THE LONG wait continues for news on whether the vital A96 road link between Aberdeen and Inverness will ever be fully dualled.
A final decision will not be made until well into next year, according to a long awaited study from the Scottish Government.
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Transport Scotland has confirmed 16 options for the route are being looked at in the first half of 2023.
But that work will then be taken for further public consultation before a final decision can be reached.
The SNP and Greens had agreed to carry out a “transparent, evidence-based review” of the dualling project, including a “climate compatibility assessment”.
The agreement signed by the two parties in government pledged to report this review by the end of this year.
But the P&J says only the initial appraisal and the public consultation were published in time for the deadline. The climate review is not due until next year.
Respondents to the public consultation were asked about their travel habits, their use of different modes of transport and the benefits and disadvantages of using the A96 corridor.
The most frequently raised suggestion for the road was the need for full or partial dualling, with 55% of respondents calling for this. Around 11% opposed dualling – either full or partial.
The three top safety concerns raised by respondents were: dangerous overtaking, lack of overtaking opportunities and the road being unsafe in general.
On road safety, 58% of respondents stated that they felt very unsafe or somewhat unsafe when using the route compared to 21% who said they felt very safe or somewhat safe.
North-east Tory MSP Liam Kerr said the dualling decision has been “kicked well into the next year, at least”.
He added: “And the spectre of the Greens still hangs over it with the climate-change assessment still to come. The people of north Scotland will be using this road well into 2023 without a decision. But they have made their feelings very clear.”
Transport Scotland A96 programme manager Sandy Jamieson told the P&J: “We are now pushing forward with the next phase of further detailed work to inform the remaining stages of the review.
“These include a robust appraisal of the retained options alongside a climate-compatibility assessment, with outcomes expected to be announced in the first half of 2023 for final public consultation, before a final decision can be reached.”
- The Scottish Greens last month called for average-speed cameras to be installed on the A96 – instead of dualling the road.
Green north-east MSP Maggie Chapman believes cameras would save lives and prevent more traffic congestion and pollution.
She claimed expanding the road would “increase the risk of accidents”.
The SNP committed to fully dualling the route between Aberdeen and Inverness a decade ago, but plans have since been stuck in limbo.
The future of the project was called into question when the SNP and the Greens announced a power-sharing deal, and the Greens raised “urgent” environmental impact concerns about road projects.
However, Ms Chapman’s proposal was criticised by opposition politicians, who branded it as a “pathetic money-spinning excuse” to avoid dualling the road.
Mr Kerr called the suggestion “ridiculous”.
He said: “The A96 in its current form is a death trap regardless of whether average-speed cameras are installed or not.
“The Greens are trying to play political games with people’s lives when this is an issue of national safety on one of Scotland’s most-dangerous roads.”
