Inverness West Ward Forum
Assembly Hall, Charleston Academy, Inverness
Thursday 25 September 2008 at 7.30pm
Councillor Pauline Munro in the Chair
Review of the Canal Bridge Opening Times
1. Welcome, introductions and apologies.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced;
Highland Council
Councillor Alex Graham, Depute Provost
Sam MacNaughton, Head of Transport & Infrastructure
Neil McRae, Transportation Officer
David Haas, City Manager
Claire Robertson, Admin Assistant
Stewart Wardlaw, Ward Manager
British Waterways (Scotland)
Steve Dunlop, Director
Russell Thomson, Manager Highland Canals
David Lamont, General Manager Scotland
Northern Constabulary
Chief Inspector Julian Innes
Apologies were submitted on behalf of Councillor Jimmy MacDonald.
2. Presentations
Russell Thomson gave a presentation to the Forum on canal operation and the protocol (as applied to Fort Augustus, Muirtown and Tomnahurich Bridges).
Sam MacNaughton for the Highland Council gave a presentation to the Forum which included a traffic micro-simulation analysis.
3. Open Forum
Q. Muirtown Community Council – No comments have been made about Canal Road exiting on to the bridge. There have been problems with speeding traffic since the introduction of the traffic lights.
A. Council - There have been issues with the traffic lights on the exit to Canal Road but work was being done to optimise the phasing. Traffic in the area was increasing and the longer the bridge was open the longer the traffic queues took to recover – this would be the focus in the analysis.
Q. Mr Watson – the period of time for which the bridge is swung is longer than necessary and there has been no attempt to reduce this. Would it be possible to open the bridge more frequently with reduced swing time? There have also been issues with the bridge being stuck open due to lack of maintenance, and the Police have had to advise the waiting cars.
A. British Waterways Scotland (BWS) –BWS agreed that as a part of the traffic analysis project they would look at how to reduce the bridge swing time. As part of this they want to understand what impact on queuing a reduction of 30 seconds segments could have. BWS agreed that there needed to be more investment in bridge maintenance and they have recently put a minimum investment sum £150,000 into their business plan and that this year the canal would shut in certain places for a period of time to allow bridge upgrades.
Q. Anonymous – The period of time for which the bridge was left open was arbitrary and left up to the lock keeper. Up to 10 boats have been let through at one time. A computer analysis system was required which the lock keeper should use. If boats did not make it through on time they should have to wait. Road traffic should not have to wait on the whim of those in a cruise boat.
A. BWS – There is a balance to be struck. Once the bridge has been opened it remains closed for at least 4 minutes. It was a judgement call and a question of whether more vessels being allowed through would be any more disruptive than more frequent openings. The barriers did not lift as soon as the bridge closed as there was machinery working behind the scenes to ensure it was safe to take cars, so in this sense more frequent opening could cause more of a time delay.
Q. Anonymous – What is the policy for emergency services? There was a crash in the area last week and the services had to wait.
A. BWS – We work with the emergency services and if we are notified of an emergency we do not swing the bridge until the emergency services have gone through. If we are not informed and the bridge has been swung then it is closed as fast as possible. The lock keepers use common sense if they see emergency vehicles approaching. Chief Inspector Innes - we have not had any issues. In an emergency we work closely with the canal operators and if the bridge is open it is closed immediately. If we inform that we are coming the bridge is not opened. There have been no issues in terms of response time. The Service would not be happy if the bridge was opened for a prolonged period or if both bridges were open at the same time. Councillor Pauline Munro – the other emergency services were consulted and positive responses were received.
Q. Anonymous – Why is the Muirtown Bridge swung when the Kessock Bridge is closed?
A. BWS – We are not always informed that the Kessock Bridge has been closed.
Q. Anonymous – A timetable should be put in place so everyone knew when the bridge was going to be open.
A. BWS – Due to the variation of tides a timetable would not work. It is recognised that there are other road user demands, e.g. school traffic, commuters, church goers and travelling to hospital appointments, and they do not want to be held up. The best possible compromise is needed. Road, rail and canal needed to work in harmony and the frustration was understood. The economical impact of the canal should not be trivialised, it was very significant and created jobs in the area. A sensible, flexible solution was required.
Q. Muirtown Community Council – Was the traffic survey only carried out for one day?
A. Council – No, it was carried out over a 2 week period.
Q. Muirtown Community Council – Did the traffic survey include the school holidays?
A. Council – The impact on Glenurquhart Road was greater in the school holidays for the last 2 weeks of July and the first 2 weeks of August. A lot of information was gathered on traffic flows and attempts were made to capture all routes. Vessel traffic was higher in July then fell away. The presentation tonight had shown a snap shot but more information had been gathered.
Q. Anonymous – The suggested bridge close times were not adequate and should be extended.
A. Councillor Pauline Munro – It was clarified that this was a formal proposal and details would be taken at the end of the Forum. BWS – The model would show what was not working and an analysis would be carried out.
Q. Anonymous - Canal Road and Scorguie Road had now become a rat run in order for people to avoid the traffic lights.
A. Councillor Pauline Munro – This is something that can be fed in at a later date.
Q. Muirtown Community Council – The tides are a red herring. It is up to the vessels to time their arrival. It is appreciated that the bridge takes a certain amount of time to open and close but there have been occasions where the bridge has been opened and then everyone has had to wait for the vessel to get ready. The vessels should be ready and waiting and the bridge should not be opened until they are. It was a management problem.
A. BWS – The handling of boats can be varied and this can impact on vessel readiness to pass through the bridge. The lock keepers start the bridge opening process and inform each vessel they have 5 minutes. There is probably some further work we can do to improve this.
Q. Anonymous - The protocol times for bridge closures were not adequate and even outwith those times the traffic queues were very long and affected other routes in the town. Set times were required, for example once an hour – one bridge opening at 20 past the hour and the other opening at 20 to the hour. There were set times at other canals all over the country.
A. BWS – A timetable could be tested as part of the scenarios but could cause traffic to speed to avoid the opening times.
Q. Inverness West Community Council – An ambulance recently had to wait for 4 minutes after getting to the front of a queue of traffic, because the bridge was closed. The emergency services should have direct contact with the lock keepers.
A. BWS – At present contact is made through the emergency services control room. Councillor Pauline Munro – all emergency services were consulted and they have advised that the system works well and there are no issues. It was noted that they would appreciate if the 2 bridges were not opened at the same time. BWS – We strive to ensure the bridges are not open at the same time. If one is stuck open then the other is not opened at all. In terms of the protocol times for the bridge being closed – it is swung immediately following this at 5 minute intervals. Before a bridge is swung the operator checks that the other is closed, if no communication is available the bridge is not swung.
Q. Local Boating Association – In terms of a timetable, if there were a large number of vessels waiting to get through then there was a safety issue, especially in high winds. And this would also increase the opening time to let all the vessels through. Some vessels were tied up prior to the bridge opening to stop them drifting. A lot of the scenarios being carried out in the simulation would not reflect how vessels handled. If the bridge was open and a vessel was approaching it was an issue if the vessel could not stop if the bridge was to be closed.
A. Council – The simulation represented vessels arriving at the bridge, not the tie and untie time, but the bridge opening times have been recorded which was vital. It represented the time it took. The simulation shown tonight was only a snapshot and scenarios discussed by the public tonight could be fed in. If the bridge was open for 6 minutes then the traffic recovery time could be up to 15 minutes. They needed to find an optimum opening time and get a model to represent it.
Q. Anonymous – The canal paths were not flat and were very crackly. This was not safe for wheelchair users.
A. BWS – We will get your details at the end of the Forum and will visit the path to inspect it. We will then give you details of whose responsibility it is, if this is BWS’s then they will give details of when it will be repaired. There will also be Access for All site visits.
Q. Anonymous – There are access issues at the canal.
A. Councillor Pauline Munro – If you leave your details at the end of the Forum further this can be further investigated.
Q. Anonymous – There is often a hold up of 4 minutes near the Muirtown bridge without it being open, it was just due to traffic volume. What are the plans for a second swing bridge?
A. Council – The Council had no plans to build another bridge in the area but work was being done on the Southern by-pass. BWS – We have nothing in our programme for another bridge.
Q. Anonymous – The Muirtown bridge was the main trunk road when the Kessock Bridge was shut. Was there no contingency plan in place? Would there be restrictions on the Kessock Bridge in the future? The Kessock bridge could be hit by a ship.
A. BWS – Scotland Transerv and Transport Scotland were involved in the consultations. Council – There were no issues with the Kessock bridge and it was in good working order.
Q. Anonymous – There were a lot of buses held up around 8.30am because of the bridges being closed. The protocol for the opening times was not on the British Waterways website. It would also be useful if the protocol was publicised at the bridges.
A. BWS – The protocol was publicised in the local press as a ‘cut out and keep‘. Consideration would be given to putting this information on the website. In terms of the buses, this will follow from the initial traffic analysis work being undertaken, but will probably require a longer lead in time. Council – the bus companies were involved in the consultation. In the future public transport would be more important than private cars.
Q. Kiltarlity Community Council – When there was a build up of traffic, especially when the Kessock bridge was shut, there were issues on Clachnaharry Road due to one lane of traffic. This has become worse since the installation of the traffic lights and queues can go back as far as the petrol station.
A. Council – This issue is being discussed with Transport Scotland. Parked cars cause the problem but only when there are issues with the Kessock bridge.
Q. Local resident – Why can’t the public be given advance warning of openings – e.g. with Smart Signs.
A. Council – This will be part of the process to see if they can be used.
Q. Inverness West Community Council – Would a tunnel under the canal solve all the problems? The Community Council also have proposals for the closing times.
A. Council – If the Trunk Link Road proposal to the Scottish Government is in the Scottish Trunk Road Programme then it will be delivered by the Scottish Government. A tunnel would help to eliviate the issues at Tomnahurich but not at Muirtown. BWS – Please feed in the protocol proposals at the end of the Forum, these would be very useful.
Q. Anonymous – The problems at Clachnaharry Road are constant due to the poor car parking in the area.
A. Chair – The Head of Transport & Infrastructure for the Council has been asked to look into this.
Q. Local Resident – There are problems at the roundabout beside the Co-op. People block the roundabout when the bridge is closed. Could there be signage advising people not to enter the roundabout unless the exit is clear?
A. Chief Inspector Innes – Driver behaviour is an issue across the city.
Q. Mr Watson – There is a vessel sea lock at 2.00pm and you cannot get out until 2.45pm so these times need to be worked to. The model that was shown tonight at Muirtown should have been up to date showing traffic lights, not the roundabout that used to be there. The bridges require maintenance and it does not cost an excessive amount of money to buy a grease gun.
Q. Anonymous – Traffic has been held up at the Tomnahurich bridge because of loading/unloading of passengers to and from boats. Could the buses utilise the old petrol station instead?
Q. Mr Fraser, Boat Owner – I have been stuck at the Tomnahurich bridge in a boat. Would it be possible for British Waterways to work overtime so there could be evening openings of the bridge?
A. BWS – There were a lot of issues that would optimise the solution. BWS are committed to looking at the opening times and if an extension of the hours is part of that solution we would strive to meet the extra investment required.
Q. Mr Burns – I note that British Waterways reserve the right to open the bridge at any time – will that change?
A. BWS – This is for emergency situations. For example, if a large vessel is difficult to tie up, or in high winds. It is better for the road traffic if the bridge is opened to allow the vessels through, rather than risking the vessel hitting the bridge. But the bridge cannot be swung at will outwith the opening times as stated in the protocol, the lock keepers need to ask for permission via supervisors or management, and this is not always granted.
Q. Anonymous – This summer water was being poured onto the Muirtown bridge on a hot day and it ran down the road to the roundabout at the Co-op. This caused a motorcyclist to come off his bike.
A. BWS – We are aware of this incident and have been in contact with the motorcyclist’s family. There was an issue with drainage. In previous years the bridge has stuck open in the hot weather and so now there is protocol in place to cool metal parts of the bridge after a certain temperature has been reached. There is an issue with drain pressure but this is being taken into account.
The officials present were thanked for their attendance and information provided. The public were thanked for their comments and reminded that further comments could be submitted on the Highland Council website or using the comment slips available tonight (see supplementary note below).
Inverness West Related Items
4. Ward Discretionary Budget
Stewart Wardlaw, Ward Manager explained that each Ward had a Discretionary Budget allocated at the start of the financial year. Applications were invited and were welcomed for projects which would benefit the community, and in particular those which had match funding. Applications were available tonight and also online. A decision on an application would usually be made within 2 weeks of it being submitted. Stewart could provide any further information necessary and was available should anyone wish to discuss an application (telephone 01463 724378).
5. Community Safety
Chief Inspector Innes advised that in response to the public’s request for more Police on the street, he had doubled the force in the area. The current beat officer would move to concentrate on Dalneigh and a further beat officer would be based in Kinmylies.
An e-mail address would be publicised that members of the public could contact if they wished to pass on information. There would also a telephone number available for those wishing to speak to the Police about non-urgent matters (01463 228485). The new team would be effective from Monday.
In terms of call outs, if there were 3 calls to an address within a one month period then the Community Officer would visit. If there were a further 3 calls in the next month then there would be another visit with the Community Beat Sergeant. In the next month if there were a further 3 calls then a visit would take place by Chief Inspector Innes and the housing provider. There was more than could be done now before escalating a situation to an Anti-Social Behaviour Order.
There had been more drink drivers caught recently with the majority down to persons calling the Police. It was important that the public contact the Police with any issues.
6. Questions from the Public
Q. Will Police reports be available at Community Council meetings?
A. It’s been asked that a member of the Police attend every Community Council meeting. If this is not possible they will phone to advise and will provide a written report.
Q. A temporary speed limit has been introduced at Muirtown Primary School but this has not been monitored as was promised.
A. Suggest that the Community Council request the road strips from the Council. This will assess the speeds of traffic. If this information is shared with the Police they can attend to monitor at key times. Meantime Chief Inspector Innes will ensure the enforcement is in place.
Q. What is the legality of people cycling on pavements where there is no signage advising that this is allowed?
A. They should not be cycling on the pavement.
Q. A large chunk of tarmac was raised on the route onto a bridge at the Ness Islands and 2 electric cables were showing. This was reported to the Council and the matter remedied within 24 hours. Can a letter be sent to the Service Point and TEC Service to congratulate them?
A. The City Manager will write a letter.
Q. There are problems with the access to Muirtown Primary School – the steps need constant repair and there are issues for buggies and wheelchair users. Could the forum help make improvements?
A. This will go on the agenda for the next Ward Business Meeting.
Q. The school has have been broken into and 2 storage sheds pushed over. There was no adequate security fencing, can an application be made to the Ward Discretionary Budget?
A. The local Members have already been in contact with Education, Culture and Sport and will chase this up.
Q. There is a pothole at the Millerton underpass, when will this be fixed? It was due to be fixed at the end of September, 2008.
A. There are 2 contractors involved and there has been a dispute. Pressure is still being applied and the work will be carried out as soon as is possible.
Q. There are problems with the traffic from the Dunain Park Hotel coming on to one of the small roads off the A82. The giveway sign has been renewed but people are ignoring it.
A. The roads department(TEC Services) will be asked to look into this.
7. Date and Location of Next Meeting
This will be confirmed as soon as possible.
Thanks were given to the effort of the community for publicising this Forum and attending to give their contribution.
The meeting ended at 9.35pm.
Supplementary Note
These points were raised by e-mail or using comment forms.
Elaine Kirkham
I distinctly remember hearing the alarm which closes the bridge 4 times on a Friday afternoon between 4.30 and 5.30 pm, should the bridge be opening this often?
Michelle Fraser
There should be protocol regarding the limited use of the bridges between the times 3.30 – 3.45pm for the schools coming out and parents travelling across town with their children, and also between 4.00 – 5.00 pm for people who work on the hill and travel by car/bus to town during this time.
Claire MacGillivray
Consideration should be given to school finishing times and bridge opening times. A number of times I have been stuck at the Tomnahurich bridge at 2.55 pm when I am trying to make it to the school to pick my daughter up. The school closes at 3.00pm and my daughter is left in the car park for 10 minutes.
Councillor Hamish Wood
May I suggest that as part of the new agreement British Waterways have to keep records of all the times that the bridge is opened during restricted times. This would be in the form of date/time it was opened for/reason for opening. The records to be sent on a regular basis to a HC agreed representative.
Christina Campbell & Allan Dunbar
Longer times in the mornings and early evenings for bridges to be closed for Canal Traffic EG 8 - 9.30am and 4 - 6pm at Muirtown Swing Bridge. 2. Flashing traffic signals further away from Bridges in order for traffic to be able to go the other way. 3. More communication to Canal users so they are ready to move passed swing bridges enabling road traffic less time at a standstill.
J Bunce
Rush hour traffic 07.00/09.30 to 16.00/18.00 bridges should not open as the volume of traffic at these times are huge. Evening traffic gets built up from Muirtown over Telford St. R/A, Friars Bridge, Kenneth St. and on occasion past the college. Smart signs giving advance warning of opening.
S Fraser
I am a resident and I am also employed in New Craigs Hospital in the Occupational Therapy department. Recently I had to stop for the swing bridge at Tomnahurich 3 times between 10-15 and 12.00 whilst transporting a patient to a therapy group. I feel that this is totally unreasonable. I would like to see bridge opening times advertised so that I can take the alternative routes. Knowing that the bridge will be closed 3 times day is of no use. Also you currently are at liberty to close the road when parents are going to collect their children from Muirtown Primary School.