Forced to endure endless traffic queues

Sir,

Along with all the other residents of Fort William and tens of thousands of visitors, I have endured the endless queues of traffic in town over the past two summers.

The lengthy delays have given ample time to contemplate why the southbound traffic slows to a crawl up to the Nevis bank roundabout and backs up to Torlundy and the Blar. Discussing the matter with others, the general view seems to be to blame the increased volume of traffic going up Glen Nevis.

However, what goes up must come down, and logic says that there must be as many vehicles leaving the glen as entering. With many of these vehicles turning north onto the A82 and impeding traffic arriving from the south, why is it that the northbound traffic flows reasonably freely?

Arriving from the south, drivers have a clear view across the roundabout and can easily judge their entry onto the roundabout, only slowing or stopping if vehicles are approaching from the right. This is how a roundabout should work.

However, those travelling from the north have their view obscured by the vegetation behind the wall on the bridge, forcing them to slow down until they are almost on the roundabout. Could the problem be resolved - in whole or part - by cutting down this vegetation?

Surely the traffic management experts at Transport Scotland will have considered this. Replacing the wall with a barrier fence would further improve visibility on the northern approach.

While I have seen queues out to Torlundy and across the Blar before, I do not recall them being of the duration or frequency that we have seen since August last year. So what has changed at Nevis bank roundabout - other then the vegetation growing a few more inches and further obscuring drivers’ views?

I would be extremely surprised, and disappointed, in those responsible for maintaining our roads, to find that cutting back the vegetation resolved the problem either in whole or part, but sometimes you can’t see the wood (or roundabout) for the trees. It certainly can’t make matters any worse and at very little cost other than perhaps a few red faces at Transport Scotland if it worked.

Ian MacLeod, Mackay Crescent, Caol, Fort William.