Council moves to alleviate traffic pressure

Highland Council has moved to alleviate some of the traffic pressure in Inverness following the installation of temporary “active travel” measures in the city centre.

Bike lanes over Ness Bridge are being modified to ease the blocking of the main road junction at Kenneth Street.

The council has this week been monitoring the effectiveness of the interventions, including the one-way system around Inverness Castle.

A spokeswoman said: “This monitoring shows the measures are effective in ensuring we have sufficient space to prioritise people in the city centre and that the one-way system is functioning as intended.

“However, it has also shown that traffic crossing the Ness Bridge has led to some exit blocking of the junction at Kenneth Street.

“Yesterday the council removed the temporary inbound cycle lane over the Ness Bridge to alleviate this issue.

“The opposite bike lane will be modified to enable two-way cycling as soon as contractors are able to undertake necessary civil engineering works.”

The council wants people to choose active travel and public transport wherever possible instead of driving, to ensure that there is enough space for people physically distancing.

Head of infrastructure Colin Howell said constant monitoring and quick responses to issues would continue.

“It is common for changes in road layouts and traffic management to cause issues in the initial days and weeks of implementation as people get used to the changes and adapt their travel behaviour.”