Hansard

I have brought the debate to the chamber in the hope that it will spur the Scottish National Party Government into action to improve the A77 and A75. The Government appears to have forgotten the importance of good local roads. It does not seem to be focused on improving critical infrastructure, and it does not put growing Scotland’s economy at the top of its list of priorities. Too often, it neglects rural areas and places outside the central belt.

With regard to the A77 and A75, the SNP has been in power for almost 17 years but, in all that time, the Government has not been ambitious enough. It has never had the vision to rejuvenate the South Scotland economy by investing enough in the roads, and it has left the region behind in the process. It has not recognised that well-connected road networks play an essential role in fostering economic growth and rural development. It has never accepted the consequences of inadequate infrastructure for rural livelihoods. It has not realised that development of the A77 and A75 is crucial in improving rural connectivity and access to essential services.

In January, the A77 action group wrote to the then Minister for Transport to sum up how local people are feeling. I could not agree more with what the group said. It wrote:

“as an area, we feel that we are the Forgotten, Ignored, Neglected, and Deprived corner of Scotland.”

Having lived in Ayrshire all my life, I feel that that is spot on. Today, therefore, I hope that we can find some cross-party consensus to finally change that. I hope that, today, the Parliament will make a commitment to improve the A77 and A75. Those roads need investment, and they need it now.

It is not only my Scottish Conservative colleagues who are making that point. This year, the East Ayrshire Council leader, Douglas Reid, said that Transport Scotland’s decision not to prioritise the Bellfield interchange for almost 20 years was “scandalous”. That is the verdict of an SNP councillor. My colleague Brian Whittle will mention that in his contribution.

I have been talking about the A77 since my maiden speech in the Parliament. The A77 connects the central belt to Northern Ireland, so improvements on that road will impact not only the south-west of Scotland but central belt businesses that send their products to Northern Ireland. That is why more central belt MSPs should be in the chamber today, calling for improvements. Every MSP should be shocked that it takes an average of 69 minutes to travel along a 43-mile stretch of road. That makes the A77 the slowest A-road in the country, with an average speed of just 37.7mph. We cannot, therefore, have any more deflections from the Government, which has dodged responsibility and shifted the blame.

There are so many potential benefits of improving both roads. It would increase safety and reduce the number of accidents, improve journey times and reduce carbon emissions. It would open up the beautiful south-west to more tourism, and it would create jobs and mean that our economy could grow more quickly. What incentive is there to start a business near the slowest A-road in the country? What incentive is there for people to move to the area when it takes so long to get to work?

Improving the A77 and A75 would be a game-changer for Ayrshire and the south of Scotland, but we need urgent action now in order to realise the benefits. We need more constructive work with the United Kingdom Government to speed up the feasibility study on the A75 bypassing of Springholm and Crocketford. We need to fast-track the improvements to both roads and look at the feasibility of fully dualling the A77.

Today, I was notified about essential structural waterproofing that will start tomorrow on the A77 at Burnfoot bridge. The work will last for seven days and will involve a full road closure over the weekend, which will impact about 4,000 vehicles a day. That will force heavy goods vehicles on to smaller B-roads, thereby increasing journey times, impacting businesses and putting pressure on the roads themselves. That would not be the case if the road was fully dualled.

We know that a better road would increase economic growth and improve our public services and connectivity, but it is about so much more than businesses and the economy; it is about saving lives. It is estimated that there is a casualty every three days on these roads. Michaela Yates lost her partner of 35 years, Tony Sheil, in a crash on the A75. Recently, she told the press:

“I don’t want any other family to go through what me and my daughters are still going through because of neglect towards the road.”

Tony left behind two daughters, Samantha-Jane and Natasha. They recently said:

“Our dad, our best friend died on the A75 that night after finishing work. He never got to say goodbye to us, and we never got to say goodbye to him. That will always hurt.”

They have also said that the road is “not fit for purpose”. Tony’s partner and his daughters are right. That is a heartbreaking example, but it is not the only one.

My colleague Finlay Carson is unable to be in the chamber today, and I wish him a speedy recovery. He has been raising the need for upgrades on the A75 for years, and he wanted to highlight today the fact that, only two weeks ago, two more fatalities were reported on that road. On Monday, there was another crash, which left three people in hospital. Tragically, there are hundreds of families in a similar position, having lost loved ones on the A75 and A77. The human cost of delays and inaction is terrible. It is leaving families suffering in pain that will never heal.

The Parliament and the Scottish Government cannot allow that to continue. For all the families who have lost loved ones and for everyone who drives on those roads every day, the Parliament and the Government must act now.