Meeting of the Parliament 13 November 2024
Yes, it will.
This year, we have committed £14 million to supporting local road safety, with more than £2 million being invested in local authorities in the north-east of Scotland. My officials and I are in regular discussion with a range of operational partners. Just two weeks ago, I chaired the national road safety strategic partnership board and, tomorrow, a meeting of the local partnership forum for the north will take place. As a nation, we need to address driver behaviour, as a number of members have mentioned, which is consistently of concern in the context of collisions.
I am aware of, and have heard members speak about, their concerns regarding the Toll of Birness and Cortes junctions. I note that, in 2017, when Aberdeenshire Council consulted Transport Scotland on a planning application that would impact the Toll of Birness junction, it recommended that the junction be upgraded in order to mitigate the impact of future developments in Mintlaw. Aberdeenshire Council agreed with that recommendation and imposed an infrastructure capacity of 200 houses across the allocated sites in Mintlaw. The mechanism for delivering the necessary upgrade is a matter for the council and the developers. In that regard, they have entered into a planning agreement to secure a financial contribution towards the works. Neither the Government’s infrastructure investment nor the road safety review process supersedes the need for the council and developers to mitigate the housing and development impacts on the trunk road network.
In relation to the Cortes junction, Transport Scotland continues to assess the safety performance of the link between Rathen and Cortes junction, and is planning a further study on potential vehicle conflicts, to better understand any operational issues. We expect that by the end of the year.
The Government appreciates the importance of ensuring that our roads are operationally safe and effective. Clearly, that involves addressing any defects in a timely manner. I remind members of the fiscal challenges that we currently face as a result of the previous Conservative Government. The Liz Truss-Kwasi Kwarteng budget decimated the budgeting of the UK Government and the Scottish Government and took a huge amount of capital out of investment. Despite that on-going legacy and problem, we are investing record amounts in essential road maintenance schemes, our bridge strengthening programme and increasing the resilience of the network to the effects of climate change.
Since 2007, more than £297 million has been invested in the maintenance of the A90 to ensure its safe and efficient operation. In the 2023-24 financial year, more than £27.8 million was invested in the maintenance of the route.
Investment in trunk roads in the north-east is not limited to maintaining the existing network or road safety improvements. It was the SNP Government that completed the opening of a new £49.5 million dual carriageway link road at Haudagain in the north-east in May 2022. That is in addition to the £745 million investment that the SNP Government has made in delivering the 58km of the A90 Aberdeen western peripheral route, which includes the 12km section of dual carriageway between Balmedie and Tipperty to the north of Aberdeen in the north-east of Scotland. We should not forget the £10.2 million spent on removing the pinch point at Inveramsay bridge.
In conclusion, the Government will continue to strive for all road deaths and serious injuries to be greatly reduced. I urge all members to assist in supporting the road safety campaigns to challenge driver behaviour and promote road safety. I understand that Douglas Lumsden has been invited—and has, I hope, accepted the invitation—to take part in the MSP road safety event here in the Parliament.
We will invest in the A90 and in all of Scotland’s trunk roads. We have a firm plan for what to invest in and how, which is set out in STPR2, but our ambitions for investment are continually tempered by pressure on our budgets. I assure members that we are committed to investing in our rural trunk roads as part of Scotland’s trunk road network, which connects communities and families, and—as many members have identified—supports our economy.
Meeting closed at 18:51.