FOCUS ON A9: Memorial to victims
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A safety campaigner has said politicians won't be allowed to hide A9 deaths "in a drawer".
Laura Hansler told the petitions committee at Holyrood that politicians and government agencies will not be allowed to take the number of deaths on the A9 to be “hidden in a drawer, to make the situation more palatable.”
One of her key demands is for a memorial for those who have died on the route.
That idea was initially rebuffed by Transport Scotland, but they have been asked to reconsider their position by committee convener Jackson Carlaw.
Ms Hansler said: “A total of 335 people have now lost their lives in 252 collisions on the Perth to Inverness section of the A9 since 1979, when the old road was bypassed. These people aren’t statistics that I will allow to be hidden in a drawer, to make the situation more palatable.
“That is why I am calling for a National Memorial.
“Not only should every name be etched in the memory of every minister ever involved with the A9 dualling; it is, by a small measure, a means of an apology to our families and communities.”
She added: “I sit here today at the beginning of our summer holiday period, knowing that many more lives will be lost on the A9 over the coming months.”
