A new travel corridor that links the Raigmore Estate to the Inverness Campus and the retail park to improve road safety for pedestrians has officially opened to the public.
Situated near the Golden Bridge, which crosses the A9 Inverness to Perth Road, the new route for cyclists and pedestrians will provide a traffic-free link to important destinations.
The new corridor, which took 40 weeks to complete, also links up several existing active travel routes allowing the public to move seamlessly from place to place.
To reduce the stress for cyclists travelling uphill towards Raigmore the link is set at a gentle incline.
Pedestrians will also have access to an upgraded stairway for more direct access, while rest areas are there for those who need a rest on their travels.
The link was opened on Tuesday by elected council members, Raigmore Community Council and Primary 5 pupils from Raigmore Primary School, who are junior road safety officers.
The children raise awareness of road safety and promote road safety issues to pupils and the wider community.
It is particularly relevant as the area sits next to the extremely busy A9 road, which can be dangerous for those not informed of risks.
The pupils joined Council staff on site last week to learn about the active travel infrastructure and be part of some filming on the travel link.
Link will provide safe route between important destinations in Inverness
Trish Robertson, chairwoman of Highland Council’s economy and infrastructure committee, said: “This is the first large active travel investment in Inverness which Highland Council have delivered in partnership with our project partners and funders Sustrans, through their Spaces for People Fund.
“To have a significant, high-quality investment enabling safe, direct routes for walking, wheeling and cycling will help to encourage local people to be more active for everyday journeys, while also reducing our impact on climate change.”
The Raigmore Active Travel Link is part of the Inverness City Active Travel Network, a £10.6million investment in key active travel routes throughout the city.
Officials are now looking at the potential link between the site and the city centre along Millburn Road.
Maelle Ducreux, infrastructure coordinator for Sustrans, said: “The new Raigmore active travel link will have an immediate positive impact on people walking, wheeling, and cycling between the Campus, Raigmore Estate and Inverness City Centre.
“These benefits will be felt further when improvements planned for Raigmore Interchange and Millburn corridor are implemented.
“The development has also provided the opportunity to reinstate native tree species along the embankment which not only make the route more attractive but will provide valuable shielding from the trunk road.”
