KATE Forbes has pledged to publish a revised timetable for dualling of the A9 if she is elected First Minister.
The SNP leadership candiate has said she will instruct Transport Scotland to review its procurement policies and publish a revised timetable by June, rather than the current estimate of autumn, in a bid to kickstart the dualling of the road from Perth to Inverness.
Forbes said failure to do so could result in a date of 2050 or later for completion, which she described as “unacceptable and unthinkable”.
Transport Secretarty Jenny Gilruth has said the initial date was an "ambitious challenge" but that she will update with a new target date and timescale in autumn after a review by Transport Scotland.
Highlighting fatality statistics over the past year, coupled with car use being “a necessity and not a luxury” for rural communities, the current Finance Secretary said it was “a matter of life and death”.
Forbes said: “Industry tells me that they want the A9 to be dualled from Perth to Inverness by the end of this decade, but only provided the way the work is procured changes radically. They say that unless this happens it may take till 2050 or even beyond to finish the job. That is unacceptable and unthinkable.
READ MORE: A9 dualling by 2025 'simply unachievable' says transport minister
“Not only because a car is a necessity for most Highland people, not some kind of luxury item, but also because, as we have seen so tragically last year, it is a matter of life and death.”
The Finance Secretary continued: “Thirteen lives were lost in incidents on the A9 between Perth and Inverness. Of those, all but one occurred on single carriageway sections. Evidence from Transport experts proves that fatalities are three times as likely to occur on single carriageway than dual, and 10 times more than on motorways.
"Roads themselves do not cause incidents. But single carriageways with difficult junctions, swift change between single and dual, and many foreign drivers unfamiliar with the road or driving on the left, are unforgiving of driver error. There is also no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic.
Forbes also commented on the procedure of the policy decision so far.
She said: “Transport Scotland have had nearly two years since the election to do this, and since Covid we have all known that the 2025 target would not be met. I want Transport Scotland to work collaboratively with the civil engineering industry to devise means, whether by framework agreement or otherwise, to accelerate the progress. Risk sharing should be practised as I believe it is in England and some local authorities.
“In my first week in office I will instruct Transport Scotland to consider whether it can deliver a plan to do this work by the end of the decade. A timetable must be published by June at the very latest and certainly not in the autumn.
READ MORE: SNP leadership race: How to watch Glenrothes hustings tonight
“Promises matter. Where we make them, we must keep them. It’s about honesty and trust, and that shall be my approach if I am elected First Minister.”
On Monday, candidate Ash Regan apologised on behalf of the SNP for “backtracking” on the deadline for delivering a “crucial” infrastructure project.
Regan said abandoning the 2025 deadline for widening the A9 between Perth and Inverness to make it a dual carriageway was a “total drop of the ball” as she pledged to crack the whip with civil servants working on the project.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel