The SNP Government have been accused of allowing rural Scotland’s trunk road network to go to “rack and ruin”.
A Scottish Conservative-led debate in parliament today (Wednesday) will focus on the SNP’s broken promise to fully dual Scotland’s most deadly road – the A9 – between Perth and Inverness, as well as their failure to upgrade or maintain a series of other lifeline routes outside the Central Belt. These include the A75, A77, A83, A96 and A90.
Transport Scotland figures show that there have been 144 deaths on Scotland’s major trunk roads outside the Central Belt in the last three years – 104 of them on sections that hadn’t been dualled.
During the debate, Holyrood’s main opposition party will argue the Nationalists’ “abject failure” on roads is symptomatic of their “contempt” for rural, remote and island Scotland.
MSP Stephen Kerr, who is also the Scottish Conservative candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, says the ferries scandal, the R100 broadband rollout and the fact that GP and teacher shortages are more acute in rural areas prove this point.
He says the SNP deserve to be punished at the General Election for neglecting rural Scotland – and in key seats across the country only the Scottish Conservatives are capable of beating them.
Scottish Conservative MSP, and candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, Stephen Kerr said: “The SNP have let our rural roads go to rack and ruin during their 17 years in power.
“The death toll on trunk roads outside the Central Belt is terrifying and unacceptable.
“The A9 rightly gets all the headlines because it is Scotland’s most deadly road and the SNP will miss their own pledge to dual it by at least a decade, which is unforgivable and continues to cost lives.
“But the Nationalists’ abject failure on rural road upgrades also extends to the A75, A77, A83, A96 and A90. These are also lifeline routes that have never been prioritised by the Nationalists.
“It is symptomatic of the SNP’s contempt for rural and island Scotland, which we see in the ferries scandal, the botched R100 broadband rollout and the teacher and GP shortages being even more acute than in Scotland as a whole.
“Those living in rural Scotland, who feel betrayed by the scandal-ridden, independence-obsessed SNP, have the chance to punish John Swinney and Co on July 4. The Scottish Conservatives will always stand up for rural communities and, in key seats across Scotland, only we can beat the SNP.”
Notes to editors
There have been 144 deaths on Scotland’s major trunk roads that go outside the central belt in the previous three years. Between 2020 and 2023, there were 144 fatal accidents on roads such as the A9, A75 and A82 amongst others. (FOI Response, available on request; spreadsheet attached).
Of these deaths, 104 of them occurred on sections of these major roads that were not dualled. Between 2020 and 2023, 104 deaths on these major roads were not dualled, meaning 40 of these fatal accidents did occur on dualled sections. (FOI Response, available on request; spreadsheet attached).
There have been 22 fatal accidents and 313 injuries on the A9 since 2020 – making it Scotland’s deadliest road in that time. The A9, which goes from Perth all the way up to Thurso, has seen 22 fatal accidents and 313 injuries between 2020 and 2023. This is broken down by seven deaths on dualled sections and 15 deaths on non-dualled sections. (FOI Response, Available on request; Traffic Scotland Trunk Road Network, Accessed 28 May 2024, https://www.traffic.gov.scot/trunk-roads. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">link).
There have been eight fatal accidents and 136 injuries on the A96 since 2020. The A96, which goes from Aberdeen to Inverness, has seen eight fatal accidents and 136 injuries between 2020 and 2023. (FOI Response, Available on request; Traffic Scotland Trunk Road Network, Accessed 28 May 2024, https://www.traffic.gov.scot/trunk-roads. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">link).
There have been five fatal accidents and 56 injuries on the A83, also known as the Rest and Be Thankful Road, since 2020. The A83, which runs from Tarbet to Campbeltown and runs through the Argyll, Bute & South Lochaber constituency, has seen 5 fatal accidents between 2020 and 2023 and 56 injuries. (FOI Response, Available on request; Traffic Scotland Trunk Road Network, Accessed 28 May 2024, https://www.traffic.gov.scot/trunk-roads. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">link).
There have been six fatal accidents and 77 injuries on the A76 since 2020. The A76, which runs from Dumfries to Kilmarnock, has seen six fatal accidents and 77 injuries between 2020 and 2023. (FOI Response, Available on request; Traffic Scotland Trunk Road Network, Accessed 28 May 2024, https://www.traffic.gov.scot/trunk-roads. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">link).
There have been eight fatal accidents and 171 injuries on the A77 since 2020. The A77, which runs from Stranraer to Kilmarnock, has seen eight fatal accidents and 171 injuries between 2020 and 2023. (FOI Response, Available on request; Traffic Scotland Trunk Road Network, Accessed 28 May 2024, https://www.traffic.gov.scot/trunk-roads. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4">link).