Hansard

I thank Mary Scanlon for affording us the opportunity to debate this matter this evening. I apologise that I cannot stay for the whole debate. I add my voice to the call for much-needed improvements on the A96 and state my support for a bypass for Elgin.

Today, the Government published its infrastructure investment plans. However, the only piece of work on the A96 that I could find in the plan is the bypass at Fochabers and Mosstodloch. Residents, businesses and public transport operators along the route will, no doubt, react with disappointment to that news. The minister will say that other schemes are being considered as part of the strategic transport projects review. Although I recognise the need to consider how transport projects fit within the wider context, the fact that the review does not conclude until the summer, at the earliest, leads to uncertainty. Perhaps the minister can give us an assurance that the strategic transport projects review will not be delayed beyond the summer and that the prioritisation of projects will include criteria that ensure that there is a fair geographical spread of investment across Scotland.

The A96 suffers from low average speeds, poor journey time reliability and, of course, a mix of traffic, including quite a lot of slow-moving agricultural traffic. Road safety is often compromised when drivers become frustrated. I urge the Government to develop a programme of improvements that increases safety at accident black spots, provides unambiguous overtaking opportunities and tackles bottlenecks. Elgin is one of those bottlenecks and is in great need of a bypass. That need is something that it shares with other towns along the A96. Keith, Elgin and Nairn would all gain significantly from such infrastructure investment. My colleague Danny Alexander has campaigned vigorously on Nairn's behalf.

The Highlands and Islands strategic transport partnership and the north east of Scotland transport partnership jointly commissioned the A96 corridor study, which led to a series of recommendations for all modes of transport. Flowing from that, a further piece of work was commissioned by HITRANS recently to consider road improvements specifically, including bypasses for those three towns. That objective work is now almost complete, and I believe that it will give further valuable ammunition to the local campaigns.

I am disappointed that the regional transport partnerships' role in helping to bridge national and local strategies in a coherent way has been a little undermined. It is not too late for the Government to reconsider the value that it places on RTPs.

For local residents in towns along the A96, the congestion, pollution and noise are a real headache. Even crossing the road has become a challenge for elderly residents. Further, the congestion also prohibits the opportunity to introduce more sustainable transport modes, such as cycling and walking within the towns. However, the congestion in those towns is not only causing local problems; it is clear that it is beginning to act as a break on the economic growth along the whole corridor. The economy of Elgin is more fragile than any of us would like it to be, and I would like to emphasise that good transport links help to build a stronger economy.

It is also worth noting that shorter and more reliable journey times can have benefits for the provision and take-up of bus and coach services, particularly long-distance ones.

I commend the local community, the council and the Northern Scot on their persistence, which I am sure will pay off. These bottlenecks are strategic constraints that need to be addressed sooner rather than later, so I urge the minister to bring forward plans to tackle them.