Meeting of the Parliament 09 May 2018
I congratulate Rachael Hamilton on securing the debate, and I put on record how much I share her concerns about the deterioration of Scotland’s roads. Nowhere is that more of a problem than in Ayrshire, as Brian Whittle and Jamie Greene have highlighted.
I will start with the M77. The deterioration of that road, which is much used by my constituents, has been very significant over the past winter. Cars travelling at 70mph, hitting potholes and swerving to avoid them in heavy traffic, have once again made that road a less safe place to drive than it should be. Until Liam Kerr spoke, I had not even thought about the danger to motorbikes. That the standard of the road’s carriageway and surface has fallen below acceptable safety standards is, I believe, beyond doubt. The minister is aware of my constituents’ concerns, and I await responses to many of the concerns that they have raised, knowing as I do what a significant mailbag he will have on the subject.
Brian Whittle has drawn the chamber’s attention to the deterioration of the A77 from Kilmarnock to Portpatrick. Again, that affects my constituents, as it is part of the main arterial road between Glasgow and Wigtownshire. That road has also dramatically deteriorated over the winter. I understand that Transport Scotland’s first duty over the winter was to keep the road properly clear of snow and ice, and I salute its efforts in that regard. However, the immediate priority of Scotland TranServ and Transport Scotland must now be to make our trunk roads safe to drive on again. Just today, I have been contacted by yet another constituent whose vehicle has suffered £500-worth of damage, and I know from bitter experience how difficult it will be for him to gain compensation for that damage.
Turning to the roads that are maintained by our local authorities, I know and understand the pressure that the Ayrshire roads alliance is under to repair winter damage. However, having spent part of the bank holiday weekend travelling the roads of Ayrshire—many of them in Jeane Freeman’s constituency—I ask the minister and the Ayrshire roads alliance to note the poor state of the A714 south of Barrhill and before the Cree bridge and the A70 from Ayr to Muirkirk.
I will close at this point—no: I will turn to the potholes in my Ayr constituency, which are of enormous concern to my constituents. The difference between urban potholes and trunk road and rural potholes is the speed limits that are in force. Car damage is much less in built-up areas than in areas where the speed limit is 60mph or 70mph, and the potholes on our major trunk roads represent a real threat to life, as Liam Kerr has noted, which is why massive efforts must now be made to repair them.
I will close this time, Presiding Officer, although I could go on. I am certain that the minister will by now have got the picture of the state of the roads in Ayrshire without my detailing every last pothole on every road.