Traffic at Inshes roundabout in Inverness could reach 'unacceptable levels' by 2026
Highland Council has published a response to queries about its proposed changes to Inshes roundabout in Inverness.
The local authority plans to reduce the number of exits from the roundabout from six to four, controlled by traffic lights.
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Its plans also impact other roads nearby and have attracted dozens of comments from the public – including some objections.
The council has now released a document which it says "aims to address all of the pertinent comments received during the planning period".
Top of the list of topics is consultation, stating there has been substantial consultation on proposals dating back to 2014, adding: "There are currently no plans for further consultation at this stage of the project."
Inshes roundabout has a long-standing reputation for its lengthy tailbacks, particularly for city workers during the morning and afternoon commute.
This is reiterated by the council as it outlines the requirement for change, stating: "With a forecast of increased traffic demands linked to the opening up of further development in the east of the city, the main issue will be the management of a heavy flow of traffic in an eastbound and westbound direction along the Culloden Road corridor. This traffic stream is largely unopposed and therefore causes significant queues at several junctions along the corridor.
"From 2026 onwards, the increase in demand exacerbates these issues to the point where the assessed journey times become noticeably slower whereby significant delay and queuing are at unacceptable levels. The new road layout is designed to provide a more reliable journey time through the Inshes road corridor by optimising traffic flow through the phasing of the linked signalised junctions.
"Removing legs from the roundabout, providing new access to Inshes Retail Park and stopping up some accesses will promote a more manageable flow."
The 1100-word document also addresses active travel, land near Police Scotland's north divisional headquarters, Inshes Retail Park, Drakies, flood impact, traffic modelling and the roundabout itself.
It comes as consultants at Jacobs have produced a 44-page 'summary report' of modelling of the preferred option, setting it against five other scenarios and assessing the impact on traffic and active travel in the area for each one for 2024 to 2037.
Results for the 'do minimum' approach – understood to mean little to no changes – show that from 2026 onwards the increase in demand exacerbates heavy traffic flow issues "to the point where the assessed journey times become noticeably slower", adding "journey times from Dell of Inshes and the Southern Distributor Road show significant delay and queuing at unacceptable levels".
The report states: "The results show that the signalised four-arm roundabout and signalised four-arm junction are the best in the long term, each still operating to a reasonable level in 2037. There are, however, pros and cons for each with the signalised junction performing better operationally during the [morning] peak while the signalised roundabout performs better during the evening peak. The results do show that the signalised roundabout has a greater level of consistency between [morning] and [afternoon] journey times with the signalised junction having a greater disparity between the two peaks."
It adds: "The signalised roundabout also provides better active travel provision."