Scottish Liberal Democrat conference demands action on northern roads to save lives

At the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference in Edinburgh today, party members passed a motion calling on the Scottish Government to make a statement to Parliament detailing the completion date for the A9 and A96 dualling programmes and to invest in road safety north of Inverness.  

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling 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.  

Leader of the Moray Liberal Democrats Neil Alexander, 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. The Northern Scot recently reported that in the last five years the A96 section between Elgin & Forres has been the most dangerous section of this road. 

“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.”