| Soft Peddling Towards the Cycle Event
In spite of being held behind inadequately signed closed doors in the Recreation Centre in Aberfeldy, the Etape Caledonia/P&K Council drop-in information day on 25 April drew in folk between noon and 8.00pm expressing residential, business and community council interests.
Concerns raised and anxieties expressed with the representatives, which are being or will be addressed, included the following:
- Upon what data, derived from which sources, are the claims founded that the planned event this summer “is expected to be worth £500,000 to the local economy”?
- Is that “local economy”
• The whole of Perth & Kinross?
• The whole of Highland Perthshire?
• Pitlochry?
- What evaluation was made of the opportunity costs attached to this event which are to be borne by those businesses operating along the proposed route AND those which, although not ON the route, are nevertheless quarantined from custom by the closures?
Without properly founded opportunity costing, any impact study to be conducted on the event will be worthless
- What methodology is to be adopted for assessing the impact of the event
• economically
• environmentally and
• socially?
- As public monies have already been committed to this event’s deficit funding for this year (and for two subsequent years), what is the extent of the further commitments from public sources that have been pledged to support the event’s preparation, management, administration etc with such functions as policing, safety stewarding, waste & litter management, and marshalling, etc
Compensation
The thorny issue has been raised of possible compensation for established businesses which see their realistic income expectations blighted by the road closures on the day. Although a formal statement from the organisers on this issue is awaited, there have been cogent arguments put forward that, sadly, many precedents exist for prolonged traffic interruptions choking off trade and the pursuit of commercial profit for similar periods of time.
These - whether the result of A9 highway accidents, flooding, landslips, unavoidable roadworks etc have to be stoically met by businesses and residents alike without seeking something to offset ‘entitlements’ of one sort or another. At least with this proposed event, it is maintained, there is sufficient warning to allow provision to be made for the day.
In addition, it has been put forward that this is but a short and discrete ‘suffering’ by a few that will ultimately bring longterm benefit to many. A parallel has been drawn with the unfolding disruptions and bypassings that will be faced when the works on the A9 Ballinluig junction gather momentum - a vexatious means, over a limited time, towards achieving an end widely desired within the communithy and beyond.
Brendan Murphy
Pictured above at the Recreation Centre session in Aberfeldy is Kenmore Community Council chairman James Duncan Millar in discussion with the P&K/Etape team
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