By Craig Smith

TALKS ON upgrading the A92 between Glenrothes and Dundee are set to dominate a community council forum tomorrow night.

North Glenrothes Community Council’s next meeting is due to focus on Fife Council’s vision for roads and paths in the region over the next 10 years.

But with the campaign to upgrade the main road between the kingdom and Tayside gathering pace in recent weeks, community council chairman Ron Page hazarded a guess that one issue in particular would again arise.

“Although we know the A92 is not a Fife Council responsibility I am sure this will figure in the discussions,” he concluded.

“The community council has prepared a paper on the A92 as it adjoins the Glenrothes area.

“We have discussed it with Markinch and Pitteuchar/Stenton community councils, we have met Christine May, our MSP responsible, and we await the response she gets from the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Executive.”

Campaigners in the Glenrothes area, including SNP councillor Mike Woods, want to see the entire length of the A92 made into a dual carriageway to improve its safety record and avoid further deaths.

The road is notorious for a large number of accidents, with the stretch of road again hitting the headlines when four teenagers died in a car crash near Ladybank in January.

Councillor Woods recently wrote to transport minister Tavish Scott and challenged him on why £53 million had been invested in upgrading the stretch of A92 from Arbroath to Dundee, yet nothing was in the pipeline for Fife.

“I made it clear to Mr Scott that I thought it was a shameful disgrace that £53 million had been spent at the Arbroath end, yet Fife had received nothing,” said Councillor Woods, whose investigations discovered it could cost between £65 and £75 million to dual the 17-mile route in question.

“Mr Scott’s reply was very encouraging and the fact he is willing to include the A92 upgrade proposal in the 2007 Strategic Transport Projects Review is just what we need to take the issue into the limelight.

“At the end of the day this road is one which claims the lives of more and more motorists each year.

“It needs to be dualled in the interests of public safety, commerce and tourism, and the fact it was left out of Fife Council’s 20-year plan is nothing short of embarrassing.”

Although trunk roads are the responsibility of the Scottish Executive, Mr Woods still believes Fife Council can put greater pressure on ministers to develop the road.

All road issues relevant to north Glenrothes will be discussed at the meeting in Collydean Neighbourhood Centre, which will start at 7.30 tomorrow night and is open to the public as usual.

A spokesperson from Fife Council’s transport service will be in attendance to answer questions.