CAMPAIGNERS in south-west Scotland have welcomed a motion passed by Belfast City Council calling for improvements to be made to the A77 and A75 roads running through Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
Democratic Unionist councillor Brian Kingston’s motion was passed by 29 votes to 19, despite a Sinn Fein opponent calling it “absurd”.
The motion welcomed the cultural ties between Northern Ireland and Scotland and the frequent ferry services between Belfast and Larne and the Scottish port of Cairnryan.
However, it added: “The inadequate transport infrastructure beyond the ferry terminals at Cairnryan is inhib-iting growth and require investment to bring them up to standard.”
The motion called for investment in the A77 towards Glasgow and central Scotland and the A75 towards the Border “which are both predominantly single carriageway routes and pass through a number of small towns and villages”.
Former firefighter John Campbell, from Maybole, a member of the A77 Action Group, said he welcomed the support from the Belfast politicians. He told The National: “It’s great – we’ve been trying to get over there to see them.
“They’ve been following our campaign and there have been various industries over there such as haulage and the tourist industry that appreciate the importance of good road links between Scotland and Northern Ireland in particular.”
Campbell was keen for further action as the group had become aware that some firms were already moving their operations south.
“Some companies have moved their transport base from Cairnryan down to Heysham, near Lancaster because of the roads here.
“They’ve just spent more than £100 million on a new road from the M6 right to the port and since then the volume for the ferry companies has reportedly risen by more than 7%, whereas at Cairnryan it has remained steady.
“Investment here is very important for the economy of Northern Ireland. They don’t want to see their industry move down to the south or over to Wales or the English ports, so they are supporting us big-time.”
Campbell, above, has been campaigning for road improvements for around 30 years, having spent around the same length of time as a part-time firefighter and witnessing hundreds of accidents on the area’s roads.
The Belfast motion also called for improvements in the rail infrastructure in south-west Scotland, with councillors agreeing to write to the Scottish Government.
Kingston said: “The reason is we have a vested interest in the state of infrastructure, we have an interest in ensuring the best possible transport to here.”
Ulster Unionist Jim Rodgers said his party supported the motion because thousands of people travelled from Northern Ireland at weekends to support football teams in Glasgow and also in England.
His DUP colleague Lee Reynolds said there were tens of thousands of vehicles travelling between Northern Ireland and Scotland every year, and the roads at moment were “not acceptable”.
This is not the first time the area has attracted support from across the Irish Sea.
A year ago a delegation of Tory councillors from South Ayrshire met with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Stormont to discuss the “vital need” to upgrade the A77.
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