Highland driving instructors stress the region’s road network is “crumbling” following decades of neglect.
Irate motorists have slammed the Highland Council for barely “scratching the surface” in addressing road defects across the north.
Drivers have found themselves navigating around potholes as deep as 10 inches, with some taking to driving on the wrong side of the road.
Two Caithness driving instructors have spoken out about the conditions they endure daily and how both new and existing drivers are bearing the brunt of the harsh conditions.
Is Caithness becoming a ‘forgotten corner of Scotland?’
Bruce Paterson, owner of Drive for Results, has been an instructor in Wick for almost 15 years.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, he spoke of how he’s forced to skirt around potholes and take alternative routes in an attempt to avoid damage to his vehicle.
He said: “It’s pretty dicey going on the roads.
“I regularly take alternative routes to miss the worst of it but you are always hitting hole after hole. They have occasionally filled them in temporarily with wet tar and stones – a very makeshift repair – but sometimes it doesn’t last more than a month or two.
“When I get my tyres changed at the local garage, the reply I get is, “We are really quite busy because everyone has punctures due to all the potholes and tyre damage.”
“The roads are crumbling.”
Mr Paterson fears Caithness has become a “forgotten corner of Scotland.”
Furious Caithness residents have previously said the county is turning into a “patchwork quilt of neglect.”
The instructor says the council must ‘get their act together’ to repair the damage that has been done.
He added: “They (the council) have scratched the surface.
Pothole problem on Caithness roads
“Quite close to us there were a few repairs done. They will scrape off an inch and a half and lay fresh tarmac. That’s all well and good but they are doing it in places that just a few meters away, there is another hole.
“There are so many streets in Wick and some out-of-town routes that are crying out for it. It seems we are a bit of a forgotten corner of Scotland for the Highland Council.
The attitude is that Inverness comes first, and the rest can hang on for crumbs from the table.
“The roads are suffering, not from six months or a year or two of neglect, we are talking decades. They are a necessity, they are not a luxury.
New drivers fear picking up speed on ‘crumbling’ Caithness roads
Fellow Wick instructor Gary Sinclair has spoken of he he’s had to adapt his teaching to help first-time drivers adapt to the harsh road conditions.
Operating under Gary’s Driving School, he admits some have gone as far as to fail their test over fears of picking up speed amidst the conditions.
He said: “When we train to be driving instructors there is no training given on what the condition of the road surface is going to be like.
“What I see a lot of drivers doing just now is they are driving on the wrong side of the road trying to avoid potholes, so that is causing a few issues.
“What I am trying to teach them at the moment is sometimes is it safer to go through a pothole than try and swerve on to the other side of the road.
“Learners are certainly more fearful of picking up speed, that’s for sure because of the road surface. They don’t know what they are going to be facing further along the road.
“I’ve had people fail their driving tests for progress because they are not picking up speed quickly enough. It’s horrendous up here.”
Driving instructor not confident in overtaking
Mr Sinclair said as a motorist of 27 years, he has lost confidence in overtaking vehicles as fellow drivers navigate around potholes.
He added: “I’ve only been a driving instructor for seven years and a driver for 27 years but even with 27 years experience, I’ve lost the confidence to overtake myself.
“I’m seeing that many people are swerving now to miss a pothole.
“If I go overtaking a car just now, are they going to swerve to miss a pothole?”
“I’d rather sit behind a person rather than overtake.
Regular inspections needed on Caithness roads
The Highland instructor feels road inspections should be conducted regularly to ensure they are meeting the same standards as drivers.
He concluded: “The roads need to be maintained.
“Cars need to go through an annual MOT, the roads should be getting checked on a regular basis as well.
“HGV and buses have got to go through an inspection every six weeks so why are roads not undergoing inspections?
“Don’t get me wrong, they have done some repairs but they are not doing enough of them.”
Ramsay Bell, chairman of Highlands & Islands Driving Instructor Association, said people are “up in arms” about the roads.
He added: “Potholes are a huge issue. I don’t know a driving instructor who hasn’t had some form of damage. It is appalling.
“They are not just small dips in the road, they are literally craters in many instances”
Highland council’s road investment plan
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Plans to invest up to £60m in Highland roads and infrastructure was approved by Members in March 2024.
“This decision means an additional £40m investment in roads and transport infrastructure.
“This, on top of the previous three years of increased levels of funding, will bring the total investment in Highland roads over the next 3 years to £65m.”
Raymond Bremner, leader of the Highland Council said: “Roads are a clear priority for communities not just in Caithness but across the Highlands and this has been a theme in feedback from public engagement.
“We have a local road network stretching some 6,600km. This extra capital investment in roads will further enhance the significant level of investment over the past three years.”
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