Every motorist will have a story about the day they got stuck at the traffic lights on the A96 in Nairn, and why a bypass is needed more than ever.

About how it took them half an hour or however long to get from one side of the Highland town to the other.

Or about the time the road ground to a halt for no apparent reason.

But what is it like for the people who live and work in Nairn, those who rely on the A96 for day-to-day life and work?

These are the stories of those who live in the town and the difference they think a Nairn A96 bypass could make.

The Nairn taxi driver losing money every time they’re stuck in traffic

Connor Morrison has been a taxi driver in Nairn for eight years, running his own firm Moray Taxis.

During that time he has found it increasingly difficult to run his business with traffic patterns becoming ever-more unpredictable.

He said: “It has got worse since Covid. It used to be between 9am and 2.30pm it was ok.

“All it takes now though is the littlest thing to go wrong and that can be the road gridlocked for the whole day, it won’t quieten down again until 7pm.

“It’s so unpredictable now.”

For a taxi driver, longer journey times mean fewer passengers and less money in fares through the day.

Connor added: “What should be simple five-minute journeys can take 20 or 25 minutes. All the shortcuts are congested now too.

“It’s frustrating because you’re always thinking about how much more you can be making.

“Per hour, I could easily be losing £50 when it’s really bad. That’s not pure profit, there’s fuel and stuff to factor in too, but it all adds up.”

Mother’s fears car fumes have given daughters asthma

Clair Townsend moved to Nairn in 2011 with her husband and their combined 10 children.

While the older children went to Millbank Primary School in the town, the youngest two, who are currently 13 and 10, attended Rosebank next to the A96.

The bus driver told the Press and Journal she believes the proximity to the fumes from idling cars on the main road has led to them relying on asthma inhalers.

Clair said: “A bypass is past overdue now. You just need to look at the volume of traffic now compared to when it was first promised.”

Meanwhile, Clair has learned to ride a bike for the first time at the age of 43.

She was motivated to take to two wheels after being able to cover 30-minute car journeys across Nairn in 20 minutes by bike.

She added: “We all cycle now, which isn’t without its own dangers, but it’s a lot quicker than driving.

“The traffic on Lochloy Road is so bad, it backs up all  the way to the Montgomerie Drive junction in the mornings.

“It’s the sheer volume of traffic now. There are so many families living in that area now.”

Struggle of Nairn home carers desperately trying to keep up with appointments

Home carers spend large portions of the day travelling from appointment and appointment to provide help to some of the most vulnerable.

However, with an increasing number of people being cared for at home these days, it does not provide much flexibility in their timetable.

One home carer told the Press and Journal an A96 Nairn bypass would help carers get to where they need to be on time.

She said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. We work 30-minute calls in the morning and 20 minutes the rest of the day and we go from one side of town to the other.

“We’re constantly help up in traffic, it doesn’t matter the time of day.

“It makes us late to get people out of bed, some people are waiting on us for breakfast and lunch. It’s unfair on them, the 20mph limit is a joke too.”

Would a Nairn A96 bypass actually help the town?

Phillip Stuart, who is a member of the Nairn West and Suburban Community Council, works at the Vitamin Sea Nairn gift shop on the High Street.

He believes an A96 bypass could help get rid of the man-made barrier between the town centre and beach.

However, he has warned a route taking traffic away from the town could have serious implications for traders.

He said: “When the weather is good, people tend to go to the beach but not come to the town centre because the A96 acts as a barrier.

“So a bypass would be good in that the road currently divides the town.

“However, a bypass by its very nature is exactly that, traffic will then bypass Nairn and potentially divert visitors away.

“If that does happen we need to make sure Nairn gets its fair share of funding from Highland Council for leisure facilities. If we don’t, then it could be really bad news.”

Current state of work on A96 Nairn bypass

The Scottish Government has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to an A96 Nairn bypass.

However, timelines have repeatedly slipped on the project since it was confirmed in 2011.

A 20-mile route from Inverness round the south of the town has been identified with the initial completion date identified as 2030.

Since then that date has slipped with no current estimate on when the road will be built.

Last month Transport Scotland announced the process for acquiring land for the road could finally begin.

However, the process is likely to be lengthy. There were 264 claims when the slightly longer 36-mile AWPR Aberdeen bypass was built with the final bill reaching £118.5 million.