Black Isle accident blackspot fears raised by former councillor over reduced visibility on A832 bridge at Rosemarkie
A notorious accident blackspot is being made more dangerous because 'overgrown' bushes and trees have cut visibility for road users.
That's the fear of former Black Isle Highland councillor Craig Fraser, who has raised the alarm over new dangers on the narrow road bridge over the Markie Burn at the eastern end of Rosemarkie.
The bridge, which was designed by Thomas Telford, sits at the foot of the Fairy Glen - a steep-sided beauty spot that attracts many visitors to the Black Isle village.
But the picturesque setting also has a reputation for road collisions, with the 90-degree bends on both approaches to the narrow bridge - and the steep descent towards it for motorists heading into Rosemarkie from Cromarty - proving hazardous. The narrowing of the road to cross the burn, and the sheltered glen’s heightened ice risk, are also known issues..
Several vehicles have collided with the bridge in the past, and the lack of footpaths on a roadway popular with pedestrians heading up to the Fairy Glen’s waterfalls, creates an additional hazard for road users and walkers alike.
He worries that some bushes and trees are now reducing visibility of traffic on the bridge even further, meaning that approaching motorists will have less time to react to vehicles or the unexpected..
He has raised his concerns with Highland Council in a bid to tackle the danger, and has taken photos of the bridge when large vehicles have been crossing it to show that they were all but hidden from view.
"If you expand one picture you can see a black VW van, but you wouldn't know [otherwise]," he said. "And in [these other ones] it's a white campervan and you can see the nose sticking out as it comes up the Fairy Glen, and then you can see it fully. If you're looking down [the Fairy Glen] that van is temporarily hidden away. You can't see it."
Meanwhile, he has also sought reassurances that the council is carrying out regular monitoring of the road surface and the steep slopes as the A832 heads north up the glen.
The steep banks as the road climbs out of Rosemarkie have been prone to landslips in the past, and Mr Fraser said the recent concerns over overgrown bushes had reminded him of council reports commissioned in 2011 in response to landslips around that time.
He explained that the report had recommended the road be periodically monitored for potential signs of further slippage, with additional inspections also carried out after periods of heavy rainfall.
Following recent wet winters, and in the wake of rising traffic numbers caused by the success of the North Coast 500, he has sought assurances that these inspections are still being carried out as regularly as first planned.
He worries that the road, which is uneven and cracked in places and is thought to have originated as a droving route, may be getting put under greater strain than it was designed to handle - especially with vehicle volumes and environmental pressures on the increase.
"Over the past number of years there was another slip on the corner where they managed to get the landowner to give [the council] a bit of their land to enable [them] to do a better repair," he said. "But if you drive up the Fairy Glen from Rosemarkie you can see this crack. Now in the report it said regular monitoring of the road."
He added; "As a resident I'd like to know what monitoring has taken place since 2011."
Highland Council was approached for comment.