Police have named the motorcyclist killed in a crash on the A82 in Lochaber at the weekend.
Adam Johnston from Bo’ness in West Lothian was travelling north on an orange Kawasaki Z1000 motorcycle when the collision happened near the Glencoe Visitor Centre on the busy trunk road on Sunday.
The 56-year-old was taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William where he later died of his injuries.
At a meeting of the Lochaber Committee in Fort William yesterday, Chief Inspector Bob McKay expressed his sympathy to Mr Johnston’s family and said that it was the second fatal road accident involving a motorcyclist on the A82 this year.
As a result of Sunday’s accident, the road was closed at Glencoe in both directions for almost seven hours to allow officers from the accident investigation unit, AIU, which is based in Dingwall, to carry out their work.
At the meeting, Fort William and Ardnamurchan councillor, Andrew Baxter, asked the police chief why there is no AIU based in Lochaber.
He said: “There have been arguments for this time and time again as it would cut down the length of time a road is closed.
“I’ve also had criticism from the public and road haulage people as no real diversions were put in place on Sunday.
“I was told that there were young people helping to divert the traffic and they weren’t wearing high-visibility vests.”
The leader of the committee added: “I’m worried about these issues and the reliance on this unit coming down from Dingwall which takes quite a bit of time. I would also like assurance that the police in Lochaber are not over-stretched at weekends and evenings, especially when, sadly, they have to deal with incidents such as this.”
Chief inspector McKay said: “Our resources haven’t dropped. We currently have two vacancies, one in Glencoe and one in Fort William, but both are about to be filled.
“I know Dingwall is not an hour away, especially during the busy summer months, but we have to close the road as the unit carries out its work to the highest possible standard.
“The A82 does not allow for low mileage diversions, especially in Glencoe and also at Loch Ness.
“But I will take away what you have said and ask for feedback on these issues.”