A senior Highland councillor has repeated criticism of a scheme to construct a cycle route on one of Inverness’s busiest roads, stating that the money should have gone towards repairing rural roads.
Councillor Isobel McCallum said that the £733,000 of funding which had gone towards the project on Millburn Road could have paid for the resurfacing of up to 40 miles of country road.
She said that the cycle lane work, which started last week, was “over the top”.
The scheme will create a new 0.7 mile cycle route from the city centre to the new Inverness Campus.
The track starts near Morrison’s supermarket, follows the south side of Millburn Road dual-carriageway before climbing up to Raigmore Estate and crossing the A9 via the new Golden Bridge that has not been officially opened yet.
Mrs McCallum, who has previously criticised the project, said: “In rural areas we have single track roads that are disintegrating in places.
“The changes to Millburn Road are unnecessary. This project just looks extravagant. I feel that Inverness disproportionately benefits from the amount of money spent and rural areas are disadvantaged. Single track routes are neglected.
“It seems to be forgotten that these roads supply farms and businesses, with deliveries going in and out.”
She added: “To the taxpayer, it is their money and it does not matter where it comes from.”
But council leader Drew Hendry said: “I think that Mrs McCallum is making comparisons that are nonsensical.”
He said: “We have spent and continue to spend enormous amounts of our budget on roads across the Highland and that is an ongoing process. To suggest that we should not cater for encouraging people to cycle safely is frankly ridiculous.
“We have a duty to make sure that it is not just people in cars who can get around safely but also people who are walking or on bikes.”
He added that the cycle path would contribute to messages about health lifestyles.
He said: “The cycle path between the university campus and the city centre is a vital link in carrying that wider message across the Highlands.”