Communities Benefit from New Inverness Footpath
A new £100,000 footpath has been created to the east of Inverness to improve road safety, create healthier travel options and encourage people to enjoy the countryside. A number of local public sector agencies have joined forces with the local community to create a footpath between Sunnyside and Balloch.
This project takes pedestrians and cyclists off the busy B9006 road and will enable young people from the Sunnyside and Brookfield estates to cycle safely to school at Culloden Academy as well as providing a safe and scenic path for holidaymakers at the Sunnyside caravan park to visit the new state-of-the-art £9.3 million Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre.
The path is 2.5 metres wide and finished in an environmentally friendly material that allows rain water to soak away into the earth. It has a riding tunnel alongside through the forest section to allow horse riders access without cutting up the surface of the path. Access on the path is now possible from the Sunnyside caravan park to the battlefield and will eventually lead to Balloch.
Local Councillor Jim Crawford said: “All four Councillors for the Inverness South Ward have been fully supportive of this path because we have been really concerned about the safety of individuals on these roads. This path will be a fantastic asset for the area and provide safe and healthy travel options for locals and tourists.”
Les Houlker, Technical Manager with Transport Environment and Community Services, The Highland Council, has been a key player in making this long sought after path a reality. “Community safety and environmental improvement are important to the Council”, he said, “ and by working together with other agencies we have been able to provide a superb resource that will encourage people to be more active by walking and cycling. That is good for their health, for the environment and will reduce road traffic. Everybody wins.”
David Jardine, Forestry Commission Manager, said: “We are delighted that people can enjoy cycling through our forests. This path has been constructed using locally sourced, recycled materials to minimize the carbon footprint during the process by an environmentally friendly local contractor. We made these criteria a premium as well as ensuring a high quality construction specification.”
The Council worked closely with Forestry Commission Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, Northern Constabulary as well as local land owners to make the path a reality. Stewart Easthaugh, Council Access Officer, said: “Access to the local countryside is a great way for families to enjoy our natural heritage.This path is one of a whole network of pathways across Highland to enable that. New paths constructed creatively like this one are always welcome.”
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