New warning about Caithness roads as cyclist sustains potentially life-changing injuries after hitting pothole
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Caithness campaigners issued a fresh warning that a tragedy will occur on the county's crumbling roads as they revealed how a cyclist sustained potentially life-changing injuries after striking a pothole.
The serious consequences of the accident, which happened at the weekend on the back road between Castletown and Thurso, were highlighted by Iain Gregory and Helen Campbell, of Caithness Roads Recovery, at a meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council.
They said it was the second weekend in a row there had been a report of a cyclist ending up in hospital because of damaged road surfaces in the county.
The campaigners have warned before that lives could be lost without major investment in a full programme of road repairs.
Mr Gregory told Wick community councillors on Monday: “I have a lot of experience from my previous career, over 30 years in the police service, in which sadly I dealt with countless tragedies – every single one of which was avoidable.
“And we fear that there is going to be a tragedy in the county sooner rather than later. It will happen.
“An incident occurred over the weekend involving a cyclist who was sufficiently badly injured that they had to be taken to Caithness General Hospital and undergo an operation as a result of a bicycle striking a pothole.”
Mrs Campbell added: “It could be a lifelong injury and this is the second weekend in a row that we have been told that a cyclist has ended up in hospital with injuries [due to potholes]. The first cyclist is recovering okay but this recent one could potentially be life-changing.”
Caithness Roads Recovery recently compiled a detailed dossier on the state of the roads and pointed to the "huge disparity" in spending between the Inverness area and Caithness.
Mr Gregory told the community council meeting – held partly in person at the Assembly Rooms, with some members joining via Zoom – that "community action" was at the heart of the campaign.
He said: “According to the Scottish Government, this is a matter for Highland Council, pure and simple – that's their answer. Highland Council says, 'We haven't got the cash.'
“We're in the middle saying it doesn't actually matter who's got the money and whose responsibility it is. What matters is that somebody is going to get killed."
