Children and parents 'deserve better' than potholed roads near Caithness primary schools
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A campaign group has highlighted the badly potholed state of streets close to two Caithness primary schools and told MSPs that children, parents and the wider community "deserve better".
Caithness Roads Recovery believes the crumbling road surfaces at Braal Terrace in Halkirk and Glamis Road in Wick are at odds with Highland Council's Safer Routes to School strategy which encourages pupils to cycle.
Braal Terrace provides access to the village school in Halkirk as well as to the local GP surgery, while Glamis Road is one of the main residential streets in the immediate vicinity of Noss primary.
Within the past week, Caithness Roads Recovery co-founder Iain Gregory has sent a number of photos from both locations to all Highlands and Islands regional MSPs as well as to Maree Todd (MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) and Donna Manson, chief executive of Highland Council. In each communication he called for repairs to be carried out urgently.
Mr Gregory said he understood the condition of Braal Terrace had been reported numerous times. Visiting the area on Wednesday of last week, he was "repeatedly approached by outraged residents".
He wrote: "The junction is now completely unmarked. Most of the village is in a parlous condition. This is not a 'safe route to school'.
"This is just one example of the situation throughout Caithness. The county's roads infrastructure is rapidly collapsing.
"Attention is needed not only at this location, but over wide expanses of Caithness."
Mr Gregory followed up that message by passing on photos taken at the weekend in Glamis Road, Wick. There had been an "overwhelming" response to these on social media from parents, families and other residents, he said.
He went on: "We are aware of all the issues surrounding funding, responsibility, budgets, etc., but the road and pavement infrastructure in Caithness is rapidly collapsing, and the only solution is a very substantial injection of capital – about £20 million seems to be the likely figure required, which in national terms is very little indeed.
"We are equally aware of the additional funds allocated over the past year, and the works which have been carried out, but I am afraid these amount to no more than a sticking plaster in terms of the county as a whole.
"What people simply cannot understand is why this situation has been allowed to develop. A mere decade or so ago, there were very few issues – but the fact remains that this must be dealt with and dealt with quickly.
"We say again that Highland Council and the Scottish Government should sit down together and action must be taken. Our children deserve better, and the people of Caithness deserve better."
The Safer Routes to School section of the Highland Council website says: "There is increasing concern about pupils’ declining health and lack of exercise because they are being driven to school. This is having an impact on schools by increasing traffic congestion. It also reduces opportunities for pupils to develop and practise important road awareness skills.
"Safer Routes to School is helping to tackle this by improving safety and removing barriers to walking and cycling to school. Funding is available on application to schools for cycle storage, improving routes to school and addressing road safety issues to encourage active travel."
