One of our regular readers sends us a copy of a question he has submitted to the Highland Council to be answered at the Ward Forum meeting next week in the Courthouse:
"Highland Council will be well aware of the 4 fatal accidents on the A96 trunk road, over the last 12 years or so, within Nairn settlement and its immediate vicinity and several key studies and publications concerning the A96 trunk road:
the HITRANS A96 Bypass Study (Economic Appraisal Report) that showed some 10,700 vehicles would be diverted to a future Nairn Bypass with £5.2m of related journey time savings and the potential for £13.1m being generated by additional development land;
the Transport Scotland Strategic Transport Projects Review that showed that the accident and accident severity rate on this section of the A96 is double the national average and the proposed dualling of the A96 and Nairn Bypass was identified as Strongly Positive
What efforts are being made by Highland Council, and in particular those Nairn Councillors who deal with Transport Scotland, to ensure the Nairn Bypass is brought forward in the first phase of improvements on the A96 to ensure the accident rate reductions, journey time savings, and environmental improvements for the residents of Nairn?"
Our correspondent tells us: "My big worry is that the focus of Transport Scotland and Highland Council is on the UHI new Campus in Inverness, the Airport, the new village at Tornagrain, etc and Nairn is in danger of being left behind."
2 comments:
I agree with the correspondent that safety was a prime consideration in the STPR decision to support upgrade to the A96 but I do not believe that it will be Nairn that will be 'left behind'.
It is my view that none of the major proposed road infrastructure improvements will take place in the foreseeable future, safety issues or not.
This is because major infrastructure improvements are predicated upon a hope that significant planned development in the A96 Corridor (involving extremely large scale land allocations)would provide coordinated developer contributed financing in tandem with Public monies - all at a time when money was much easier to come by.
Now THC seems to be doing what it can with smaller scale works whilst it waits for the A road upgrade / link road / bypass work.
Of course an integrated transport infrastructure for Nairn has to include Grigor's miniature railway.
Maybe tracks could be laid as the road is laid.
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