The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Crocked cyclist in real spin over potholed roads
Woman claims they are worse than those in Pacific island former home
AN EXPERIENCED cyclist has condemned the state of Caithness roads after suffering serious injury when she crashed thanks a series of potholes.
Lois Gray, 57, had to undergo surgery and has been told she may not regain full movement in her knee following the accident as she cycled towards Thurso from her home village of Castletown.
The engineering lecturer at North Highland College drew comparisons between Highland roads and those of the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea where she lived during her university days.
Lois said: “The roads in Papua New Guinea used to wash away sometimes, but honestly, I’d say theirs are in a better condition than ours.
“There are plenty in Caithness that are way worse than the one I crashed on.”
The Caithness Roads Recovery campaign group has repeatedly highlighted the issue of roads disrepair.
The group’s Helen Campbell said: “We are very saddened by this accident, it should not have happened.
“We had amazing roads 20 years ago. The situation is dire.”
Acyclist needed emergency surgery after crashing into a series of potholes on a crater-filled Caithness road.
Lois Gray, 57, may not regain full movement in her knee after she tumbled over the handlebars.
The experienced cyclist was heading towards Thurso from her home village of Castletown when she crashed on Mount Pleasant Road.
“It’s the most painful experience I’ve ever had,” she said. “The muscle was cut through and you could almost see the bone.”
The engineering lecturer at North Highland College found herself in the middle of the single-track road after the accident on July 31.
Trips to Thurso leave her choosing between potholefilled Mount Pleasant Road, or taking her chances on the A836. That road is part of the North Coast 500 and is busy with campervans and tourist traffic.
Lois suffered deep cuts to her right knee, a sprained ankle and puncture wounds to her left leg.
Two good Samaritans saw her at the side of the road and took her to Dunbar Hospital in Thurso.
A nurse patched her up but told her she needed stitches and further examination.
A trip to Caithness General Hospital in Wick followed, where a surgeon decided he needed to operate immediately.
Lois said: “I can’t stress how kind the people who stopped were. I’d love to thank them because I’m not sure what would have happened without their help.
“The doctor took one look at my knee and just said ‘this is really bad’.”
Lois was later given an additional morphine drip and put on oxygen all night in the ward. Now home with husband Alan, she’s struggling to get around.
Questions have been asked about the state of the roads in Caithness for some time.
The Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) campaign group has highlighted the issue repeatedly.
Every day seems to bring more photos of people angrily glaring at potholes.
Lois lived in Papua New Guinea during her university days and said she believes roads in the far north are now even worse than what she found there.
Around 40% of the population of Papua New Guinea live in poverty. The UK Government’s website refers to the nation’s roads as being “in a poor state of repair”.
Lois said: “The roads in Papua New Guinea used to wash away but honestly, I’d say theirs are in a better condition than ours.
“There are plenty in Caithness that are way worse than the one I crashed on.”
Helen Campbell of CCR said the roads are getting worse. She said: “We are very saddened by this accident, it should not have happened.”
When asked about Lois’s accident and the state of the roads in Caithness, a Highland Council spokesman referred to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
He said: “The act states a local roads authority shall manage and maintain roads that are on its list of public roads. It does not state roads are to be kept entirely free of defects, as it would not be possible.”
“The roads in Papua New Guinea used to wash away