Stuart Findlay: So many Inverness street signs are unreadable

I don’t want to come across all misty-eyed and like I’m longing for the past… but remember when street signs in Inverness were legible?

Yes, it truly was a golden era.

Caley Thistle were in the midst of an uninterrupted climb to Scottish football’s top table, buses turned up when they were supposed to and a Freddo only set you back 10p.

I’m exaggerating of course.

ICT still suffered plenty of hiccups, the bus service was never perfect and frankly, I’ve always been more of a Chomp man.

But my recent wanders around the streets of the Highland capital have left me thinking so many of our signs are looking a little worse for wear.

Sub-par Inverness maintenance

Ah, if these old signs could talk.

That would actually be really handy for the ones you can’t read anymore.

The state of our road signs is like that one relative who refuses to throw out his holey jumper.

It’s not life-threatening – but you still wince every time you see it.

And hey, it’s no mystery why they look the way they do.

Highland Council is absolutely skint and has endured crisis after crisis when it comes to its finances.

The approach to the Raigmore Interchange that connects Inverness’s two main trunk roads. Image: DC Thomson

Like so many other councils across the country, it is struggling to keep its head above water.

That often puts it in a lose-lose situation. Facing the wrath of a public fuming with declining services but left without the means to fix most of the problems.

School buildings are crumbling, social care is facing unprecedented pressure and potholes need filled.

Against that backdrop, tidying up the Smillburn roundabout sign is rightly way down the pecking order.

I saw the sign and it did not open up my eyes*

That got me thinking though.

These days, most cars are equipped with sat-nav.

And people are walking around with a smartphone in their pocket that gives them instant access to a map if they need it.

This sign is for Ferntower Road in Culloden – but you’ll need your phone or a sat-nav to figure that out. Image: DC Thomson

So, how much do we even need these signs?

Listen, I’m not advocating for anarchy. It doesn’t make sense to pull them all out and have people just mystery boxing their cars through the streets of Inverness.

If a sign is legible and in a decent condition, let the poor soul serve out the rest of its term in dignity.

But if you can’t read it, it’s looked awful for years or is now the colour of a McDonald’s hash brown maybe it’s time to just cut our losses?

Is this minor Inverness issue a symptom of a bigger problem facing councils?

Tourists hovering around the city centre are unlikely to encounter any of the worst examples, because things seem to have been maintained a whole lot better around there.

But stray too far from that downtown core and people fresh from navigating the NC500 might question if they’ve accidentally wandered into an apocalyptic film set.

OK, I’m exaggerating again.

But it wouldn’t take that much to fix it, would it? A lick of paint here, some rust-proofing there, and maybe replace some of the worst offenders altogether.