Ward 16 Inverness Ness-side
Action Note of Ward Forum Meeting held in the Green Drive Hall, Lochardil, Inverness on Thursday 6 November 2008 at 7.30pm
Present (registered):
Steve Rodger (Holm Community Council)
Cllr. Fraser Parr
Cllr. John Finnie
Cllr. Norrie Donald
Cllr. David Henderson
Stewart Wardlaw (Ward Manager – The Highland Council)
Julian Innes (Area Commander – Inverness, Northern Constabulary)
David Summers (Transport Development Officer – The Highland Council)
Debbie Maguire (Community Works Manager – The Highland Council)
Peter Taylor (Education and Enforcement Officer – The Highland Council)
Scott Pearson (Stagecoach)
David MaCallum (Stagecoach)
S Gorman (Lochardil and Drummond Community Council)
R Dyce (Lochardil and Drummond Community Council)
H Crout (Lochardil and Drummond Community Council)
J Slater (Hilton, Milton and Castle Heather Community Council)
C Cameron (Hilton, Milton and Castle Heather Community Council)
I MacLennan (Hilton, Milton and Castle Heather Community Council)
G Hainey (Hilton, Milton and Castle Heather Community Council)
Jessica Wilkins (Inverness Courier)
Sam Chetwynd (Press and Journal)
Members of the Public (x20)
Chair – Steve Rodger
1. Welcome, introductions and apologies.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the Councillors, Ward Manager and Speakers for the evening.
2. Ward Discretionary Budget
Stewart Wardlaw, Ward Manager, explained the Ward Discretionary Budget and gave an update on the current balance (£55,000). Application forms were available from the Highland Council website www.highland.gov.uk or by contacting the Ward Manager.
3. Local Bus Service
The Highland Council
David Summers, Transport Development Officer for the Highland Council outlined the responsibility of The Highland Council in the provision of bus services as follows:
i. Local Transport Strategy
ii. Bus Route Development Grants for new routes such as
• Holm Park – City Centre- Inverness Airport
• City Centre – Crown – Piperhill
iii. Information Provision eg. timetables at bus stops, website, travel guides
iv. Infrastructure eg. high quality bus stops
He explained that THC had no direct responsibility for public transport but did sometimes provide financial support through Bus Route Development Grants or award contracts where there were gaps in a service.
Stagecoach
Scott Pearson of Stagecoach explained that since taking over from Rapsons in August changes had been made to routes and services that they had thought would benefit users. However, it had become apparent that this was not the case and that further revisions to the service had now been made which came into effect at the end of October. Changes to bus routes could not happen immediately. Any changes had to be approved by the Traffic Commissioner under a 90 day ruling and this timescale was adhered to very strictly.
The following issues were raised by residents:
Query - Bus timetables
Would the Highland Council review the provision of bus timetables at bus stops in Holm and Lochardil as a matter of urgency as there were none in this area?
Response
David Summers agreed that The Highland Council would review this area and report back to the Ward Manager on timescales for implementation.
Query - Double Decker Buses
i. The introduction of double-decker buses in the area was not welcome and
invaded residents’ privacy
ii. Buses appeared to be empty most of the time
iii. mothers with prams, the elderly and disabled found them difficult to get on
and off
iv. buses were too big for the narrow streets in the area
v. couldn’t be cost effective
Response
Scott Pearson explained that brand new double-deckers were introduced to
i. try to encourage and promote bus travel
ii. to use the buses as school transport
iii. use the buses as part of the Airport route
If residents were genuinely unhappy about the use of these buses in this area, Stagecoach would be happy to review their usage and try to find a resolution satisfactory for both the Company and residents. He assured residents that the cost of running a single-decker as opposed to a double-decker was negligible but that analysis of usage on all services was ongoing. He was also able to confirm that since the changes at the end of October all the double-decker buses used on this route (7A & 7C) were DDA compatible with low floor entry.
Scott Pearson agreed to review the routes in the area and the use of double-decker buses and that he would send the outcome of the review directly to Stewart Wardlaw for publication on the Highland Council website www.highland.gov.uk
The following information was supplied by Stagecoach after the Forum but has been added here as appropriate;
Bus stop timetable notices in or near your ward are as follows:
Route 7A/7C
Culduthel Road – north of Drummond Road Traffic Lights
Culduthel Road – opp McKenzie Centre
Culduthel Road – opp Southside Road
Holm – Dores Road (opp Dores Avenue)
Holm – Dores Road (at Woollen Mill)
Holm – Dores Road (at Dick Precast)
Holm – Holm Dell Road
Holm – Holm Park Turning Circle
Lochardil – Stratherrick Road (at Ardness Place)
Lochardil – Morven Road (opp Shop)
Lochardil – Drummond Road (Oak Avenue)
Route 5
Hilton - Mackay Road - In x 3 (Towards Hilton Village)
Hilton - Mackay Road - Outbound x 2
Hilton - Morvich Way x 2
Hilton - Tomatin Road - Outbound
Hilton - Tomatin Road - Inbound
Hilton - Village - Inbound x 2
Hilton - Village - Outbound x 2
The 7A/7C notices, along with new bus stop poles, were provided as part of the Bus Route Development Grant project and were mostly (if not all) put up last week.
Query - Concessionary Cards
The concessionary cards did not always work and therefore caused delays.
Response
David Summers explained that although the Highland Council did not issue these cards directly, he would take the resident’s contact details and investigate the problem. It could however have been a machine error.
Query – Change to bus routes
The changes to some of the routes, especially the 5A, added an extra 10-15 minutes to the journey time, particularly first thing in the morning. What was the reason for the change and would Stagecoach consider changing back to the previous route down Crown Drive?
Response
The bus priority lane at the bottom of Crown Drive and the junction at Eastgate meant that buses were getting held up at traffic lights and using the route through Victoria Drive meant that buses could get on the High Street without getting caught behind lots of other buses. Again, Stagecoach would be happy to review any specific routes or problems and residents were urged to contact Stagecoach directly by calling Tel .01463 239292.
Query – Bus stops in City Centre and particularly on Union Street
Residents questioned why buses didn’t always stop at the same place in the City Centre and when buses and shelters would return to Union Street.
Response
The return of buses and shelters to Union Street was subject to the completion of the streetscape work in this area. Scott Pearson admitted that the streetscape works had caused disruption to the bus services in the town centre but ultimately the improvements would benefit everyone. If residents experienced any difficulties getting buses to stop at designated stops, they should make a note of the driver’s number and bus registration and contact Stagecoach directly.
Query – Bus stop for 7A & 7C on Bridge Street
Since the route changes and streetscape work, the main bus stop for 7A & 7C was now on Bridge Street. However there was no bus shelter and not much room for one. Was Stagecoach considering moving the stop back to Union Street or Queensgate?
Response
There was no plan to move the stop for 7A & 7C back to Queensgate or Union Street after the completion of the streetscape work. However the Highland Council would look in to the possibility of placing a shelter elsewhere on the route eg. Bank Street.
Query – Sunday Service
People without cars weren’t able to get to church because there was no bus service before 11am in the Holm area.
Response
An earlier morning Sunday bus service had been trialled in the area but had not been financially viable.
Query – Timetable Maps
These maps were very difficult to read, particularly for the elderly
Response
Anyone wishing larger scale maps should contact Stagecoach directly.
4. Community Safety
Chief Inspector Julian Innes updated the Forum on matters relating to Community Safety in the local area and wider City area:
• Main concern is anti-social behaviour
1. Underage Drinking- what’s being done
• Speaking to children and parents offering advice, support and guidance
• Attending high profile events
• Targeting licensed premises -10 establishments tested and only one failed.
2. Residential Premises – continual neighbourhood disputes
• Warning in Month 1 – Community Beat Officer
• Warning in Month 2 – Community Beat Sergeant
• Warning in Month 3 – Chief Inspector and Property Owner
• Community Beat Officer will attend all Community Council meetings (and if not will submit a written apology/report).
Temporary Community Beat Officer for the area is Paula Lloyd
The following issues were raised by residents:
Comment – Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
The local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme co-ordinator feels that there is a lack of support from the police?
Response
The Police are aware of this co-ordinator’s concerns and has been liaising with them. However the Community Beat Officer will contact this co-ordinator directly and address any particular concerns.
The Police are trying to work closely with all 20 Neighbourhood Watch Schemes in the city and all were invited to the recent launch of the Community Beat Scheme. However, it would be useful to have Forums for co-ordinators 3 or 4 times a year and the Police would review this.
Query – Fast Cars in residential Areas
How would the Community Beat Officer be dealing with the issue of youths circuiting the area in fast cars.
Response
Residents should make a note of times, streets, registration numbers and either notify their Community Council or Community Beat Officer. The Police would then write to car owners as a warning, without identifying source of information.
Comment – Neighbourhood Watch Scheme Text system
Some residents thought the texting scheme used by the Police, to inform the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators of important information, worked very well.
5. Highland Council – Transport, Environmental & Community Services
Debbie Maguire outlined her role as Community Works Manager with responsibility for issues such as roads, street cleaning, littering in Wards 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Peter Taylor outlined his role as Education & Enforcement Officer for the INBS area with responsibility for enforcing and educating the public on issues concerning littering, fly tipping, dog fouling, disposal of commercial waste etc.
He explained that to be able to enforce a fixed penalty there was a requirement for 2 people to be present, but letters of warning could be sent to members of the public seen to be breaching the law or, for example, their catering licenses by not providing bins.
The following issues were raised by residents:
Query – Dog Litter Bins in Lochardil & Culduthel Woods.
Would it be possible to site more dog litter bins in this area?
Response
DM & PT confirmed that this area would be reviewed, but also reminded residents that any bin could be used for dog waste provided it was in a sealed bag. They also commented that the Highland Council was trying to encourage/educate the public to take rubbish home with them. Any extra provision of bins would require additional manpower for emptying.
Query – Litter Bin outside Green Drive
The bin outside Green Drive had been damaged by a car and asked if this could be secured to post to prevent any further accidents.
Response
DM agreed to investigate this issue.
6. Open Questions to Councillors
Question - Fireworks
What was being done about fireworks in residential areas in the run up to and including Bonfire Night?
Response
Councillor Henderson – There hadn’t been any complaints from residents and the overall impression was that there wasn’t a major problem this year.
Julian Innes – On the 5th November there had only been 1 call out relating to a bonfire and 7 calls relating to fireworks.
Question – Gaelic Road Signs
With budget cuts being made throughout the Highland Council were Gaelic road signs really needed, particularly in areas where Gaelic is not used? Bilingual signs could be very confusing to read for local and tourists.
Response
Councillor Finnie –very supportive of Gaelic road signs. There were a lot of historical wrongs carried out on the Gaels that needed to be righted but most importantly, The Highland Council had agreed and adopted a Gaelic Policy. There had been very little dissent in Council when deciding whether to adopt this policy.
There was ample evidence to show that bilingualism was beneficial to an area and its people and it is also a great selling point for tourism.
Councillor Parr – echoed what Cllr Finnie had said. This subject had been discussed at length at Highland Council and it was policy. However, the signs would only be replaced as and when necessary ie. they would not all be replaced at once but only when the current signs would naturally be replaced through deterioration.
Question – Flood Diversion Channel
When would a flood diversion channel across the Holm Dell hill be completed?
Response
Councillor Finnie – there were funding issues with this and work would be carried out incrementally.
Councillor Henderson – the SW Relief Channel was committed in the Administrations Budget over the next three years but there was as yet no confirmed timescale for starting the work.
Question – Blocked drains
Could The Council look at the drains near the Gaelic School which was continually getting blocked due to overgrown trees?
Response
DM agreed to investigate this problem.
7. Date and location of next meeting
26 February 2009 at Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig, Inbhir Nis
Meeting closed at 9.30pm