By Dave Lord

AFTER YEARS of campaigning Scotland’s most dangerous road—the A9 north of Perth—could be upgraded to dual carriageway.

The route has been roundly condemned by locals, tourists, motoring organisations, politicians and hauliers, all of whom have demanded urgent improvements.

Following a spate of horrific accidents and the loss of countless lives The Courier has worked alongside such parties to run its own campaign, demanding the dualling of the road.

And comments made in the Scottish parliament yesterday have raised hopes the pressure could finally be about to pay off.

Earlier this week the A9 received yet another unwanted accolade as it was dubbed the second most hated road in the country.

That revelation prompted long-time campaigner North Tayside MSP John Swinney to yet again raise the issue at Holyrood—and he branded the positive response “a huge shot in the arm.”

On questioning deputy finance minister George Lyon—who was standing in for transport minister Tavish Scott—he discovered that dualling the road along its entire 112-mile Perth to Inverness stretch will be “looked at” under the National Transport Strategy.

Mr Lyon also stated that some priority work was being undertaken to investigate the practicalities of dualling the A9 north of Ballinluig.

“This response gives a clear indication that ministers are now actively considering dualling further stretches of the A9,” a delighted Mr Swinney claimed last night.

“This is a huge shot in the arm for the campaign to ensure dual carriageway status.”

“However, caution must be maintained as the minister did stress that the timescale would be on the lengthy side.”

Despite such positive noises Mr Swinney insisted there can be no let up by local campaign groups and pledged to do all in his power to maintain pressure on the Executive.

“We have already seen this week that motorists dislike the A9 for its inconsistent layout,” the politician said.

“We also have the worrying statistic of the A9 being the most dangerous road in Scotland.

“I will ensure the momentum is maintained on this issue and that pressure is kept up on the authorities to ensure agreement is given for the dualling of all of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.”

The local councillor for Strathtay and Dunkeld Alistair Barr has witnessed some of the most serious accidents in his ward and gave the announcement a warm welcome.

“I had a very encouraging meeting with Tavish Scott, the Transport Minister, at Holyrood just before Christmas,” he said.

“Around that time there had been several fatal or serious accidents on the road and I asserted that—knowing the circumstances of one of the fatal collisions—it simply would not have happened on a dual carriageway.

“I hoped the stark fact would help focus minds on the issue.”

Mr Barr added, “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank The Courier for its campaign.

“It has really helped to keep up the pressure and ensured the issue is at the forefront of people’s minds.”