Scottish Lib Dems call for A9 dualling completion date
Scottish Lib Dem party members have passed a motion calling on the Scottish Government to make a statement to Holyrood detailing the completion date for the A9 and A96 dualling programmes and to invest in road safety north of Inverness.
Thirteen people lost their lives on the 112-mile section of the A9 between Inverness and Perth last year – nearly all the fatalities occurred on the road in Badenoch and Strathspey.
It was the highest number of fatalities on the stretch in 20 years.
At their party conference at The Venue @ The Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, Scottish Liberal Democrats called on the SNP government to:
• make an immediate statement in the Scottish Parliament detailing the final date for the completion of the dualling programmes for the A9 and A96.
• Publish a detailed routemap for the completion of each of the remaining sections, followed by quarterly updates;
• Review current road safety measures and publish an impact assessment of the conditions of the A9, A82 and A83 on the local economy;
• Commit to investing in roads north of Inverness including dualling the A9 to Nigg, to maximise opportunities from the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport plans;
• Commit to a national memorial to those who have lost their lives in road traffic incidents, including the A9.
Neil Alexander, Leader of the Moray Liberal Democrats, who moved the motion, said: “Infrastructure in the North of Scotland has long been denied attention and action by successive SNP governments.
"This Liberal Democrat motion signals a new way forward.
“Despite a steady drumbeat of road deaths across the Highlands, ministers have singularly failed to act with the urgency that is needed."
He continued: “Upgrading the A9, A96, A82 and A90 is matter of essential public safety. It will transform the lives of people and communities in the Highlands and beyond.
“If these roads led to the First Minister’s Glasgow constituency or his home in Dundee, I doubt there would’ve been so little action.”
