Inverness councillors will hold a special meeting next month to discuss the city’s winter maintenance policy after concerns were raised earlier this month.
Members of the Inverness area committee refused to endorse the list of gritting priorities because they felt that many important roads were being downgraded.
Lochalsh Road and Telford Road are among a list of about 20 routes which will be made a lower priority in the city’s new plan for this winter.
Councillor will now reconsider the plan at a meeting on October 22 at Inverness Town House at 10.30am.
The item was deferred to allow councillors to hold urgent ward meetings to assess how their area would be affected.
At the meeting earlier this month, councillors initially criticised a lack of detail on changes to the plan.
But there was horror when the full list was revealed by community services manager Tracy Urray.
Croy and Cantray were among those rural areas to be downgraded to “others”, as well as a range for city streets, including Carsegate Road, Fairfield Road and Temple Crescent.
Primary routes are meant to be treated by 8.30am, with secondary routes by 9am. Other routes are treated when resources are available.
Mrs Urray said that the changes were necessary because the Invernessservice is losing two vehicles and one employee this year and the same next year because of budget cuts.
But councillors were upset that some busy routes were being downgraded from primary priority to secondary.