Should it stay? On Thursday councillors from Highland Council will decide the future of the Spaces for People social-distancing measures in Inverness city centre at a crunch meeting
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Thousands of people have been trying to convince Highland councillors to back their point of view on the future of the Spaces for People social-distancing measures in Inverness city centre ahead of a crunch meeting this week.
On Thursday, Inverness councillors will be asked to:
• Agree to retain measures in Academy Street
• Agree to retain measures for the Riverside Way – and make them permanent
• Agree to retain measures for the castle one-way system – and make them permanent
• Agree to alter measures in Millburn Road
Our coverage ahead of the meeting has prompted hundreds of people to send us emails and interact on our social media channels.
Rival petitions have also been set up with more than 2600 supporting calls for bollards and barriers in Academy Street and the castle one-way system to be scrapped, while more than 300 people have backed a version in favour of the interventions.
Highland Council’s Inverness city committee will consider a report – written by Craig Baxter (planner), Neil Young (senior engineer), Colin Howell (head of roads and infrastructure) and Garry Smith (PDU manager) – on the future of the Scottish Government-funded project.
They stated: “Inverness finds itself at a pivotal moment where significant efforts are under way to transform the city centre into a vibrant, successful place where people and business can enjoy a revival, following the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and shifts in retail behaviours. Crucial to this change is how transport affects, positively or negatively, on the quality, safety and enjoyment of our streets.”
When analysing the possible implications of decisions, they warn: “There is a reputational risk to the council of not retaining measures.”
The scheme’s active travel and environmental benefits are highlighted – as they were when it was last discussed by councillors in February.
Underspend from the project and other sources of funding has been established to make the temporary measures more long-term. There is also cash available for their removal.
The scheme has not found favour with some traders and motorists, and Inverness BID has spoken out strongly against some aspects and urged social media followers to sign the petition calling for removal.
BID manager Mike Smith said measures in Bridge Street and Castle Street were putting people off visiting the area.
He added: “We hope the councillors will reflect the views of the businesses and not just continue as is being proposed.”
Inverness councillor Andrew Jarvie was one of just three members who voted against the scheme and on Sunday he went around the routes in his wheelchair to experience it for himself.
“I genuinely, now having done it, cannot understand why it exists,” he said.
“The pavement, I had not appreciated, is really quite wide and it is actually quite smooth. At no point did anybody have to jump out of my way or did I have to stop to let anyone pass. It was plenty wide enough to accommodate it.”
He said the only areas where it did need widening was near the Chieftain Hotel and Eastgate underpass.
Cllr Jarvie said the money would be better spent dropping kerbs and and fixing potholes and uneven surfaces on pavements.
Former teacher Charles Bannerman has written to all Inverness councillors calling on them to vote against the scheme.
He said: “When you vote on this issue of major public interest, I would urge you to act in the interests of your primary responsibility – the people who elected you – and also not to allow party rivalries to influence you to vote in favour of this misguided scheme simply because your political rivals may be against it.”
Supporters of the scheme are calling on the council to make it easier to walk, wheel, cycle and to take public transport in their online petition.
It stated: “This will lead to some difficult and unpopular decisions, and some bumpy transitions. But we cannot afford to waste time in going backwards.
“As an example, in Inverness, the Spaces for People measures fall far short of allowing for safe and effective journeys across the city and into town from surrounding communities, particularly for those with trailers, children or adapted bikes.
“They have been in places, unpopular. However the solution is not to remove – but to improve; and we’ve actually got a long way to go before people can make an effective transition from cars to public transport or walking, wheeling and cycling safely. There is no place for short-term decision making here.”
