Residents in Inverness were left bemused yesterday by the unexplained appearance of green paint on a busy city road.
Large parts of the road surface along one side of Culduthel Road have been thinly painted – but there are no road markings or signs explaining why.
The green paint caused quite a stir on social media, with the most likely explanation being a new cycle lane.
But Highland Council was unavailable for comment yesterday due to the Easter public holiday.
A number of local councillors were just as perplexed by the green patches, which range from about 5 yards to 50 yards in length.
One local resident Iain Brown said: “What’s the point in doing these things if no one knows what they mean? You can be pretty certain that cyclists or car drivers have no idea why these green bits have been painted there.
“People should be made aware of of why they are on the road.”
A Culduthel Road resident said: “I’m quite bemused by it all. I’ve never seen any information about it. Certainly there’s not been anything come to my house or any other house here.
“There are cars coming that don’t know what it is.”
Yesterday on social media, local resident Alan Jones posed the question of what the green areas were for, having arrived home after a week away.
Ronald Maclean responded by suggesting it will be part of the Slackbuie cycle route, to prevent cars edging out and cyclists being hit.
Some suggested it was a “no parking zone,” but this was disputed on the basis that some of the green areas are situated directly in front of junctions.
Others suggested it could be part of new traffic calming measures.
The green paint appeared on Culduthel Road as plans were unveiled to improve travel across Inverness for cyclists and pedestrians.
Highland Council is planning to create a dedicated route from Culloden to South Kessock, joining up existing infrastructure and improving the streetscape.
The council is bidding for up to £3million in funding from the Scottish Government to help deliver the scheme.
Transport bosses at the local authority want to create what they describe as an “active travel route” for cyclists. The east to west corridor will join up Inverness High School, the city centre, Millburn Academy, Inverness Campus and Culloden Academy.