Poles apart: Safety fears raised over new grey and black social distancing poles which are being installed across the city to replace the controversial red and white water filled barriers
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Fears have been raised about new-look social distancing barriers being installed across Inverness city centre.
Grey posts are to replace most of the existing red and white barriers that have become a familiar – and controversial – sight across the city in the past year.
The new barriers began to be placed in Academy Street at the end of last week, leading one opposition councillor to speak out on safety grounds, as well as questioning previous promises about consultation.
Councillor Andrew Jarvie criticised the council’s “piecemeal approach” to the Spaces for People project and said: “The money could have been spent making actual useful cycle lanes that people want to use.
“The fact they are the same colour as the road is wrong and they are a trip hazard because it’s a three or four inch tall block on each thing and, for anyone with any kind of visual impairment, it’s a nightmare.”
He also queried when exactly the barriers had been purchased – and what that suggested for promises about consultation – when members of the Inverness city committee voted to allow plans to be drawn up to make city centre Spaces for People measures permanent last month.
“A number of members, even those who voted for the scheme in the end, voiced their concerns about this specific design, but we were told ‘this is not final’,” he said.
“But you don’t buy these things over the weekend so I just worry that this coming to the city committee was a foregone conclusion and they already had them.”
Inverness Business Improvement District manager Mike Smith said the new barriers were an improvement on the “unsightly” red and white ones, but added: “Fundamentally, we still believe that the schemes in Castle Street and in Millburn Road have put off people coming into the city centre and potentially affect access to the city centre when we get back to a normal level of traffic.”
He added: “I was surprised to learn of these changes, particularly in light of the comments made at the city committee.”
In an online poll by the Courier, 84 per cent of respondents were against any form of barriers in the city centre though 14 per cent (36 votes) approved of the new posts, with just six votes for the red and white originals.
A spokesman for the Highland Cycle Campaign said: “The new barriers are mainly an aesthetic change and certainly look better than the red and white ones that they are replacing.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman said the change was in response to negative comments about the original barriers.
“The additional space has been provided for pedestrians and cyclists,” she added. “It is envisaged that disabled and visually impaired users will continue to use the existing footway provisions with the additional space allowing others to access this space, recognising that the additional space comes with compromises.”
She said the latest work, backed by Sustrans, cost around £100,000, using ring-fenced Scottish Government funds.
“These new lane defenders will be replacing the water filled barriers on Bridge Street, Castle Street, Castle Road, Academy Street and Millburn Road and the project will be completed within the next two to three weeks,” she said.
Opinion online was split.
Responding to the Courier’s poll Tracey Hamilton said of the new barriers: “Still awful, might look slightly more aesthetic, as in marginally less of an angle eyesore now, but dangerous. They almost match road colour making the lower part very hard to see if visually impaired.”
However, Daniel Wilson said: “I think they are brilliant. If folk don’t like them and think they cause traffic problems, well that’s one of the points. They want you to drive around the outskirts of town and walk/cycle in the town centre. How is that bad?”
