Highlands has had a raw deal, says A9 campaigner
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The Scottish Government and officials must have known years ago that the target for completing the A9 dualling would not be achieved, according to a long-standing campaigner.
Mike Burns said he was not surprised by the government's controversial announcement that work to upgrade the remaining single-carriageway sections between Inverness and Perth would not be completed by the promised 2025 deadline.
"It was never going to be finished by then," said Mr Burns who claimed the difference between infrastructure projects in the Highlands and the central belt was akin to a tale of two countries.
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Ten years ago, Mr Burns of Foyers, set up the high-profile campaign, A9 Average Speed Cameras Are Not the Answer, in protest at proposals for cameras to be installed on the section between Dunblane and the Raigmore Interchange in Inverness following a spate of deaths on the road.
Mr Burns, whose crusade attracted thousands of supporters, gave evidence to Holyrood's public petitions committee in January 2014.
He said the government had questions to answer about the time lines of the dualling project, forward budget planning and project delays.
"I think the Highlands has had a raw deal," he said. "People are fed up of the poor roads. They are fed up of poor journey times."
Mr Burns, who works in England three days a week as head of services for Warwick University, said the situation would not be tolerated in England.
"I commute up and down," he said.
"It has opened my eyes to incredibly poor infrastructure north of Perth.
"I think the Highlands have had enough. We pay the same taxes as the rest of Scotland.
"Give us our fair share of what we need to develop the economy.
"You feel the Highlands has become a tourist trap but what are tourists seeing when they come here? They see poor quality roads.
"Locals are frustrated because the infrastructure is not built to deal with what the area has become. They feel there is stagnation in development north of Perth.
"It is disheartening to see.
"The A9 was supposed to be a great masterpiece."
He recalled the Scottish Government flagging up plans to develop the A9 as an "electric highway" with a network of vehicle charging points to help meet targets to reduce carbon emissions.
"The A9 is not going to be capable of taking electric cars,"he said.
"Why is this happening to the north? What have we done to deserve this approach?
"Money is being poured into central belt infrastructure. It is almost like two different countries."
