Residents unite in pothole campaign as Easter Ross councillor declares 'crisis' on the roads
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A POTHOLE plea from a woman fed up with the "horrendous" daily experience of dodging craters in Ross-shire's rutted roads has struck a chord across the county.
After sustaining wheel and tyre damage on an unavoidable pothole on the B9166 near Fearn en route to Tain on Sunday, Jodie Mackay went through the Highland Council process of reporting it online.
Later attempts to call about the issue saw her give up after holding for half an hour and after canvassing feedback on social media, she also contacted the Ross-shire Journal, currently running a campaign on this issue.
Ms Mackay, who wants Highland Council and the Scottish Government to act meaningfully to fix the issue, was stunned by the sheer volume of feedback from like-minded folk from the Seaboard villages, Portmahomack, Nigg and the Black Isle.
With Highland Council set to commit extra into what Easter Ross councillor Fiona Robertson yesterday called a "crisis", residents – some hundreds of pounds out of pocket – have come forward to share their experiences, many shared in the current print edition of this paper.
Ms Mackay said: "Obviously this is insignificant to what is going on in Ukraine just now. However it is an ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to be getting fixed.
"The potholes are ridiculously large on both sides of the roads making it dangerous to drive.My tyre burst after I hit a pothole – unavoidable because of oncoming cars. The local community of the Seaboard villages are becoming increasingly frustrated with more cars being damaged."
She said: "The B9166, from my house to Fearn and then from leaving Fearn village to the A9, is horrendous with potholes and I am very conscious of them."
She said of her experience reporting the damage: "I couldn’t find an email address and I waited on the phone for over 30 minutes but could not wait any longer as I had to collect my daughters. We had our tyre fixed but expect to be reimbursed, as I feel everyone should be who has experienced damage from the poorly maintained roads. Time will tell if we are."
She added: "I decided to get in touch with you, the local paper, in hope it may support our plea to Scottish Government."
Of the heartfelt response from others, she said: "This is clearly an issue throughout Highland, particularly on the smaller roads. With increasing traffic due on our own local roads with local business developments, the situation is only going to get worse. If the council have not got the money to repair roads, the Scottish Government need to look at the funds being made available to Highland Council to maintain them."
She said three potholes she was aware off were filled in the following day but others – including the one that burst her tyre – were left.
She said: "It is only a matter of time before a serious accident happens in one of our Highland communities, all because of potholes!"
Councillor Fiona Robertson, who has pressed for more funding, said: "This situation can’t continue. We need an immediate, emergency response with Tain and Easter Ross as, I believe, we are now in a crisis situation with our roads."
A Highland Council spokeswoman confirmed the B9166 was not listed in the latest area roads capital programme 2022/23 report to committee approved by local members.
She said people can report potholes using the online forms on the council’s website at www.highland.gov.uk/report or call 01349 886601.
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