“Top priority must be given to dualling the A9”

“Along with my call for some practical initiatives to move freight from road to rail and the need to improve public transport services for rural communities, I hope the Government will give serious consideration to these points in formulating their strategy.”

The following is an extract from the submission.

Proposal 1

Improving the A9 to dual carriageway status

“In Chapter 3 of the consultation paper, the Executive states “Trunk road safety planning is aimed at reducing accidents across the whole of the network. Strategies range from developing engineering solutions where accidents occur or on a route or specific location basis to participating with others to provide an overall road safety strategy.” In aiming to achieve this objective, I believe the need to improve the A9 to dual carriageway status from Perth to Inverness should be a top priority for the Executive. The A9 is the most dangerous trunk road in Scotland. From 2000-2004 the A9 claimed 82 lives and has been the site of many serious road accidents. In the last year 17 people were killed on the A9 and 200 were injured.

“Many of the dangers of the A9 come from the fact that the road changes from single to dual carriageway - and now to a three lane road - on countless occasions between Perth and Inverness. As a road that is heavily used as a tourist route to the North, this feature increases driver confusion and heightens the possibility of accidents. Accidents also take place on long stretches of apparently straight single carriageway road where the design convinces drivers it is safe to over-take when it is in fact dangerous to undertake this move. These design features of the road account for a very large number of cases where accidents take place. Expansion of the road to a dual carriageway would be consistent with the Executive priority for improve road safety.

“The A9 is also a major commercial and economic link between the central belt and the Highlands and the significant expansion of Inverness as a major city in the North of Scotland has increased the volume of traffic and the pressure on the road. Expansion of the road to a dual carriageway would be consistent with the Executive priority for economic growth.

“The commitment I seek from the Executive is to improve the A9 to dual carriageway as a strategic priority. I readily accept that this commitment could not be undertaken in one or two years but a definitive timescale that undertakes the improvements on a phased basis would be welcome.

Proposal 2

Development of an ambitious, integrated and affordable system of shifting freight to rail

“I would encourage the Executive to develop a more ambitious, integrated and affordable system of shifting freight to rail. One of the major problems affecting the A9 and also a wide range of the road network of North Tayside is the volume of heavy freight that is on the road. This volume obviously has an effect on the fabric of the road, the quality of the natural environment and the safety of members of the public.

“There are two specific initiatives that I would encourage the Executive to consider.

“Firstly, there is an opportunity for the Executive to facilitate the construction of freight consortia to combine the interests of different private organisations to encourage more freight traffic by rail on the Perth to Inverness line. The volume of lorry traffic could be reduced on the A9 if more combined freight trains could be put together between Perth and Inverness. There is a need for a range of diffuse private sector organisations to be brought together and there is a key role for the Executive in this field.

“Secondly, there is an opportunity for a large volume of forestry traffic to be taken off the roads by the establishment of rail infrastructure in the Rannoch area. There will be long-term forestry activity in this area and by establishing improved infrastructure on the West Highland line at Rannoch would ensure more forestry products could be transported by rail than road. This would ease significant pressure on the remote and fragile road infrastructure in the Rannoch and Tummel area and also reduce freight traffic on the A9. The type of investment that is required is perhaps in new sidings or lifting gear but further impetus is required to make this a viable proposition.

“These measures to shift freight from road to rail would be consistent with the Executive priorities for economic growth, the environment and road safety.

“These initiatives are likely to be relatively low in cost but will bring significant benefits to the community.

Proposal 3

Development of a more comprehensive and accessible public transport infrastructure in rural areas

“There will always be a difficulty in establishing viable and sustainable public transport infrastructure in rural areas. This will depend on volumes of passengers, frequency of journeys and the compatibility of timetables with the lives of individuals. Despite the Executive’s commitment to expanding public transport there is a growing amount of evidence of the erosion of public transport services in remote areas. Some of this is created by decisions by the Post Office to reduce Postbus services in rural areas and other questions on the sustainability of services.

“I would encourage the Executive to give greater priority, through the Regional Transport Planning Partnerships, to the better integration and availability of these rural transport services. They will be crucial for encouraging tourists to visit more remote parts of Scotland, to encouraging individuals living in these areas to play a part in our society and to making to it practical for people to live in rural Scotland.

“These measures to improve rural transport would be consistent with the Executive priorities for economic growth, the environment, road safety, social inclusion and improved journey planning."