Meeting of the Parliament 13 November 2024
I congratulate Douglas Lumsden on bringing the debate to the chamber, particularly because, on the day that the Scottish Conservatives have highlighted the attack on farms and rural life by both the Scottish and UK Governments, he has highlighted the SNP’s long-term failure to address rural infrastructure, especially—but by no means exclusively—in the north-east. What is most galling is that, while the accidents pile up and families suffer, and while the north-east economy is under such huge pressure, nothing of any substance gets done, but the solutions are there.
The other day, a constituent said to me that she travels regularly between Fraserburgh and Aberdeen—in darkness during the winter months, of course. She reports, as many have reported—and as I know from driving the route myself—that, in darkness, it is difficult to see the road markings at the Toll of Birness. She says that street lighting is needed just to illuminate the filter lane on to the A952.
She reports that, as anyone in the north-east knows, the same issue applies at the treacherous Cortes junction, which Douglas Lumsden mentioned. However, the obvious solution has not been implemented, despite being cost effective and quick to implement, and despite the fact that it would solve at least one problem straight away.
As for the promise—nearly two decades old—to dual the roads, I sat down last week with representatives of Gray & Adams, which is one of Fraserburgh’s biggest and most important businesses. It transports up to 30 newly manufactured semi-trailers every week from its factory in the Broch. That involves driving south on the A952, taking a right turn on to the A90 at the Toll of Birness and then travelling on to their customers.
In addition, every week, about 70 heavy goods vehicles, many of which are articulated lorries, head the other way, whether it be for accident repair or refurbishing, or to deliver materials to the factory, and then, of course, they return again. In total, Gray & Adams-related HGVs, which can have a combination length of 18m or more, use the Toll of Birness junction about 170 times every week. In other words, these people know what they are talking about. The representatives told me that if the—