Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2024
To be honest, I think that we can spend more money on our local authorities.
Let us talk about the Scottish National Party Government’s track record when it comes to neglecting drivers, starting with the disastrous Bute house agreement. By going into coalition in 2021 with the Greens—an anti-driver and anti-road party—Nicola Sturgeon chose to put support for independence above the needs of motorists, particularly those in rural areas.
The Greens are so radical on this issue, with Lorna Slater once saying that cars are not safe for people or for the planet. She has even called for a ban on car advertisements. Just yesterday, Lorna Slater held a members’ business debate on banning cars from Holyrood park. Her co-leader, Patrick Harvie, pledged in this parliamentary session to shift billions of pounds away from road building. The only good thing that Humza Yousaf did as First Minister was to get rid of the Greens from Government.
A few months ago, we found out that the Government had spent £16 million on consultancy fees for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful project, yet the road has mostly been closed to two-way traffic since August 2020. The A83 crosses through my region, and many of my constituents have expressed their frustration about the delay.
The Scottish Conservatives are the only party standing up for motorists, whether on repairing potholes or upgrading key trunk roads. Many times in the chamber, we have called on the Government to stop dragging its feet and get on with the job of upgrading key roads, including the A96, A9, A75, A77 and A83.
Here is hoping that SNP ministers will listen to motorists rather than looking at their own crazy proposals, such as charging drivers £15 a day to drive cars into towns and cities.
13:24