HERE go again! Give some politicians a bone and they never learn how to let go of it.
Kate Forbes has found an axe to grind and won’t be content until all that is left is the haft.
I have spoken before about my 50-odd years of experience with the A9, from a poorly marked goat track which passed through every village and town on the road as it followed the same route as the cattle drovers en route to the great sales to the marvellously improved surface and orientation of today which has nearly halved my journey times to beyond Inverness.
That said, the principal cause of “accidents” has actually worsened. Drivers used to be scared of the road, they took their time just a little more, they took more care when overtaking and, for most of it, they watched their speed.
Most drivers still do. Most drivers are aware that you can come around a corner and find yourself rapidly heading for the backend of a tractor and trailer. Most drivers should know that with a 400-metre sightline to every bend you shouldn’t get caught out but there are still far too many who, despite the average speed cameras, are going so fast that 400 metres might as well be a blink of an eye!
Which part of “It’s not the road, it’s the driving” does Ms Forbes not get? Why does she not see the fact that, compared to Central Belt roads, the A9 isn’t actually all that busy?
She should perhaps try sitting in the cab of a truck with the spy in the cab ticking your life away under the dash on the approach to the Kingston Bridge at four o’clock on a Friday, then she might discover what driving is all about, which is principally observe lane discipline, keep your speed reasonable and don’t run up the arse of the vehicle in front.
She could stop the vast majority of “accidents” on the A9 tomorrow. Take every car leaving Perth off the road, fit a great big spike in the middle of the steering wheel and let them go because it’s not the road, it’s the drivers.
Les Hunter
Lanark
FOR my sins, I spent the best part of 40 years as a chartered civil engineer designing and commissioning new roads. During that time the number of rules and restrictions on what you can and cannot do have escalated and it is no mean feat to achieve an agreed alignment for any stretch of new road. I, therefore, have a deal of sympathy for the position of Transport Scotland.
Kate Forbes (below) is lucky in that she is far too young to remember driving on the A9 in the 1960s. Back then, you would have been lucky to get anywhere near 50mph as you trailed through town after town – none of which were bypassed. Meanwhile, parts of the A82 (which she does mention) are still stuck in this 1960s time warp.
Even on the parts which have been upgraded, you may well be doomed to driving at 50mph or less behind a large truck (HGVs are limited to 40mph on single carriageways other than the A9) or a caravan.
And yet the A82 is a key part of the trunk road network leading to Fort William and the ferry terminals at Mallaig, Oban and also Tarbert (Loch Fyne) and Tayinloan.
Much as it would be nice to be able to improve all these roads, there are severe limits on the funding available to the Scottish Government and perhaps we need to reassess our priorities.
Ian Lawson
Milngavie
WHILE I agree with Kate Forbes on the desirability to complete the dualling of the A9 as soon as possible, I cannot accept that the fatality figures are all attributable to the lack of a dual carriageway.
Sadly there have been fatalities and accidents on dual carriageways and motorways across the country since they were built, including some on dualled sections of the A9. The common aspect of any vehicle accident is a human being who is ultimately responsible.
Speed, inexperience, failure to observe caution/warning signs, confusion especially by those accustomed to driving on the right, and of course alcohol or drugs, are all causes of accidents.
Mother Nature does of course play her part as flash flooding/ snow/ ice also feature and no amount of dual carriage building will remove this hazard, but driving to conditions can help. I write this as someone who lost a family member in a car accident and I know exactly how and who was to blame.
Kate Armstrong
Glenfarg
BORIS Johnson’s allies in the Tory Party like the English Ridiculous Group (ERG) think that he has some magic that created a sizable majority in Westminster.
It was the lies about Brexit and a gift from Jeremy Corbyn that brought about that majority. Since then Johnson has created chaos in everything he’s touched from Brexit to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
As he follows Trump in his sense of “entitlement” he is only succeeding to divide the UK, in the same way Trump has divided the USA, and make a laughing-stock of Parliament.The very use of gutter statements like “kangaroo court” diminishes the faith in the democratic system which people believed until now was the best in the world.
Mike Underwood
Linlithgow
ON January 31, 2022, Ian Blackford accused Boris Johnson of “wilfully misleading parliament” in regards to parties being held in Downing Street, then refusing the Speaker’s “request” to withdraw his comment.
As a result, Ian was suspended from the House of Commons for the rest of that day.
In light of the damning report on Boris Johnson, should the speaker now apologise to the then Westminster leader of the SNP, Ian Blackford for telling the truth about the disgraced former prime minister?
Alexander Potts
Kilmarnock
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