Sunday 7 April 2013

Exciting New Plans for Inverness


On 05 April 2013, Highland Council unveiled its plans for the West Link.
The announcement can be found here:
http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/newsreleases/2013/April/2013-04-05-03.htm

It starts with a video and 4 maps.
The superfluous 'u' in 'Video Suimulation ...' gives an initial impression of carelessness.

It contains too much unwarranted 'excitement' and vacuous spin.
'Exciting plans', 'huge potential', 'golden opportunity', 'sweeping alignment', 'excited',
'catalyst for a great many exciting opportunities', 'maximise the potential', 'excite',
'recreational hub', 'broadly in line'.

Cycle ways are mentioned but not detailed. The 'transport network' seems to be car-based.
'Over 3 km of formalised cycle ways and foot paths created (this is just on South side of river ...)'
The proposed NCN 78 appears only to account for about 1 km - where's the other 2 km?
Why no formalised cycle way on the North side?
Cycle ways and foot paths seem insufficient and added as an afterthought.
Similarly, road crossings seem to be missing or inconveniently positioned.

There are three references to hub: recreational, natural, sports.
A hub usually means a centre. It seems to be something more vague here.
Even the map of Torvean Sports Hub doesn't help. The Sports Hub is shown near the top edge.
A possible contender may be 'The Torvean Triangle' joining the three roundabouts at Millerton.

'No need to go into Centre only to come back out again.'
This is exactly what you have to do to travel between the Dores Road roundabout and the A82.

Unlike the Highland Council website, you are encouraged to leave a comment here.

2 comments:

Donald MacKenzie said...

The route chosen is clearly ridiculous. It would be laughable if the effect if it were ever built were not so serious.
The route is too long to attract through traffic, from the A82 to the A9/A96,so would not reduce traffic through the city.
The council promise "enhanced facilities" but the truth is that the rugby club would end up with two pitches instead of four and the Harriers athletics stadium would have a road running down the back of the stand

Richard C said...

It is a ludicrous course to take, pandering to developers, destroying precious park / leisure areas and just wait for all the hidden costs to come through - I have heard that it will cost an extra £5m for 'enhancements' to the rugby pitches and golf course (enhancements? please THC, describe it correctly - it is a bribe to these clubs to destroy their facilities). Also, it has been said by those within the THC that developer contributions for the ness-side road cannot be guaranteed and that extra money will have to be fount for that. Somewhere between £5m and £10m...? But that is what we must pay to get something built in Thomas Prags lifetime!!