Death risk on Black Isle danger road "has to stop"
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LIVES are being put at risk due to Highland Council “turning a blind eye” to the urgent need to improve an accident-prone Black Isle road, according to a local community council.
Knockbain Community Council issued a no-nonsense statement this week saying one fatal accident and two potentially severe crashes – one very recently - might have been prevented if notice had been taken of the concerns it had raised about the B9161 road over the years.
It believes the local authority is failing in its duty to provide a “safe infrastructure” which is fit for purpose on the busy road between Munlochy and the A9, used by motorists travelling to and from Inverness.
The main cause for concern is surface water at several spots on the road, causing a skidding hazard, particularly in winter months.
The community council says the prevention of water ponding or spreading should be a “top priority” to avoid further serious accidents and save lives. It is calling for action to improve the drainage and surface of the road.
The statement, issued on behalf of the community council and written by member Tony Morey, said: “Our criticism is not levelled at the staff in Dingwall and their men, who deserve our support and gratitude, but at those who have allowed a dangerous situation to develop and worsen for questionable political ends. The council has a statutory duty to provide and maintain a safe infrastructure which is fit for purpose. It is clear it is failing in this duty.”
The community council is now urging locals to report road defects to the council and to their councillors.
“We ought not to tolerate inaction or procrastination any longer. We don’t seek meetings with the executive or departments; the time for talking is past. We seek professionally competent corrective action,” says the statement.
Mr Morey, a Bogallan resident and retired chartered engineer, told the Journal this week that people were frustrated by the state of the road, which he believes requires drainage and resurfacing work rather than patching up.
“The council needs to find the money to deal with it, but that is what it is turning a blind eye to,” he said.
Mr Morey added the road had been “diabolical this winter, desperately bad” due to icy conditions.
“The water runs across the road in a thin film, then it freezes and you get a skating rink at three or four significant places,” he said.Referring to the accidents on that stretch he said:
“We know there has been a fatality, three elderly people went off the road, and a delivery van went off the road. We can’t turn a blind eye to this.”
Fellow community councillor Johnston Bellshaw said Highland Council needed to take the responsibility to challenge landowners about water seepage on the carriageway.
He said the excuse the council gave was that there wasn’t enough money, but he pointed out that a lot of cash was being paid by motorists to the taxman which should be spent on improving roads.
“Enough is enough, the roads are in a terrible state,” he said.
Black Isle councillor Billy Barclay agreed there was a drainage issue but added there had been recent improvements.
“However, there is still too much water on this route, coming off land over which the council doesn’t have control, which the Forestry Commission owns. I would like the commission to get involved in the issue. Trees are going to be cut in the future, which will make the situation worse.
“There is a drainage issue that needs to be resolved. There are lots of minor roads with surface water but this is a main road which was the scene of a fatality.”
