YOUR VIEWS: Academy Street revamp plan must be tested first
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
More reaction to proposed road changes in Inverness city centre – and a shortage of stamps in city post office.
I am astonished that Councillor Alasdair Christie’s sensible suggestion to trial the proposed Academy Street changes was rejected on the spurious grounds of ‘not being budgeted for’.
The cost of a few signs barring traffic from the area must be tiny and would be needed later in any case.
If, as we all hope, the reduction in town traffic is a success, the benefits will be realised immediately but if the displacement of traffic into Crown, Inshes, Longman makes congestion and active travel worse and life miserable in these areas, no-one will be thankful for the changes.
And why trial for just a month? The trial could continue to start of construction, if it is to happen. Most of the improvement will come about by reduction of traffic.
Tarting up Academy Street is almost inconsequential and can be done at any time.
The disastrous one-way system around the castle that succeeded to antagonise everyone, including active travellers, could fortuitously be reversed. It is essential that Academy Steet changes be trialed too, before permanent changes are made
Richard Newmark
Inverness
I am all in favour of improving routes for cycling around town, however what the campaigners have not recognised is the potential impact of relocating traffic from Academy Street to residential areas such as Crown.
If Academy Street is closed to traffic there is no way to travel from one side of the river to the other except through Crown, or along Harbour Road with its dangerous railway bridge.
Promoting active travel should not result in residential areas becoming busier with traffic and consequently more dangerous.
A full traffic survey of the town is required before any decision is made.
Ultimately the solution to this problem is a bridge over the railway between Millburn Road and Harbour Road.
Alastair Campbell
Inverness
Hopefully stamp shortage was anomaly
I recently visited the main post office in Inverness to buy a stamp to send a postcard overseas only to be told that they had none.
The postal service has been, and remains, critical to the smooth running of the country.
Hopefully my experience of the post office in Inverness was an anomaly not reflective of its usual standards.
Christopher Ruane
Lanark
Letters should be emailed to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime contact number. You can also tweet us @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier
