Fergus Ewing MSP calls for urgent meeting over village’s ‘hazardous’ road safety measure
Concern over Carrbridge’s pavement ‘build out’ is turning to anger with fears of the ‘safety measure’ becoming a hazard apparently being born out already.
An incident this week trashed the bollard and left a car badly damaged.
A petition is growing and now local MSP Fergus Ewing is calling for a complete rethink at a public meeting.
Mr Ewing told the Strathy: “There is widespread discontent with the traffic measures, which appear to have been installed without proper or even any consultation.
“I support calls from residents for a public meeting to be held locally at a convenient time. At such meeting Highland Council, the national park authority and Transport Scotland should make public how these measures came to be implemented; who funded them; what mandate they had ;why there was not full open consultation; and whether they comply with relevant regulations, as the pavement ‘build out’ appears to many to be a danger in itself, evidenced by incidents which have , I am advised, already occurred.
“Such a meeting will allow the locals who are directly impacted to put their questions express concerns and get a safer better system in place.
“I hope that such a meeting will be held in the coming weeks.”
One resident said that a petition had already been ‘sent off’ to the authorities with 40 villagers determined to stop another such development, this one being designed for Station Road, again ‘with no consultation or thought given to deliveries, oil delivery, septic tank emptying, turning in and out of drives, etc.’
Another resident, Alan Rankin on Main Street which already has such a build-out, protested this week that the ‘consultation’ held by the roads authority was on July 30 ‘despite it already having been actioned: “The consultation meeting at Carrbridge Village Hall by CNPA outlined street scape options 12 weeks after the build out was complete.”
As for Station Road’s plans, no-one had been consulted at all, villagers said, and thought given to the problems such a development would create.
Mr Rankin added: “In light of a further incident regarding the pavement widening in Carrbridge Main St, a petition has been set up calling for the newly constructed footway to be removed and alternative solutions sought to both this and other proposed road changes in Carrbridge in proper consultation with the wider community.”
Asked to comment, a CNPA spokesperson said: “‘A section of pavement in Carrbridge has been widened as part of a condition on a planning permission granted by the park authority for an affordable housing development on the former Struan Hotel site by Highland Council.
“This was because it was a specific request from Highland Council’s Transport Planning Team, and it was also requested by Carrbridge Community Council when they were consulted on the planning application.”
A spokesperson at Transport Scotland pointed out: “I think Mr Ewing is mistaken, this isn’t a trunk road so presumably one for Highland Council?”
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Through consideration of the planning application by the CNPA it became apparent localised widening of the pavement was necessary. This was secured by condition, the details for which were approved by the CNPA following confirmation from the council as roads authority.”
