YOUR VIEWS: Plans to make Inverness Covid-19 routes permanent
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Highland Council is examining ways of making some temporary walking and cycling corridors introduced to help social distancing permanent.
We asked for your views:
Firstly, I find it very hypocritical that the Inverness councillors have brought in free parking at the Rose Street car park to "boost the dying economy of the High Street", when the temporary one way system in the city centre is forcing motorists to avoid the chaotic, traffic jammed, town centre at all costs.
These moronic measures have given residents in Inverness, and the rest of the Highlands even more reason to avoid heading into the capital city.
Since the measures came in, I have experienced first hand, as well as neighbours and long term residents stating that they now only travel to either Inshes, or Eastfield Way retail park for any groceries, as well as increasing their online shopping habits to buy clothes, shoes and other household items, which they may have previously ventured to the Eastgate Centre and High Street for.
Additionally, creating a bottleneck and subsequently constant gridlocked traffic along Castle Road/Bridge Street force an increased level of traffic down residential streets to beat these queues. This is deeply concerning, as these streets do not have the infrastructure for heavy traffic flow, not to mention safety concerns for residents (and their children) living there.
These measures have a knock-on effect which affects the Southern Distributor Road, resulting in an enormous amount of congestion, which in turn again forces traffic down residential streets and roads.
If the Highland Council is serious about trying to "save the High Street" they would remove these measures immediately. There has always been ample space on pavements in Inverness to social distance, and from experience I have very rarely witnessed anyone using the extra space created on the road.
Instead of closing or narrowing roads, the Highland Council must seriously consider a major overhaul of the bypass and roads surrounding Inverness or in years to come an "Aberdeen Bypass" project will be needed to fix the wrongdoings of the present councillors.
Chris Finlay
Inverness
I feel that the one way system around the castle is a disaster designed for the maximum disruption to the motorist who after all pays a heavy price to use the roads.
I have on several occasions gone to the riverside to check on the traffic hold-ups and on every occasion, and I may say at different times, the traffic has been as far back as Ness Bank Church and on one occasion as far as the top of View Place.
The majority of the vehicles sit with the engine running and how that is supposed to help health I have no idea.
If, or hopefully when, we get our tourist trade back it will be utter chaos.
Ian Fraser
Oldmill Lane
Inverness
The space is good for pedestrians, however the scheme resembles a 'Go-kart track' round town.
Millburn Road had its inward pavement massively widened for cycling many years ago. Now it's claimed a complete vehicle lane!
Another vehicle bridge at the Infirmary would help. Ask Rishi to help out.
John Mitchell
Inverness
We need to build on the growth of cycling during and post Covid and make people feel safe cycling and thus encourage more folk to use cycles around Inverness, particularly for short journeys.
Whilst the current measures are generally welcomed they were put in place rather quickly and suffer from poor signage in a number of places. This makes it very difficult for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users to know where they are supposed to go.
I am pleased to note that in the last few days a new green road surface has appeared on part of the Millburn Road cycle lane to make it more obvious to everyone. I hope this is going to be extended to the most useful section of all, that from Farm and Household up to Eastgate 2 junction.
There are also areas like the contraflow for cyclists along Ness Walk where the no entry sign says "except cyclists" but there is no proper marking to alert other road users and pedestrians of the cycle contraflow. On the other side of the river, I think there is meant to be one along Ness Bank from the infirmary bridge to the junction of Castle Road but there is little to indicate it.
There are lots of other areas around Inverness(particularly the east side) where I could suggest great improvements could be made eg at Raigmore Interchange and my personal" pet project", joining up the Old Shore Road with Stadium Road with a new short section of track through the former Longman tip.
It would be useful if practical cyclists and drivers like myself could have input into what the council are proposing to put to committee in February.
Maybe someone could supply the appropriate contact details.
Martin MacLeod
Cherry Park
Balloch
If the council wants more people to cycle, then it has to improve the roads and have continuous cycle lanes. They seem to think that painting white lines here and there makes a difference – it doesn’t, because all of a sudden they stop.
The mess that’s in the centre of town at the moment doesn’t encourage anyone to cycle – well certainly not me, and I’ve cycled in Inverness for more than 40 years. The barriers come to an end too suddenly, and it’s not clear where a cyclist should go. At least before this crazy system I knew where and when to go and stop.
With regards to the “cycle” lanes, they are full of potholes or badly repaired bits of road, which in some cases makes it impossible to cycle in the lane at all.
I’m all for making the roads better for cyclists, but there needs to be some joined up thinking, continuous cycle lanes and a lot of money.
Perhaps there aren’t enough cyclists within the council and they haven’t a clue what they are talking about.
Maggie Roger
Inverness
Related article: Opinion split on Highland Council moves to make Covid-19 routes in Inverness permanent
