The 'preferred' option for Academy Street revamp seeks to bar most traffic from the city centre
MOST traffic could be barred from Academy Street in Inverness city centre if councillors agree to an £800,000 revamp plan that will see the artery become largely open to pedestrians and bikes only.
Highland Council’s Inverness area committee is to be asked to decide on Thursday whether to accept the proposal which aims to slash the number of vehicles on the city centre street – one of the most polluted in Scotland – from between 8500 and 9500 vehicles per day to just 2000.
Councillors have been presented with two options.
Option A calls for footpaths on either side of the street to be widened to the maximum possible and the number of pedestrian crossing points increased, but two-way traffic flow would be maintained with an onward cycle route to link to the High Street via Eastgate underpass or Falcon Square and Inglis Street.
Option B calls for the same transformation in terms of pavements and crossings but would restrict vehicle access to deliveries, public transport and blue-badge holders only.
Alternative routes for traffic and parking options would be signposted and enhanced restrictions would be applied in surrounding residential areas as part of efforts aimed at “encouraging motorists to make better route choices” according to the council report.
It is this option which is being recommended for approval.
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Planners have been consulting with the public and businesses on Option A proposals since May of this year, with 55 per cent of those responding indicating they were in favour of the plans and about a third having significant to moderate objections.
Breaking down feedback further, in terms of the businesses which repsonded to the consultation a total of 67 per cent said they were in favour of pavement widening with 33 per cent against.
A total of 41 per cent said they thought that traffic volumes in the street had a detrimental effect on trade.
The report to councillors says Option B was developed in response to concerns from the public about “perceived lack of benefits of these options for active travel” as well as what appears to be an intervention from regional sustainable transport body Sustrans which is administering the funding for the proposed work.
It appears to have warned the council that it would be “highly unlikely” to secure further funding for “construction-level design” on Option A proposals as they are not compliant with “Cycling by Design Guidance.”
If councillors decide to back the development of Option B this will be subject to further consultation with the public and busiensses.
Active travel project officer Brendan Dougan said: “An analysis of the vehicular traffic using Academy Street has demonstrated that on average 50 per cent of vehicles are using the street as a through route, increasing to 75 per cent exiting at Chapel Street in the morning peak, and therefore are not providing an economic benefit to the street or wider city centre.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland has regularly highlighted Academy Street as one of the most polluted city centre routes in Scotland.
The organisation’s transport campaigner Gavin Thomson yesterday welcomed the latetst proposals.
“The plans for Academy Street are really promising and show that Highland Council understands we need to think beyond the car if we want a liveable future,” he said.
“In cities like Inverness, we urgently need to make walking and cycling the easy choice for everyone who is able.
“Restricting through-traffic on Academy Street would make the city centre a better, greener, more inviting place to spend time and spend money.”
He added: “The council must choose the more ambitious option and follow it up with bigger plans for the city.”
