Campaigner says Wick resurfacing work ‘will make a great difference’
Highland Council’s road resurfacing programme in and around Wick “will make a great difference”, according to campaigner Iain Gregory.
He said it was pleasing to see the “extensive improvements” in progress in the Wick area, while emphasising that “a huge amount” still needs to be done around Thurso and Castletown and the county as a whole.
Mr Gregory co-founded Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) in 2021 to highlight the condition of roads in the county and to push for substantial investment to fix potholes and other defects.
The ongoing resurfacing in Wick was highlighted at the monthly meeting of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC) on Monday.
The outgoing RBWCC chairman, Allan Farquhar, said: “I’ve seen a vast improvement and I actually saw a comment today from Caithness Roads Recovery that was nearly a compliment.
“They’re quite delighted seeing all the roads in Wick that are undergoing improvements at the moment.”
This was a reference to a Facebook post by Mr Gregory on behalf of CRR, accompanying a series of photos, stating: “Some very welcome work being carried out in Wick. This is going to make a huge difference. An awful lot to do right across the county, but this is definitely good news.”
Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner – attending the RBWCC meeting as a ward member for Wick and East Caithness – pointed out that streets in many parts of Wick were being resurfaced, as well as the road out to Staxigoe. He also said that white-lining work had started.
When invited to expand upon his social media post, Mr Gregory said: “It is very pleasing indeed to see the extensive improvements currently being carried out to the streets and roads in Wick, some of which had reached a truly dire state. There is no doubt that the repairs will make a great difference, and will be welcomed by residents and visitors alike.
“Clearly there remains a huge amount to do, right across the county. We very much look forward to being able to post about further works, and indeed to the day when all of the roads and pavements in the county are restored to a safe and acceptable standard, white-lined and signposted, and free from potholes and defects.”
Last month, official figures revealed that Highland Council had the fifth worst roads in Scotland. Scottish Transport Statistics for 2023/24 showed that 39 per cent of Highland roads were in a poor condition.