MSP highlights pothole plight of Lochaber

LOCHABER MSP Kate Forbes was due to highlight the number of dangerous potholes on local roads and call for major improvements in a debate in the Scottish Parliament this week.

In the debate on the conditions of Scotland’s roads scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday), the constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch was expected to urge Highland Council to expedite repairs to the worst affected areas across the region.

Her lobbying on behalf of constituents has already resulted in repairs to parts of trunk roads, such as the A82 and A87, but Ms Forbes is concerned that local roads – the responsibility of local authorities – are not being fixed quickly enough.

‘There are very few roads in the Highlands that can boast no potholes,’ she told us.

‘Additional money has been provided to deal with potholes across the Highlands, but there is still a major problem.

‘Early in the new year, an additional £4 million was freed up to repair trunk roads like the A82 and the A87 on the West Coast.

‘I pressed for repair works to be brought forward as early as possible and thankfully some of the worst stretches were repaired.’

Ms Forbes continued:

‘The Scottish Government announced £10 million specifically for local authority roads and I was delighted that Highland Council secured the biggest share of that additional funding.

‘There are some roads that were awful, long before the winter freeze. Sadly, some areas, particularly in the most rural communities, seem to have been completely forgotten about for years.

‘They resemble farm tracks and yet people need to drive to and from work, school or play.

‘The total compensation that Highland Council has paid out to drivers whose cars have been damaged would probably have helped repair several potholes at the very least.’