Police step in and demand immediate pothole repairs

POTHOLES on the A85 through Connel became so dangerous last week police officers contacted BEAR Scotland to carry out emergency repairs, a fortnight before scheduled works.

Sandy Dunlop, chairman of Connel Community Council, told The Oban Times last Thursday the trunk road was becoming a ‘nightmare’ for drivers and a ‘no-go area’ for pedestrians.

‘There have been windscreens broken and they are worried about stones being fired,’ he said. ‘You are taking your life into your hands walking along there.

‘There are two bus stops. People are sheltering behind them – they have to while they are waiting for the bus. You could not walk along there with a pram. You see lorries driving on the pavement. It is deadly walking along there. This is the main artery into Oban. It is probably the worst road in Scotland.’

That day, Police Scotland confirmed: ‘Officers on patrol came across potholes which were potentially dangerous to road users and stopped to put out slow signs and contacted BEAR Scotland who came and carried out repairs.’

BEAR Scotland, which maintains north west trunk roads, told The Oban Times: ‘We attended the scene with a road sweeper and undertook emergency patch repairs. We followed that up overnight with further repairs to the road surface. This particular area has suffered from sudden deterioration following adverse winter weather conditions over the last few months. We’ll continue to monitor this closely until the scheduled repairs start on Sunday February 11 to Thursday February 15.’

Last week a campaigner on change.org also started a petition asking the Minister for Transport and the Islands Humza Yousaf to repair potholes along the A82 and A85 between Oban and Glasgow, which ‘are in the most appalling state’.

‘Cycling and driving are becoming increasingly hazardous. Swerving to avoid the potholes increases the risks of hitting cyclists and other cars while driving through them causes damage to the car. The quality of our road surfaces is at an all time low and requires urgent action.’ By Tuesday the appeal had attracted 800 signatures.

Islanders on Jura also complained to Argyll and Bute’s MP and MSP about ‘monstrous potholes’ along the island’s only road, the A846. One, Gemma MacLean, told them: ‘The state of the only road on Jura is a joke. The game of ‘Pothole or Puddle’ is not a fun one and becoming very costly in vehicle repairs. How much longer before the council makes temporary repairs is anyone’s guess.’

Another resident, Kenneth Cameron, said: ‘The road on Jura is more or less a track with potholes the size of craters. Residents and tourists are getting fed up with the lack of maintenance and total disregard to safety on Argyll and Bute’s part.

‘The situation is terrible for motorists but you are actually running a gauntlet if you are a cyclist or motorcyclist as some of these potholes are hard to spot in wet weather.

‘There seems to be no end in sight for Jura residents. The community council has been working hard on our behalf but their efforts seem to be falling on deaf ears. The knock-on effect of this situation will also be detrimental to tourism on Jura which is a huge part of our economy. This is our only road and at the moment even an emergency vehicle responding to an incident would be severely delayed, which could have disastrous consequences.’

Argyll and Bute Council responded: ‘Road repairs are scheduled to be carried out on Jura this week, weather permitting. Potholes are a national problem. The roads revenue budget for Argyll and Bute is just under £4 million and is split into areas based on network length. The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Isles area is allocated 30 per cent of the annual budget with individual districts, such as Islay, Jura and Colonsay, allocated an equal third.

‘The area’s roads network, excluding trunk routes, runs to more than 1,400 miles.’

Michael Russell MSP said: ‘Jura already had some of the worst roads in the area and the present state of the main and only road from the ferry is causing difficulty, damage to vehicles and danger to road users.

‘This road is the council’s responsibility and while, of course, money is tight, I have asked them for urgent action based on the evidence that is there for all to see.’