Driven round the bend by roadworks disruption

One driver said: “When I saw the weather on Sunday, I thought there was no chance the work would be going ahead but I checked the Transport Scotland website, which is what we’re told to do to get the most up-to-date information, and it still said the work was taking place that night.

“Everyone understands it all depends on the weather but, given the level of disruption the closures cause, surely we deserve to be kept up-to-date?”

Hotelier Nick Fletcher, owner of Bellochantuy’s Argyll Hotel, joined motorists in calling for better and quicker communication over decisions to postpone works which impact businesses like his.

He said: “I am sure we all appreciate the work that BEAR Scotland does on the A83 – we’ve been here for just over 11 years and the quality of the road is night and day from what it used to be.

“The A83 is the lifeblood road for Kintyre in terms of access for people and goods, and is vital to our economic wellbeing. It is therefore frustrating when planned works like the ones at Bellochantuy get shifted three times with little or no notice. 

“Instead of facing two days of disruption in the hotel, we’ve had to deal with five days. I say five days because of lost income on rooms, as we had closed some of them because of potential noise disruption, and lost income in the restaurant with people either cancelling table bookings or not making them in the first place because of fears of road access.”

When asked about the lack of up-to-date information, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative, said: “While we always aim to complete works as quickly and safely as possible, unfortunately, weather conditions can change and cause unforeseen delays. 

“In this instance, the weather forecast changed only a few hours before the start time. Regrettably, this information was not shared with the relevant stakeholders on this occasion. Measures have been taken to ensure this does not happen again.”

In a bid to minimise future disruption, Mr Fletcher has suggested that a consultation or liaison group be created with BEAR Scotland to give the Kintyre community more of an input.

“As things stand, BEAR Scotland appears to have carte blanche to determine when roadworks will take place without any obvious reference to the local community and business needs,” he said.

“Issues around this were raised back in April by Campbeltown Community Council over concerns about the number of consecutive road closures on the A83. 

“Perhaps it is time to look at setting up a consultation group similar to the Campbeltown Ferry Committee set up with CalMac. It could be made up of BEAR Scotland and local businesses and groups – such as the community councils – with an interest in ensuring that works fit best around community needs, including best dates, timing, amnesties. 

“It could help to ensure the views of the Kintyre community are given legitimate weight, and local knowledge utilised, such as conflicts between roadworks and local events.”

In response, Mr Stewart said: “When planning works, we aim to minimise disruption to residents and businesses as much as possible and do carry out a consultation process to address concerns that are raised regarding programming of works and timings of amnesty periods.

“These schemes are part of a much wider programme where we must balance a host of complex factors, including the restrictions of road widths, network availability and quarry night-time working limitations, along with the wishes of residents and businesses.

“We are required to maintain the trunk roads to ensure They are structurally sound for the safe passage of the travelling public. We regret any impacts that these schemes have had on residents and businesses, and as ever, we thank the local community for their continued patience while we complete roadworks.”