Lucky Nairn

Up at the Cawdor and West Nairnshire CC meeting on Monday night residents from the village and beyond were discussing the state of the roads. There are plenty of potholes it seems and even places where it is claimed entire sections of road are disintegrating and if that isn’t enough there is a shortage of white lines on the roads too. Cllr Roddy Balfour explained that there would be work going ahead in the dryer spring weather as a lot of extra cash would be available in the next few weeks he went on to say something quite depressing however: “But I must stress there’s not going to be a lot of money around in the next few years and the roads are going to deteriorate and we just have to accept it.”

Last night (Tuesday) Liz told the River CC meeting that complaints that Andrew Purkis had raised with her over the state of roads in the Fishertown would most likely not be dealt with. She explained how John Fraser of TECS had told her that his department were not even getting high priority works done. Part of the problem seems to be a manpower issue as Liz explained that a number of staff in tech maintenance were being deployed for example to the recycling centre or to the bin lorries.

This evening (Wednesday) at the West Community Council meeting there was discussion once again over the rat-runs and the Sandown Farm Lane, Altonburn Road and Marine Road route was described as an A96 by-pass. At times that would be an accurate description to this observer. How do you solve that problem or that of large numbers of vehicles driving at high speed on the Croy, Geddes, Auldearn alternative route too? The only real 100% effective solution would be a by-pass and it seems we might have to wait until 2020 for that to start. Will we be lucky enough to see that come to pass or will priorities change by 2020?

Could it be that money will have to be diverted just to keep many minor roads in the Highlands passable? And what of the unexpected. Many Gurnites might have seen the situation with the A890 Stromeferry by-pass which has now been closed for three months. Last week the West Highland Free Press had a major gurn and Nairn gets a mention. Here’s part of the editorial talking about a new by-pass as a long term solution to rock fall problems:

“Any such option will cost a lot of money. Amounts between £40 and £70 millions have been mentioned. The sound like formidable sums.

But this week the Scottish Government proudly announced that it is spending £300 million merely on improving another Highland ‘A’ road. The A96 between Inverness and Nairn is to become a dual carriageway, and Nairn itself is to be by-passed.

Lucky Nairn. The A96 is certainly busy. But the last time we looked it was perfectly passable. It has never ben closed for three hours, let alone three months by rock-falls.”

Tonight it was stressed that we should all write to Keith Brown the transport minister to keep putting pressure on to help the case for a by-pass. The sad truth is that communities throughout Scotland are competing with each other for road improvements. If we win somewhere else will lose and vice versa.

Today (Monday): see the by-pass options 2-7p.m. in the Courthouse

Suburban Councillors Dick Youngson, John Mackie and River's Mike Henderson discussing one of the development maps earlier this afternoon.

Tim Stott from Highland Council is there at the moment and you can give him your comments on the Charrette. A large scale drawing of the outcome of the charrette is being displayed in the Courthouse chamber too.

Full screen slideshow here. Individual pictures here.

Danny needs some spin - Now?

"This really isn't a bypass. Why isn't Danny lobbying for Nairn?" Asks Green Dad on twitter. Green Dad has mentioned before his belief that the proposed Inverness by-pass really is a relief road and not the full monty. Danny has waded in however, telling the Scottish Government what they should do. Yeah Danny, how about a big shout for Nairn too then? The West CC wouldn't need to campaign for Access Only signs if we had a by-pass (see post below).

More on the BBC site.

It is now over a year since the LibDems last posted anything on their "Nairn needs a by-pass Now" site. Maybe Danny's hopes of re-election next time round are looking as faded as some of the car-stickers they dished out back in February 2009 when they launched their by-pass campaign. Danny needs some spin - now?

UPDATE: Important material for all serious students of the Inverness "By-pass" issue posted in the comments by APT Sec!

The Scottish Government's infrastructure plan - so when do we see a by-pass?

Click on the above image to enlarge and you get a good idea of when this plan would see the money spent. It's page 107 of the document which can be read in its entirety here. There would have to be continuous SNP governments all the way to 2030 perhaps to implement it but who knows - maybe that is just possible? It is interesting to see the investment also planned for the Inverness-Aberdeen railway. Browsing this document it looks like money for the work on dualling the A96 will be there from 2020 but we could get our by-pass a lot sooner than that under "Targeted by-pass schemes"?

However reading some text from page 44 of the document you could be forgiven for thinking that dualling the A96 will not get under way until the A9 has been sorted:

"In addition to the bypasses identified within STPR to deal with particular congestion or environmental issues, including Nairn and Maybole, a number of smaller schemes will be taken forward. Securing the consents necessary to allow the upgrading of the A9 between Perth and Inverness to dual carriageway standard by 2025 is a major programme in itself. Following this with the upgrading to dual carriageway of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen will provide a long term pipeline for design and construction skills securing many jobs in our vital construction sector"

A word of caution perhaps from the BBC's Brian Taylor from their report on these proposals : "If a week is a long time in politics, then anything beyond the next election is unfeasibly remote - and the sundry dates scattered throughout this document seem temporally intergalactic.”

Worth reading too is the Nairnshire Telegraph this week, if you haven't already, there is a front page article concerning the prospects for the by-pass and also an editorial in the same vein.

Important crossroads on the Nairn by-pass is resurfaced

The Cawdor-Auldearn road is the poor man's Nairn By-pass these days. The crossroads where this road crosses the A939 Grantown road at Foynesfield can be very busy at times. It has recently been resurfaced and widened perhaps when one takes a good look at the picture. A regular gurnite asks why a small pavement area couldn't have been put in for pedestrians. If we are ever to get people out of their cars then cyclepaths/footways will have to be provided on this type of road. Some will say of course there is no money for such at the moment. Well there's no money for a real by-pass as well but it doesn't stop it being officially on the wish list. One wonders if there is a wish list for road-side footpaths/cycleways in the Highlands?

Meanwhile on the Nairn needs a by-pass site things are rather quiet

Remember February 2009?

"The Highland Liberal Democrats will tomorrow (Saturday) launch a campaign to secure a date for the Nairn by-pass to go ahead. Local MP Danny Alexander, Nairn Lib Dem councillor Graham Marsden and a team of volunteers will distribute campaign stickers to every home in Nairn, and launch a new interactive website – www.nairnbypass.co.uk – to develop the case."

You still see the odd fading bypass sticker but there hasn't been any interaction on this site since last December. Not even a mention of all the traffic lights. Haven't the LibDems noticed them yet? Well as they say themselves: "Fingers crossed that progress is being made."

JAMS UPDATE: a regular Gurnite reports:
"Lunchtime traffic news on Radio Scotland advising non HGV drivers to take alternative routes through Nairn due to delays of up to one hour! This will surely upset the WestEnders if they become a prescribed alternative route on national radio (will gps maps add them as well?)

Maybe soon we'll see youths washing the windscreens soon of the crawling traffic. or newspaper vendors wandering through the mayhem offering copies of the Nairnshire of a Tuesday"

Sandy on the By-pass

Sandy gave one of his regular by-pass updates in the Courthouse on Wednesday night:

“The by-pass obviously is of interest to everybody. There was a meeting last week of Tech services and planning with Transport Scotland and that is obviously part of the work that is ongoing, it is progressing very well. There will be a follow-up meeting with Techs on the 24th of February. The findings of the study is still expected in spring 2011. That will define the preferred line for the by-pass and thereafter there will be a full public consultation. I must just say we’ve lost a tremendous supporter with the loss of Stewart Stevenson. Stewart Stevenson was a tremendous supporter for group that has been having regular meetings over the last couple of years. I was very disappointed that he had to go. Sam MacNaughton of Techs is very hopeful that we can keep the pressure up.”

Sandy then indicated that we would have to be ready to keep the pressure up after the election and that things had now progressed further than they ever had before.

'Don't forget the bypass'

A smaller editorial from the Nairnshire in last Tuesday's edition but a very important subject discussed. Iain Bain is agitating for the bypass to be kept on the agenda:

'It may be fashionalbe now to take on the mantle of the candour of reality with which the Prime Minister wishes to characterise the early days of his government and say "well no chance of a bypass now". But we say "rubbish" to that. Don't forget the Nairn bypass. We have the problem now and it is not going to improve on its own. "

Hard to see how the Prime Minister will be moved by the collective voice of Nairn calling for a bypass in his ear. Hard to see how Danny can/will do anything either. Nothing has been posted on the LibDem Nairn bypass site since January, have they given up on the idea?

Nairn by-pass blog back up

Here at Gurn HQ we often wondered what had happened to the LibDem (sorry ConDem now?) by-pass blog. Perhaps it was a browser issue or something but anyway we can see it again now. If anything new happens we'll put it back in the list of Nairn blogs in the side-bar.

The latest entry in this LibDem blog is an article dated 10.01.10 and states: 'We would like to apologies for the site being out of action for the past month due to technical problems which have now been resolved.' The previous entry was posted on Posted on February 27th 2009. There has been a bit more activity on the Facebook group however with a member posting a message in April of this year but nothing official from the Lib Dems there either. Surely Danny and Graham have done something interesting about getting a Nairn by-pass over the last 16 months? We know Graham has been very busy in the lead up to the Lizgate affair and speaking to the press afterwards so perhaps we'd better ask the main man. Any news on the by-pass Danny?

Fochabers waited through the swinging sixties and the cold war but they got a by-pass

A link to a Scotsman page has been sent in by a regular reader of the Gurn. How long will Nairn have to wait? We do get a mention in the article however.

By-pass: jam tomorrow and jams today?

An interesting fact to surface from a presentation at the ward meeting tonight was that 70% of all traffic using the A96 through Nairn is simply passing through. Thus if we had a by-pass the town would theoretically lose a lot of traffic. If it doesn't happen, then how long before total gridlock? That wasn't a question asked tonight however as the Highland Councils' Head of Transport & Infrastructure and the Principal Engineer explained the situation as it is at present with the by-pass. The next important step is to get the by-pass onto the design stage but there are issues with finance for that and even then cash is tied up big-time with the proposed Forth Road crossing. There didn't seem to be too much tonight that was all that new to close observers of by-pass affairs but it was an interesting and informative presentation.

Reading between the lines in seems we really are at the mercy of events outwith our control although the Highland Council are lobbying hard who knows where Nairn's pleas will stack up in the wish list at the end of the day?

The original fantasy by-pass line

If the origanal by-pass line had ever gone past the fantasy stage it would have gouged a path through the middle of this peaceful scene between Whinnieknowe and Firhall. If a by-pass is ever built it won't please everybody, someone's tranquility elsewhere would be destroyed. Plenty of time to think about it though:

'Mr Alan Farningham who has been engaged by Cawdor Maintenance Trust to progress its Delnies Planning application told a meeting in Cawdor last week that nothing would happen until after 2016 and even then would face stiff competition.' Nairshire Telegraph this week.

Mosstodloch and Fochabers to get a by-pass but what about Nairn? Is it even in the HC draft Transport Strategy?

The fifty year wait is over for two communities and the Scotsman has the details. The Government's Stewart Stevenson also commented:

'He said: "We are currently working with Highland Council reviewing proposals for dualling the A96 Inverness to Nairn, a Nairn bypass and a bypass on the east of Inverness linking the A9 to the A96. Work is also progressing well with Moray Council to review ways of addressing congestion in and around Elgin." '

Reviewing proposals fair enough. Back in consultation land, just when you'd thought you'd got to grips with the HwLDP, news brakes about another consultation. As usual the APT Blog is on the case and quotes the Transport Strategy:

"The A96 corridor between Inverness and Nairn is recognised as a growth corridor, with new development established in the last few years, as well as provision for substantial growth over forthcoming years, expecting to increase the population by 30,000 by 2037. Access to Inverness Airport is also along the A96 approximately nine miles east of Inverness."

Just a minute there how do the authors of the Transport Strategy know this, are they using the same figures as the HwDLP? That is an interesting point and worth commenting over at APT if you so wish. The reason we are gurning this Strategy tonight however is that a council insider told the Gurn earlier today that although this was a good report there seems to be no mention of a Nairn by-pass. Now the Gurnmeister has had a quick search of the document and has come up with nothing although Nairn gets mentioned several times. It's getting late and the tins of Pear Cider are kicking in (4.99 for four at Haddows - Kopparberg is the name) and perhaps our informant and ourselves are under a delusion - we may be wrong and we sometimes offer an imperfect service. So please fellow Gurnites, if you have the time go and browse this document and see if the by-pass gets a mention because if it doesn't, then as it is a draft we will all have to make submissions demanding so by Friday the 11th of December.

20-40 years before a bypass?

Iain Bain this week writes an editorial on bypass matters and draws our attention to the efforts of Jimmy Ferguson of the West Community Council with regard to this issue. Further talk about Nairn and a bypass emerged at the Highland Council 'Speakeasy' and here's some of it from notes made about the open mike session:

'Ewen Anderson (7N Architects), retained by Balblair, spoke about his alternative vision for Nairn development. The bypass, envisaged within the 20-40 year timescale of the A96 corridor plan, would take a long time to materialise. It would risk stimulating ‘ring road development’ leaving a void between the existing town and the building along the line of the expected bypass. Nairn should grow organically as a walking town (sic), with development infilling existing wedges of land, and the creation of inner distributor roads to relieve A96 traffic.'

To read more about what people had to say about Nairn at this Highland Council organised event head over to the APT blog and join in the discussion. The APT are working hard on our behalf, they deserve our support in their efforts to empower people with access to good quality information so that we can all become properly involved with the issues that will affect all our lives.

Nairn needs a by-pass most of the time!

Pig Street junction with A96 looking towards the Tradespark wood at around 17.00 today.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wBqcw40WIbAKM_auMq1ImssjzPUmFzLNfTETD9snbdXu0K8Z-JSV9ph8L4E_xE_CiTSwYtXB8uCJng6MAe11DKGamsdcZraGTJPwdjMYG-wFc-HEefBam9aQtFByEh7Sa7xn/s400/bypass1.jpg

Nairn still needs a by-pass!

It's rather quiet on the Nairn needs a bypass site, nothing posted since the ninth of March. That's an eternity in blog terms. Any news Graham? Not quiet on the A96 though, the tail-backs seem to be a permanent feature of town centre life.

Twenty years ago today

AyeRight is busy researching by-pass issues.

As we all know that the Nairn bypass is not a new topic. Twenty years ago the question was asked and recorded in Hansard.
It seems back then Nairn was regarded as the end of the line for road traffic ‘Nairn is predominantly an end destination and the volume of through traffic on the A96 is insufficient to justify provision of a bypass’.
We did however get a new railway bridge to help matters, so maybe this time around the Baily Bridge might enjoy some repair work if the bypass application fails?

By-pass getting itself on the agenda at last?

At last night's joint meeting of the Nairnshire Partnership and Ward Forum the Highland Council Convenor, Nairnshire's Sandy Park, stated that he raised the issue of a Nairn by-pass every time he meets with ministers and was hopeful that the by-pass would soon get into the capital plan. On other traffic matters Cllr Graham Marsden outlined that he had discovered that a fault in an underground cable may be the cause of the problems at the Lochloy/A96 junction traffic lights. The settings on the traffic lights are shouldering the lion's share of the blame for the delays in Nairn at the moment. Councillors showed their approval for a version of the 'Streetscape Project' that will still allow traffic up the Brae but will reduce speed to 20 m.p.h.
There were reports on the Sandown Lands situation and the town centre project - Nothing much to report was the theme there, the council still waiting for a supermarket planning application for the town centre.
The Gurn has not been slow in the past in criticising the Highland Council but credit where credit is due, the Ward Forum is an excellent democratic arena, with local interest groups and the community councils and the police all allowed to contribute to the debate, questions are also invited from the general public. Long may it continue says the Gurn , it is an excellent antidote to the increasing 'Invercentric' feel of many things in this area. The Meeting was capably chaired by Provost Liz MacDonald who demonstrated the wealth of political skills she has learned in her recent years of public service.

By-pass: Fishertown the Taboo route – Why?

Think of the benefits if the A96 were to follow the logical but unspeakable route. I was when I walked up the High Street this morning and saw the tremendous holiday bargains in Macraes Travel’s window. Quick and easy access to Inverness for the Fishertown professionals if the dual carriage way were to run along the beach. If it were made 30 feet high we would also have a sea defense for no extra charge and no worries about replacing the Bailey bridge either. So come on let’s hassle our elected representatives on this one. Government funding would be available for a casino on the links and there would be no need for houses on the Carse if we had a nuclear power station there too.

We will probably get casinos and nukes all over Scotland anyway if Labour get back in so let's be first in the queue and reap the benefits