Scottish transport minister Keith Brown has finally visited a notorious Mearns accident blackspot after reading about the concerns of campaigners in The Courier.
The Scottish Government has until now refused to build a flyover where the A937 meets the A90 at Laurencekirk, which has been the site of four fatalities in the last decade.
Mr Brown’s predecessor Stewart Stevenson made the decision despite planning to build similar grade-separated junctions at the Inveralmond and Broxden roundabouts in Perth and the Keir roundabout in Dunblane, where no fatal accidents have taken place over the same period.
Long-term campaigner Jill Campbell voiced her disappointment several weeks ago after Mr Brown’s office refused to confirm to The Courier whether or not he would visit the junction in person before he justified the proposals at Holyrood on January 25.
The mother-of-three, who collected an 8000-signature petition calling for a flyover after the death of local man Jamie Graham in 2004, had already emailed Mr Brown personally to ask him to cross the junction in rush hour with her to help him appreciate the risks it posed to road users.
This is especially dangerous for motorists travelling to Laurencekirk from Montrose, who are faced with crossing both the north and southbound carriageways, often in the face of a large volume of oncoming traffic.
Ms Campbell said, “After the article appeared in The Courier, I got a phone call from Mr Brown’s office.
“I was told that my email hadn’t been received and I was asked to send it again to another address, then it was arranged that Mr Brown would come out.”‘Very grateful’She added, “We were driven across the junction from both sides and I was able to explain the risks to him.
“Although he made it clear that nothing was set in stone, I’m very grateful he took the time to come out and see things for himself because I don’t think anyone can make a decision on the junction unless they’ve seen first-hand what it’s like.”
Ms Campbell said, “He’s already done more than Stewart Stevenson ever did.
“Whatever comes of this now, at least he has seen it for himself.”
Prior to his meeting with Ms Campbell, Mr Brown held talks with West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MSP Mike Rumbles, who has lobbied for the construction of a flyover in the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Rumbles said, “These were very positive discussions and I am pleased that Keith Brown has taken an interest in Laurencekirk so early in his career as transport minister.
“This was a useful opportunity to provide the minister with information on why we so desperately need a flyover on the A90.”
He added, “It is refreshing to have a minister who is positive and keen to listen after three and a half years of simply being told no by the previous minister.”