Caithness roads could be fixed with 'a comparatively small sum', campaigners insist
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Campaigners calling for investment in Caithness roads insist that "a comparatively small sum" would fix the ongoing problems with potholes and other serious damage.
Approximately £20 million would be enough, Iain Gregory of Caithness Roads Recovery told members of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council this week. And he said: “Our question is – is this county getting a fair deal?"
Mr Gregory and fellow campaigner Helen Campbell gave a presentation at the August meeting of the community council on Monday night.
“To put the roads in Highland region right, according to their own figures, I think two to three years ago the estimate was £194 million. Today, I'm given to understand it's about £200 million," Mr Gregory said.
“This county is entitled to approximately 10 per cent, because we've got roughly 10 per cent of the roads network – therefore you're looking at £20 million.
“We understand that to put it roughly right, it would be about £5 million. To put it completely right, about £20 million.
“That is not actually as big a sum of money as it sounds – not when you look at the population of the county, and the fact this is a major centre for industry. It's not actually a mega sum.”
He highlighted the £315 million Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and a £115 million Scottish Government project to dual a six-mile stretch of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy.
Highland Council announced last month that work costing almost £260,000 had resulted in nearly 12 miles of local authority roads in Caithness being repaired. Mr Gregory made reference to a riverside viewing platform project in Inverness which, according to press reports, would cost £340,000.
“The reason we are mentioning these figures is that we keep being told there's no money. There is money – there is plenty of money,” he said. “What we need in this county is a comparatively small sum.”
Mr Gregory added: “Twenty years ago this county had probably the best roads in the country, certainly the trunk roads, and that's no exaggeration.”
Now, he said, the roads were “falling to pieces” and he stressed: “It has got to be resolved. We are continuing to fight this battle, and the people of Caithness very largely seem to agree with us that something needs to be done.
“Our view is that if Highland Council can't sort it then the Scottish Government needs to intervene.”
Mr Gregory, who served for more than 30 years as a police officer, retiring as an area commander, told community councillors: “This is the Royal Burgh of Wick, it's the county town. Have a walk around it – look at the state it's in.”
He pointed to a recent report in the John O'Groat Journal which was accompanied by a photo of Helen Budge, chairperson of Caithness Disabled Access Panel, and her friend Jan McEwan standing in a badly potholed street in Wick. Mrs Budge had warned that hitting a pothole can be a painful experience for people living with mobility issues.
Mr Gregory told the community council: “Is that acceptable? No, it's not. It is completely unacceptable."
Community councillors were assured that Caithness Roads Recovery is "totally apolitical".
Mr Gregory told them: “We don't have a formal structure. We are simply two people working together and our attitude is that this campaign is us plus anybody else in the county who wants to back us."
Community council chairperson Joanna Coghill said heavy vehicle movements associated with the timber industry, renewable energy and supermarket deliveries had put extra pressure on Caithness roads, while there had been an increase in tourist traffic at the same time.
“It's frustrating from all angles because we are on the North Coast 500 route and we are seeing hundreds of vehicles of all shapes and sizes trundling through our area but we've also seen an increase in big lorries," Mrs Coghill said.
“The amount of traffic that's going through our town and your town [Thurso] has increased dramatically in the last few years.
“Highland Council couldn't foresee how busy we were going to get – which is fair enough, none of us could. But they've had time to get this sorted.
“I know there are plans in place but we as townspeople feel we are being ignored and have been forgotten about by Highland Council.”
Mrs Coghill told Mrs Gregory and Mrs Campbell: “Power to the people. Keep pushing.
“We've got some proactive Highland councillors, and I think a combination of working together will get some of our roads sorted sooner rather than later before there will be a fatality.”
Mr Gregory replied: “This is a local issue and it needs to be dealt with locally, with local people and local press working together. And we will fix this. It's going to take time, but fixed it will be.”
Caithness Roads Recovery recently compiled a detailed dossier on the extent of crumbling roads in the area and spoke of the "huge disparity" in spending between the Inverness area and Caithness. The document was sent to senior political figures and officials including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Chancellor Rishi Sunak as well as Highland Council's chief executive, Donna Manson.
Related stories:
- New warning about Caithness roads as cyclist sustains potentially life-changing injuries after hitting pothole
- Caithness Disabled Access Panel joins call from Caithness Roads Recovery to fix 'horrendous' pothole problem on far north roads
- Road campaigners say there is support for breakaway county council as Caithness has been 'abandoned'
