YOUR VIEWS: We must learn to share the limited space we have on Inverness roads

Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

We must learn to share the limited road space we have

I am a cyclist, as well as a driver, but do not accept the cycle lobby assumption that everyone can ditch the car.

• Leaving the car at home should become the new norm in the Highlands

It is that sort of thinking that encourages planners to push daft schemes like banning cars from Academy Street when that is an important route into and through the city centre.

I live in the Crown so usually cycle if I need to stop in the centre, but I travel up or down Academy Street regularly when going to the recycling centre and other things in the Longman or the Carse.

I use the car, and sometimes a trailer, because it is not possible to carry bags of cement or timber in other ways. If you look at older people or those who live further out of town, a bike is not a practical option.

We must learn to share the limited road space we have. I prefer to cycle on a normal road, with full lane space, than use a narrow cycle lane and certainly prefer a full width road than one shrunk to create such a bicycle lane.

Cars just need to conform to the speed of bicycles, when there are bikes on the road.

Donald MacKenzie, Inverness

Problems still exist, but bus service is not shambles it was

Bus services in Inverness are patchy for regular commuters, but less patchy than they were – and in that respect Colin Campbell is right in one of his columns last month [Courier, June 30].

• COLIN CAMPBELL: Problems still exist, but bus service is no longer the shambles it was

However, the key for Stagecoach over these coming months will be to retain the new drivers they have employed.

For if the previous trend of large numbers of drivers leaving the company continues, we will be back where we started with a hugely unsatisfactory service.

James Rorison, Inverness

Fears for Elgin City after pre-season loss to Caley Thistle

My view is that this time next year Elgin City will be commencing their first season in a return to the Highland League.

• Inverness Caledonian Thistle start pre-season with victory over Elgin City

Elgin very narrowly missed out on finishing bottom of League Two last season and they’ve now lost two critical players in [Kane] Hester and [Darryl] McHardy with no replacements other than a 17-year-old loanee from Aberdeen.

Furthermore, assessing Elgin’s performances in all recent pre-season friendlies, my bet is that Elgin will finish bottom of SPL2 next season.

Lionel J Campuzano, Crewe

---

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

---