Readers have had their say on a Dundee bypass after the idea resurfaced following chaos at the Swallow Roundabout.
New traffic lights at the junction have caused long delays, while road markings and signs have caused confusion.
Some, including The Courier’s columnist Steve Finan, believe a bypass is the obvious solution to reducing congestion here and on the Kingsway.
After The Courier explained the history of the bypass idea and why one has never been built, readers had their say on the proposal.
Dundee bypass would ‘unlock economic potential’
Several readers have thrown their support behind a bypass, citing the benefits it could bring to Dundee and north-east Scotland.
Courier website user ‘Detective Pikachu’ said: “Any proposed Dundee bypass will come with upfront costs, but the long-term economic and infrastructural benefits far outweigh the short-term costs.
“We should view it as an investment in connectivity and prosperity for the entire region.
“A bypass would ease congestion in Dundee, improve freight and commuter flow, and unlock economic potential not just for the city, but for northern towns and even Aberdeen.”
Others cited the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) as an example of the benefits a Dundee bypass could bring.
The final stretch of the AWPR opened in February 2019.
‘JP’s Ghost’ wrote: “This Dundee western bypass ought to have been a joined-up project together with Aberdeen’s AWPR project, which has made a huge difference to traffic all over the Aberdeen area.
“It took 20 minutes off my pre-retirement, 90-minute commute into the south side industrial estate from western Aberdeenshire and 30 minutes off my Dundee to centre of Aberdeen trips.”
‘Dundee badly needs this bypass’
There has also been criticism of the existing Kingsway and its suitability as an outer ring road.
‘Claypotts boy’ likened the road – which is also called the A90 – to a “horse and cart track”.
Meanwhile, ‘Karen’ said: “Dundee badly needs this bypass.
“The A90 is a nightmare, especially since free-flowing roundabouts at Swallow, Morrisons and Forfar Road have been removed.
“The Swallow ‘improvement’ just strangles traffic flow, reducing eastbound traffic to one lane. It’s very badly designed.”
‘Guthrie’ posted: “It’s a gap in the route between north-east Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
Meanwhile, ‘Ross’ said: “Wasting millions of pounds on ‘upgrades’ to the Kingsway etc isn’t actually solving the problem and as time goes by it just gets worse and worse.”
‘What’s going on’ said having “better transport links” with free-flowing traffic was better than cars sitting “idle” on multiple occasions on their journey across Dundee.
Dundee bypass prompts environmental concerns
However, some Courier readers oppose the idea of a Dundee bypass.
A key concern is the impact the road would have on the countryside and the environment.
‘Gphillips’ said: “Continuing to build huge roads, with massive environmental impact, is absolutely the wrong thing to be doing.
“For the cost of a bypass, you could install high-quality cycle routes on most roads in Dundee.
“That would do far more to relieve traffic and have far-reaching environmental, social and economic benefits.”
Other readers are not hopeful about the prospects of a bypass being built.
‘Speug’ said: “Forget it – there would be thousands of objections to that route and it would cost billions.”
‘Stewart B’ wrote: “Remember how long it took to get the Aberdeen bypass and the debacle of dualling the A9?
“I will not be holding my breath.
“(I’m) pretty sure I will be pushing up the daisies before a Dundee bypass ever happens.”
Should an alternative bypass route be considered?
Others, including the Dundee Civic Trust, have called for an upgrade of existing roads that already bypass the city.
The A94 connecting Perth to Forfar has been put forward as a possible option.
Courier reader ‘Stobie Ferret’ is behind this idea, saying: “Why not just upgrade the A94 from Perth to Forfar with a couple of much smaller bypasses around Coupar Angus and Meigle?
“Especially now you’ve got the new Tay crossing bypass onto the A94 at Perth.”
‘Gregor McIntosh’ proposed a different alternative, which would mean reversing some of the brutal Beeching cuts to railways in the 1960s.
He said: “How about (we) rebuild all the railways that got closed in the 60s rather than reinforce the already god awful car dependency in Dundee and Angus?”
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