Culloden residents scratching heads after Highland Council installs fake speed bumps on busy Inverness road

Fake speed bumps have left incredulous locals shaking their heads amid fears the flat road markings in Culloden will do nothing to improve road safety.

The ‘bumps’, in reality painted two-dimensional road markings that are designed to create the false illusion that they’re raised 3D obstructions, were installed in Culloden’s Ferntower Avenue recently.

But residents and road users have been left less than impressed, with some accusing Highland Council of wasting taxpayers’ money after arguing that they will have little to no effect on traffic speeds in the busy road.

Ferntower Avenue, which has a 20mph limit, is mostly used by residents accessing various housing estates within Culloden, as well as local buses and school traffic.

And locals believe this relative lack of visitors using the road will mean the markings will simply be ignored by the vast majority of motorists, who will already be well aware that they’re nothing but a mirage - rendering them all but pointless.

One local resident said: “These speed bumps are flat stickers that clearly don’t work as drivers are speeding through them continuously. If you observed the road just for 10 minutes you would definitely see lots of drivers speeding and definitely doing more than permitted limit of 20mph.

“My concern is that children’s and walkers safety is very much at risk and tax payers money is being wasted for measures that clearly don’t work.”

They added: “It makes me sad that concerns about drivers speeding were raised numerous times and is still going on. These speed bumps I believe cost a few thousand to put into place and it’s only a small road. I believe they are not even high visibility material so you can not see them in the dark.

“Every regular driver who normally speeds on this road clearly knows they are fake and speeds through them. We just don’t want more taxpayers’ money to be wasted and issues not to be resolved anyway.”

The scepticism extends to some of the local councillors, with Culloden and Ardersier ward member Trish Robertson saying she had heard that even the workers installing the ‘bumps’ had been “laughing” at the design.

She said she had asked for road safety improvements on the road but had been left “quite disappointed” by what was chosen.

And she is also doubtful that they will be effective given the majority of traffic using Ferntower Avenue will be locals only - and they will swiftly realise there’s no need to slow for the fake obstructions.

“I’m quite disappointed actually. There’s a lot of crossings there with the schools and I had asked for something to be done for the children.

“And this does not sound like the answer. “I haven’t seen it yet myself, but it is just locals and buses using that road. You’ve not got many visitors up there, so it doesn’t sound like it’s the answer - locals will just get used to it.”

The councillor added “I heave heard comments from someone that even the workmen putting them in were laughing [at the design]. Time will tell but there may have to be more work done.”

A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The council, as the local roads authority, along with its partners, aims to play its part in delivering a safer, healthier and greener road network for the Highlands. The aim is to achieve this through improved street design, embracing technology and welcoming innovation. The council has adopted the Safe System approach and the road safety targets contained within the road safety framework to 2030.”

Although they are new to local motorists, fake speed bumps of similar design have popped up on a number of UK roads in recent years - often prompting the same road safety fears and criticism that motorists will swiftly ignore them,

Responding in The Mirror to the installation of fake speed bumps in a community in Kent two years ago, RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Clearly, painting mock speed humps is significantly cheaper for any cash-strapped council than making physical changes to the road, but the risk is that drivers intent on speeding quickly realise they’re not real and continue to break the speed limit.

“Having said that, with scant budget available to them, arguably some intervention by a council like this is better than none at all – so long as the markings are kept painted.”

• What do you think? Let us know at newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk

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