A9 dualling delay: Key freight road, says haulage industry leader
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Work to dual the remaining single-carriageway sections on the A9 between Inverness and Perth was meant to be finished by 2025.
But earlier this month, the Scottish Government announced the deadline was unachievable, prompting anger, disappointment and frustration.
This week, we speak to different users of the road from farmers to driving instructors about their reactions. Next to give his view:
The lorry driver
Martin Reid, the policy director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the Road Haulage Association (RHA), lives at Lossiemouth and regularly drives the A9.
He was disappointed but not surprised when the Scottish Government announced it would not meet the 2025 deadline to dual the road.
"I know the government has to manage a lot of different things over a long period of time.
"The A9 is a key road. It is a key road for freight.
"We would urge the government that if it cannot meet the deadline it set, it needs to stick as closely as it can to that.
"This is one of the most important freight roads in the country.
"Long before the government announced about dualling starting in 2015, the RHA for many years had been pushing for the A9 to be dualled.
"The sections that have been dualled offer a better driving experience than previously.
"That is why we are keen for the government to commit to complete what it set out to do. At the time, everyone was for that decision and nothing has changed.
"In terms of accidents, each one is investigated on its own merits. There are reasons and a rationale behind each one.
"Obviously, one of the benefits of dualling is removing the two-lane to single-lane sections which can be problematic particularly for our industry where there are cars trying to overtake when you are going from a dual to a single section."
Related stories:
- SNP called on to avoid terrible and avoidable A9 deaths
- A9 dualling delay: Farming lobby disappointed
- A9 dualling delay: Call for double white lines
Tomorrow: The driving instructor.
