish Government-funded project to assist pandemic-related social distancing.
A council spokesman said: “ The City of Inverness Area Committee received a report at its February 2021 meeting setting out the benefits of the interventions in terms of physical distancing and improving the opportunity to support people to travel by healthier, low carbon transport modes, which will play an increasingly important role in how we respond to the growing climate crisis.
“A further report will be presented to the same committee on August 26 setting out options for the future of the interventions, whether retention, alteration or removal.
“Underspend from the project and other sources of funding has been established to consider long-term solutions and to improve the temporary measures. Funding is also secured for the removal and reinstatement of measures if that is the decision of the committee.”
Highland Council secured £1,968,560 for the interventions.
While primarily a response to the public health crisis, the council saw an opportunity to test measures to help reduce demand for car-based travel and support people to make healthier travel choices.
Inverness BID manager Mike Smith has called for the one-way castle system to be withdrawn as soon as possible.
He said: “We support the view that the Bridge Street/Castle Street intervention is intrusive and not people friendly.
“Due to the inadequate public transport system in the Highlands, it must be recognised by agencies that travel by car is essential and their needs should be provided for as a priority over the alternative options.”
