Risk to fans prompts Caley Thistle and Ross County to back A9 dualling
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Caley Thistle chief executive Scot Gardiner has issued a joint call with north football rivals Ross County backing the dualling of the A9 for the sake of fans’ safety while travelling to matches.
Both clubs highlighted the dangers faced on the A9 by the thousands of fans who travel to and from the Highlands – not just those backing Caley Thistle and County – each season.
Mr Gardiner and Staggies CEO Steven Ferguson were clear their focus was on fan safety and neither wanted to get drawn into the political issues engulfing the SNP since it was confirmed in February that the deadline to complete the dual of the Inverness-Perth stretch of the A9 by 2025 would be missed.
Mr Gardiner said “all of us in the Highlands feel the same terrible knot in the stomach when we hear there has been another accident on the A9” so “everyone joins together to support the campaign and intention to dual the A9 as a matter of priority.”
Support for our Dual The A9 campaign comes after one person was taken to hospital after a crash between a car and van at the Munlochy Junction – north of Inverness – at around 5.35pm on Wednesday.
The football club leaders united ahead of the new league campaigns for both clubs next month. But they stressed the wider travelling sports community meant thousands of trips and coach loads of players and supporters using the route.
Mr Gardiner said: "Steve and I speak intermittently, mainly on football matters, but we have spoken more than once on the situation regarding the A9, especially since the campaign and recent events brought the matter even more to the fore.
"As Highland businesses, let alone football clubs, we both felt it would give out a very strong message to show that our two clubs support the dualling of the A9.
"Our Caley Thistle team bus has travelled up and down the A9 hundreds of times over the years and we have been caught in huge traffic delays many times because of traffic accidents and, sadly, on at least one occasion when heading south to play in a match because of a fatal accident.
"The game did not seem important after that.”
Mr Gardiner continued: “Similarly, thousands of our fans and the fans of other clubs travelling to see us in Inverness or away from home have travelled the road and the miles in all weather, in all conditions, at all times of day and while football is a game of opinions where we rarely agree on anything, none of us would disagree that safety should always come first for friends, family, staff, and colleagues and that the A9 dualling is a massive priority for the country and the region.
"No matter what team we support, work or play for all of us in the Highlands feel the same terrible knot in the stomach when we hear there has been another accident on the A9 because they rarely seem to be inconsequential, and everyone joins together to support the campaign and intention to dual the A9 as a matter of priority."
Mr Ferguson was no less adamant that for reasons of safety the A9 must be dualled not just for the senior teams but also the youth teams whose families must be concerned about their safety going to and from matches.
He said: "For the first team – 25 away trips and 10 hours per trip so 250 hours. That’s just first team games and doesn’t include meetings, mandatory events that our club and players have to attend in the central belt. Our supporters obviously travel either by supporters’ bus or cars to the same away games as the first team.
“Our Academy will have 40 away trips over under 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 age groups and our under-18s will have 12 away trips per season. Like our supporters, parents and families supporting their child will normally travel by car to these fixtures.
"The main issue for us travelling the A9 regularly will be the same as for any other individual, family or business living and working in the Highlands that travel the A9 on a regular basis – and that is safety.
“For us, a premier league football club with a first team and academy playing in a national games programme, we have no option but to travel the A9.”
He added: “I accept that dualling between Perth and Inverness cannot take away from human error but the risk of accidents will reduce hugely. Dualling would simplify the drive, reduce travel time and frustrations and manage the heavy ‘visitor’ traffic going north and south on a daily basis and again reduce the chances of a full road closure."
On Monday, First Minister Humza Yousaf admitted to The Inverness Courier that it “would be unforgivable” to go another one, two or three years without progress on the A9 dualling project.
While looking at last Friday’s edition of The Inverness Courier containing action points concerning safety and delivery following our A9 Crisis Summit last week, Mr Yousaf said the government would be “absolutely happy” to look at each suggestion.
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