Ministerial meeting prompts postponement of City Transport Forum

The Highland Council has secured a meeting with Scottish Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson, to discuss the implications for the Highlands of the recently published Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR). Michael Foxley, Leader of the Council’s Administration, and Provost Jimmy Gray, Chairman of the Inverness City Committee, will meet Mr Stevenson in Holyrood on Monday 9 March and particular attention will focus on the Government’s plans for the Inverness Trunk Link Road, which is seen as vital to the growth and economic prosperity of the city.

Confirmation of the meeting has prompted Inverness Councillors to postpone the City Transport Forum which was scheduled to be held at the Town House, Inverness, on Wednesday 25 February, starting at 7.30 pm.  This was one of a number of meetings being held in the Highlands to help the council establish a transport strategy for the Highlands. The Council will be writing to a wide range of community groups and transport users to advise them that a new date will be fixed for this meeting. The postponement has cross-party agreement to allow for more detailed information to be gathered with particular regard to the Trunk Link Road.

Provost Gray said: “I am very pleased that we have secured this meeting with the Transport Minister.  There are a number of Highland-wide issues we want to cover, but clearly the Inverness Trunk Link Road is going to feature in our talks. I have spoken with other councillors and we have agreed that it is better to postpone Wednesday’s transport forum and fix a new date once we have held the meeting with the Transport Minister and we have more detail to report back.”
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Note:  The proposed Inverness Trunk Link Road is the central plank of the transport master plan to ease current congestion and meet growth projections. It embraces a number of solutions including an east section - Smithton to Inshes; a west section - crossing the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal; the dualling of the southern distributor road; park and ride sites; creation of bus lanes; bus priority measures; and provision for walkers and cyclists.