Countless cars, vans and lorries thunder along the A96 straight through Keith every single day — coming pretty close to pedestrians, parked cars and even homes.
For commuters and people travelling along the major road between Aberdeen and Inverness, it’s just another source of frustration.
Driving through the Moray town means slowing down and dealing with traffic lights and often long queues, slowing down journey times.
But I’ve often wondered what it’s like for the people who live and work in the Friendly Town, especially those who live in homes inches from the A-road.
Following the Scottish Government’s long-awaited A96 review, which suggested bypassing the town altogether, I wanted to know if that was something the community would want.
I headed through to Keith one sunny afternoon, but I have to admit I was not expecting such a mixed response…
Locals and business-owners told me:
- Fears people will “bypass Keith” and businesses will lose passing trade
- Safety concerns for pedestrians and worries about leaving cars parked on the street
- Hopes the town could become more like Fochabers, and that it could become more of a destination again
- Traffic misery caused by the Union Bridge works
‘Rejuvenate Keith first, then talk about a bypass’
Jessica told me she has a nine-year-old son who loves going on his scooter, but that she worries about his safety with all the traffic around.
And when she does the school run, she sees people speeding to catch the lights or sitting blocking lanes while queueing.
But, she thinks Keith is “losing more and more”, and even if there was a bypass, the boy racers will still be speeding along the long straight stretch that goes through the town.
“Bring people in, then talk about a bypass,” she said. “Keith’s a dying place and sooner or later, we’ll start losing jobs.
“We used to be a tourist destination because of the whisky distillery, we should focus on rejuvenating Keith first.”
Meanwhile, Lauren McKenzie believes Elgin would benefit from a bypass more, with tourists stopping in Keith keeping the small businesses open.
And Heather thinks a bypass “would finish Keith completely”.
She said that businesses are already struggling with the bridge being closed, and is concerned that a bypass will make this problem worse. Heather also mentioned that a lot of people visit Keith for the Under 5’s football club, so worries the children “will be the ones to miss out”.
“We need something to bring people back, not take them away,” she finished.
‘If there’s a bypass, people will bypass Keith’
Dorothy Jack, who runs her popular clothes shop on Mid Street, says she’s worried “if there’s a bypass, people will bypass Keith”.
Some customers travel for miles to browse her fashion rails, but she said since the roadworks at the bridge people aren’t coming by as much.
While she believes the A96 should be dualled, she reckons a bypass “could kill you or cure you”.
The business-owner added: “Keith relies on people being out and about, and stopping.
“With all the roadworks going on now, it sometimes takes 40 minutes to get through Keith. People travel to come to this shop, but with all the roadworks they aren’t.
“It’s been tough going, but we’re hoping for a good spring and summer.”
Other locals are a bit more on the fence…
Elizabeth moved to the area 18 years ago, and in her experience there’s always been a promise of a bypass coming “in the next couple of years”.
But, she says she’s “not 100% settled” on whether it would be the best thing for the Friendly Town.
“It’s very annoying when you think of the amount of traffic that uses the A96 and these awful accidents,” Elizabeth added. “It doesn’t seem to be a very safe road.
“But then you hear about accidents almost every day on the A9, maybe the money should be spent there?”
Another resident called Eileen said she is “torn”, while it would be good to have a bypass she is worried it will stop people coming to the town.
“I don’t know if Keith has enough of a draw,” she explained. “Fochabers has Christie’s and the Walled Gardens, but I don’t know if Keith has the same.
“There are good places to go for meals, but we’d have to advertise it to draw people in.
“A bypass might protect the road and bridges from the heavy vehicles…
“More overtaking lanes along the A96 could help too, it can be very frustrating when stuck behind a slow vehicle.”
‘It’s been getting worse for years’, says resident
Walking along the A96, the traffic seems constant, with plenty of HGVs blowing my jacket and notepad as they pass by.
I spent some time knocking doors along the stretch to find out what it’s like living right beside the major road.
Gillian told me she’s lived in her house for around 25 years, and said it’s “always just as busy” with lorries going past “well into the night”.
Although she says they’re used to the traffic now, she said it is noisy and dirty — pointing at all the dust that’s coated her front door and windows.
“It’s been spoken about for years and years, and nothing has ever been done,” she added. “But if something could be done, it would be most acceptable.”
A resident of Moss Street who did not wish to be named said when her kids were young it was safer for them because there wasn’t the same traffic.
“It’s been getting worse for years,” she said. “Even the buses struggle to get around that traffic island when turning out of Reidhaven Square because it’s so tight.”
She would like for the A96 to be fully dualled, explaining that they travel back and forth to Aberdeen, which she describes as “horrendous” because of frustrated drivers making it dangerous.
Another resident called Lucy says she is “100% for the bypass”, explaining that parking is a nightmare because of the heavy traffic and that it takes longer to drive to work sometimes.
She admits it might have an impact on businesses, but she thinks people will still visit Keith.
Locals surprised there’s not more accidents, while visitors lose wing mirrors
A gentleman who lives on Moss Street, but who did not wish to be named, told me Keith “desperately needs” a bypass.
He and his wife moved to the street in 1993 because they were under the impression that a bypass was being built. At the time surveys were being carried out to see if a bypass could go from Fife Keith along the Dufftown road.
He says they still like the location because it’s so central and everything they need is on their doorstep.
However, they cannot park their car on their street because they’ve “lost wing mirrors”. Visitors have also gone out to find their wing mirrors have been hit by passing vehicles.
While the noise doesn’t bother them, even though their living room faces the A96, they struggle crossing the road and are surprised there hasn’t been more accidents.
He added: “If they’re coming in fae Huntly they’ve nearly reached the square by the time they slow down to 30mph.
“They’re nae thinking about slowing down, that’s for sure.
“There’s the Tesco lights, and if there’s any other roadworks it’s just at a standstill. The road has to be fixed, so you just have to put up with it.
“Lorries are getting bigger, and cars are getting bigger too.”
A96 bypass could be safer for children and better for commuters
Louise Riddoch, who lives in Fife Keith, says if the bypass is “done right” it could be beneficial for the town.
However, she said the works at Union Bridge have been a persistent issue for locals and businesses alike.
The trouble began in July, after debris fell into the River Isla following a landslide caused by heavy rain.
Since then, the A96 has been reduced to a single lane while repair work is under way.
“A bypass would be good for commuters, but I think it could be a loss to businesses on the A96,” she said.
“It would probably be safer too, especially because there are a lot of bairns that walk to school and we dinna have a lollypop man anymore. We used to have one on Banff Road and one on the A96.
“There was a big hoo-ha when we lost them, but people probably just got used to it now.”
Should Keith be bypassed, or will it stop people from visiting the Friendly Town? Let us know what you think in our comments section below
Keith could be like Fochabers or Inverurie
Voluntary chair of the Keith Kilt and Textile Centre Linda Gorn also believes that a bypass done well could play a part in promoting Keith as a destination.
But she isn’t sure where the bypass could go now because all the areas highlighted in the past have now been built on.
“Union Bridge has affected passing trade big time,” she said. “But when you consider Inverurie and Fochabers, they’ve been bypassed and they’ve never been busier.
“If you go to Fochabers, you struggle to find a parking space in the street. If you go to Inverurie it’s exactly the same.
“And so there would be benefits to it, if it was planned right.”
However, Linda believes that Keith is the “forgotten town” with services being removed and businesses being left to struggle with the impact of the bridge works.
Linda, who is the chairwoman of United Keith, said since the house fire on the A96 and the landslip at Union Bridge, businesses, particularly in Fife Keith, have lost thousands.
“If that bridge got worse, there is no other way you can go ot Keith,” she added. “That’s why we so desperately need a bypass.
“They were talking about it when I moved to Keith 35 years ago, and I imagine it goes further back than that. So you know, we are the forgotten town.
“And the fact that some of the businesses are concerned if there was a bypass they would lose trade. I don’t think we would if it was promoted properly. And that’s the difference.”
Scottish Government on plans to fully dual A96
The Scottish Government says the “current favoured position” is to fully dual the A96.
This process has already started with between Inverness and Nairn, including a Nairn bypass.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “As part of the then Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government agreed to undertake a review of the corridor, a lengthy and complex process, and we published the outcomes from the review in draft for consultation last November.
“It was important that local people, businesses and communities were given the opportunity to help inform the government’s final decision on how to take forward improvements to the A96 Corridor.”
The spokesman addressed the concerns raised about the bridge works in the town, and said an update should be coming soon.
He added: “We understand the local community’s frustration and have been clear with the operating company, Amey, that we expect the repair work on the A96 Union Bridge to be treated as an absolute priority. They are due to give an update on progress soon, and we expect the community to be kept up to date on the way forward.
“It is important to note that this is a challenging project — it has been complicated by a number of factors including buried services, the work being adjacent to a watercourse, and the environmental permissions that are required prior to commencing the works.”
Read more:
A96 review makes case AGAINST full dualling – and suggests bypasses at Elgin and Keith
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