Regular readers will recall that we recently published links to material submitted by residents and Nairn River Community Council that was highly critical of traffic assessment data submitted by the developer's consultants for the proposed development of 115 houses just beyond the present housing estates on Lochloy Road. Two Gurn articles here and here will get you up to speed on the previous criticisms.
The developer's consultants came back with a detailed rebuttal of the criticisms. The document from the consultants contained important specified TRICS data. The Gurn understands that the Kingsteps residents feel that this detail is an essential requirement of any such transport submission and had been asking to see it before the new year, it appeared nearly a month late according to one of the objectors who spoke to the Gurn.
Now the residents have responded to the latest document from the traffic consultants. The Gurn has seen a copy of this response which should soon appear on the Council's website. In their latest response they say:
"Firstly before starting on any technical issues we have to state that all local people and travellers on the A96 through Nairn know that the Lochloy junction is hopelessly overloaded. No amount of transport consultant time playing with computers can alter the fact that the junction does not function at busy times and this has been confirmed by the huge queues observed by the cameras counting the traffic on 4th April, which is quite a low time of year for traffic."
The residents' document goes on to again make many point by point criticisms of the data presented in support of the application. One that this observer found interesting was:
"Capacity of the Lochloy junction is hopelessly overestimated in analyses because the exit blocking of stacked traffic queues and the 3 right turns immediately west of the junction have not been factored in. There is constant queuing as people wait a gap to turn R into the shops and down to the very large holiday park, 80 flats and the beach. Standard saturations cannot be used in calculations for poor road conditions such as these."
"Capacity of the Lochloy junction is hopelessly overestimated in analyses because the exit blocking of stacked traffic queues and the 3 right turns immediately west of the junction have not been factored in. There is constant queuing as people wait a gap to turn R into the shops and down to the very large holiday park, 80 flats and the beach. Standard saturations cannot be used in calculations for poor road conditions such as these."
Obviously quite a lot of material for our councillors (that can vote on this application) to consider. The many serious students of planning matters in Nairn may wish to read this document when it appears and also the previous documents of both the consultants and the objectors. You can read all the information here on the Highland Council e-planning file for the application here (most of the material will be under the documents tab on that page but some submissions appear under the comments tab as well.
You don't have to be a traffic expert to notice the current problems at the Lochloy/A96 junction, namely cars leaving Lochloy Road turning right onto the A96. Each and every time I've been sat in traffic on the A96 I've witnessed cars jumping the red lights at this junction. I can understand their frustration but if this is the state of traffic now what would it be like with an extra 115 houses and possibly double the amount of cars?
ReplyDeleteThe Nairn bypass is a long time in the future if ever and whilst that may reduce the number of vehicles travelling through Nairn it's not going to impact on the number of cars leaving Lochloy Road at this junction.
Planning at Nairn South was rejected, I don't understand as to why anyone would support further planning applications along Lochloy that will only exacerbate what is already a serious traffic issue. Don't forget that there are still more new homes to be built at Lochloy that do have planning permission.
I sincerely hope that Highland Council don't grant planning permission for this site.
The problem is our Planning officials will blindly accept the findings of the Traffic Report produced by highly paid experts sitting in their office in the central belt playing with their computers which tell them that there is no problem with Nairn’s traffic and building another 115 houses will “have negligible impact on the operation of Nairn’s Roads.
ReplyDeleteThe people of nairn know different and regularly suffer from congested roads and indeed overflowing sewage on our streets - wouldn’t it be great if Planners and our elected representatives paid attention.