There has never been a more important time to provide a safe city for all to get around, including those with disabilities.

The Highland Council has made some great initial suggestions for changes to Inverness roads and pavements to allow for safer walking, wheeling and cycling in the context of the Covid pandemic (click here to see proposals). We encourage the Council to enact these suggestions rapidly.

We believe that there are some additional vital changes to allow everyone to use roads more safely across the city:

- adopt a city-wide approach of "pavements free for pedestrians and wheelchair users, cyclists protected on the road"

- keep all pavements and cycle lanes clear of parked cars

- pedestrianise more central areas of Inverness

- establish a 20mph speed limit across the city

- implement and enforce exclusion zones to reduce cars near schools 

- reset traffic lights to prioritise pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists over cars

- segregate rather than paint cycleways

- allow clearly signed contraflow two-way cycling on one-way streets

- include schools and other key workplaces in the network (eg Royal Mail depot)

- establish continuous flow of safe cycle routes (eg review Raigmore/Culcabock area)

- develop a North - South axis similar to the East West route proposed

- develop safe cycle commuter approaches to the city from neighbouring areas

- introduce lower speeds on local commuter rural roads

- establish a public transport infrastructure that provides increased capacity for cycle carriage

- create Park and Ride/Cycle facilities on major commuter routes.

Making walking, wheeling and cycling a priority would demonstrate Highland Council's commitment to their declaration of the Climate Change Emergency and will have profound positive effects on physical and mental well-being of our Highland Community.