Responding to the A96 Ministerial Statement in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Colin Howden, director of Transform Scotland said:
At £5,000 million, the cost of the full A96 dualling represents the equivalent of 200 years of the Scottish Government’s budget for all road safety interventions nationwide.
It is grotesque that we’re still considering spending that amount of cash on one road scheme when many more lives can be saved all round Scotland by focussing on low-cost road safety measures.
Given the success of average speed cameras in quickly reducing fatalities on the A9, the Scottish Government would be irresponsible not to take forward the installation of safety cameras on the A96.
The Transport Scotland report takes an even-handed approach, setting out where road improvements may be required, and where public transport needs to be prioritised.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government made severe cuts to investment in public transport and active travel budgets, so it’s only reasonable that its road-building plans also be scaled back.
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