Road engineer’s 5 key things that could be done NOW to solve Nairnshire A96 traffic nightmare

He told the Press and Journal locals now feel intimidated by previously quiet rural roads now being used as an unofficial Nairn bypass. But for residents in Cawdor and many of the villages surrounding Nairn, it’s the consistent noise of HGVs passing through that’s causing them bother.

The route through their village is used as the unofficial Nairn bypass, with traffic there regularly snarling up drivers on the A96 for longer than they’d like.

Experiencing this daily is former roads manager Robin Pope, who told the P&J it has been getting busier recently due to increasing amounts of roadworks on the Inverness to Aberdeen trunk road.

Living locally, and giving up his time as chairman of Cawdor and West Nairnshire community council, he has an acute awareness of what the stretch needs to make the road more pleasant for locals.

Tackling key infrastructure issues is one of the key issues Press and Journal readers want addressed following next month’s election.

The Press and Journal spoke to Robin about why the road feels “intimidating” for locals and why improvements should not be entirely Highland Council’s burden to bear.

What has led to A96 traffic nightmare in Nairn?

For Robin, traffic levels through Cawdor ebb and flow, but the past year he has seen it get busier and busier.

This is partly due to the number of roadworks along the A96 route, starting with the Raigmore Interchange.

As you leave Inverness, two-way traffic on the trunk road has been stopped on several occasions along the route in the last 12 months, with some taking place at the same time leading to repeated queues.

Other, longer-term works such as new roundabouts at both the Ardersier port and for the Delnies housing development have been a persistent bottleneck for regular travellers of the route.

The roundabout at the Delnies housing development on the outskirts of Nairn under construction last year. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

The result of all these works is road users have come off the A96 and onto rural roads, which Robin and his community feel the impact of intimately.

He said: “When it was Bear Scotland, which was the previous contractor maintaining the A96, Transport Scotland was looking to still build the Nairn bypass.

“So a lot of the road maintenance works have been held off, and they’re just doing sticking plaster. You just keep it going.

“Now they know it’s at least five years away, they’ve had Amey come in as a new contractor, and they’ve had to do a lot.

“All these schemes that have been held back for years, they’re picking them up.

“Which is why we’re going to have years of traffic lights.”

How has A96 traffic impacted rural Nairn roads?

With more vehicles avoiding the Nairn-Inverness section of the A96, it has increased the strain on the Culloden-Croy-Clephanton-Cawdor-Auldearn collection of B roads.

The stretch can be narrow in places and with the number of HGVs and delivery vehicles using it Robin believes key sections are facing increased wear and tear.

One of these is a key junction at the end of the B9101 towards Auldearn, where the chicane-style quick left-right turn has turned the junction into something more resembling a racetrack.

It’s a cumulative effect as HGVs that would already be using the area now join many others, creating noise, dust and safety concerns.

Robin said: “We’ve also got a lot of the traffic running to the West Fraser railway sidings construction.

Mapping software like Google Maps shows the time between travelling through Nairn or on adjacent roads can be identical or quicker depending on the time of day. Image: Will Angus/DC Thomson.

“A lot of that stone is coming from the Tarmac Park Quarry nearby.

“Because they want uniformity of journey time, those lorries come up and they go through the village.

“Going through Nairn, it’s pot-luck.”

He also told the P&J there appears to be little concern for speed limits through the residential areas for vehicles already in a rush.

Visiting Cawdor to speak to Robin, the P&J also experienced first-hand several vehicles travelling well above the speed limit through the village.

How has extra traffic made people feel?

It has led to residents in Cawdor feeling “intimidated” by a local road which should be quiet and peaceful.

Robin also believes Cawdor and the wider Nairnshire region is a “forgotten area” with issues like A96 maintenance being left to fester for years.

He said: “I’m sure Transport Scotland could do something to improve Nairn if they worked on it. But there just doesn’t seem to be any interest.

“After the election, there might be more chance of getting some funding from the Scottish Government.

“They’ll try and palm it off and say ‘It’s Highland Council’s problem, or Moray Council’s problem.’ But it isn’t.

The A96 travels through Nairn and regularly has snaking queues of vehicles passing through the town even without roadworks. Image: Sandy McCook/ Dc Thomson.

“It’s trunk road traffic that’s diverted. There needs to be an acceptance of that.

“Spending £250k-£500k, that’s a lot of money to a local authority. But to Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government, it’s peanuts.

“If, as a result of that, it keeps residents happy for another six or seven years it’s probably money well spent.

“It’s almost as though there’s a deliberate ploy to keep the north of Scotland isolated.”

Nairn A96 traffic worries: 5 solutions to ease concerns

The community council chairman used to be a roads manager for Highland Council after a busy career as a civil engineer that specialised in highways across the country.

“I moved here because there was a job advertised,” he said.

“And I thought the A96 was going to be dualled. I thought brilliant, I could jump on that in five years time. 15 years have gone by and we are still waiting.”

However, his experience has given Robin a keen eye for what could be done to help his local rural roads beyond dualling the A96 and the long-awaited bypass, both of which only seem to get further away every year.

Cawdor and West Nairnshire community council chairman Robin Pope believes improvements can be made if funding is made available. Image: Will Angus/DC Thomson.

The SNP’s manifesto ahead of the Scottish election next month stepped back on key A96 dualling pledges, moving to dualling just “key sections” of the route.

He told the P&J his fix and improvement list for the area, which includes:

·       New signs to direct traffic back to the A96 as soon as possible, which could help reduce A96 traffic travelling through Auldearn.

·       Uniform speed limits across the stretch to make it clearer to drivers where slow residential areas are. For example, Clephanton’s signs read 20mph while Cawdor’s read 30mph.

·       Introduce a vehicle weight limit in Cawdor to prevent HGVs using the village.

·       Bringing in traffic lights on narrow stretches like over the bridge in Cawdor. Reduced speed limits have already been introduced over the railway bridge at Culloden Moor.

·       And installing remote monitoring on traffic lights in the area, so the council can act quickly when a problem arises, particularly with the lights near Cawdor Primary School.

Robin believes this collection of fixes would “significantly help” the local area.

He added: “The problem will be funding. But we’ve got to play a longer game here.”

‘Have patience and avoid minor roads where possible’

When the P&J raised this discussion with Highland Council, a spokesperson said: “The A96 is undergoing major works and road users may be choosing alternative routes which is causing increased traffic volume on these roads.

“Road users are advised to have patience and follow the traffic management systems set out on the trunk roads and avoid where possible diverting onto these minor roads.

Robin hopes more money will be made available for roads after the Scottish election next month. Image: Will Angus/DC Thomson.

“Road speeding concerns should be reported by the public to Police Scotland.

“Reduced speed limits were recently introduced by The Highland Council at Sunnyside Road.

“Google Maps may also be diverting traffic users if there are tailbacks on the A96. Road users should allow extra journey time, particularly at peak travel times.”