Highland MSP secures breakdown of offences on A9
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, David Stewart, who recently lodged a series of Parliamentary Questions in relation to the Northern Constabulary, Tayside Police and VOSA crack down on motoring offences on the A9 Inverness-Perth Road, has revealed that off the 759 offences detected throughout the 10 day period of the enforcement, all but 72 related to speeding.
All of the 687 speeding offences appear to have related to driving in excess of the speed limit and only four offences related to Careless or Dangerous Driving.
Commenting on the figures, Mr Stewart said: “ I am concerned that such a large number of drivers were exceeding the speed limit on what is classed as one of Scotland’s deadliest roads. I applaud the enforcement agencies for their work in trying to make our roads safer.
"That said, I very rarely hear of any pro-active work being undertaken to deal with slow moving vehicles who fail to pull over and cause huge tailbacks, which ultimately causes frustration and then inevitably collisions. I would like to see some work by these agencies directed towards these types of driver also”.
The North MSP also lodged a Parliamentary Question seeking to find out how many speed checks were carried out on straight sections of this route, at collision hot spots and close to or near the end of dual carriageways.
In responding Kenny MacAskill MSP, The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, highlighted that the agencies involved were deployed at various locations that either meet casualty criteria or were locations that formed part of the route strategy to deal with accidents spread over longer sections of the road.
Mr Stewart said: “ Mobile cameras were deployed 32 times over the 10 day period and all such vehicles using these cameras were suitably marked. I was advised by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, that no camera was deployed less than about 1.5km from the end of dual carriageway sections.
"My concern in raising this particular issue, was as a result of members of the public speaking to me about their views on the siting of speed camera vehicles very near to the end of dual carriageway sections. The inference being that such a siting was undertaken to raise revenue and nothing more.
"However, I personally feel that by being sited so close to the end of dual carriageways, being the only opportunity for many to overtake, meant that they could also be construed as a hazard, as motorists in the process of completing an overtake, would see these camera vans, brake sharply and be likely to cause a collision”.
He continued “ Don’t get me wrong, I am supportive of the action of the enforcement agencies in the main, I just have a concern about where they site these mobile speed cameras some of the time”.
