MAKE IT SAFE: A82 needs to go to top of priority list
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It is crunch time for funding for the A82 – the most dangerous road in Scotland.
The road, which accounts for 13 per cent of all deaths on Scottish highways, is being considered as part of a strategic road fund which could bring millions of pounds’ worth of investment.
However, the Courier understands it is highly unlikely that any further substantial cash from the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) phase one – identifying projects over the next 20 years in Scotland – will be allocated to the A82.
Highland Council councillor Ben Thompson, the chairman of the A82 Partnership pressure group, said: “The A82 has the worst serious and fatal accident record in Scotland.
“If there is no significant investment to improve that road, I would fundamentally question the whole government process that claims to have safety for travellers as a main objective.
“I understand that in November the final stages of the government’s priorities for the STPR2 phase one will be put into a document, and this will come before the Scottish Parliament, hopefully, before the end of the year.
“It will be cold comfort for anyone who has to use or live near the A82 if there is not substantial investment in the road prioritised by the Scottish Government.”
He believed the A82: Make it Safe campaign could not come at a better time to put pressure on the government.
“If the objectives of the STRP2 are to improve safety and resilience on Scotland’s roads, I cannot imagine why Scotland’s most dangerous road, the A82, would not be included, but that is the feeling those of us on the A82 Partnership group are getting,” Mr Thompson added.
“We need to genuinely target zero deaths on that road.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said the A82 was included in STPR2 and that it was committed to improving the road between Tarbet and Inverarnan.
“The detailed development and assessment of the preferred option is well under way with a view to preparing draft orders for the scheme, which will improve connectivity between the Highlands and the Central Belt,” he said.
“That is in addition to more than £113 million already invested on the management and maintenance of the A82 in the north west.”
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