Perthshire Tories have been accused of “hypocrisy” because their election manifesto makes no specific mention of the A9.
Although the document refers to other massive transport projects the replacement Forth crossing and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route no concrete plans are set out for Scotland’s deadliest road, despite the party’s depute leader being at the forefront of calls to have it dualled from Perth to Inverness.
At the weekend, a website petition set up by Murdo Fraser calling for the safety measure breached the 10,000-signature mark.
The manifesto does promise to implement the measures already set out in the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), which includes phased A9 dualling as funds become available. However, the SNP candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Dave Thompson, was quick to jump on the omission.
He said, “The SNP has been the first and only party to commit to dualling the A9 from Perth to Inverness. We have already started work and made substantial progress in our first four years, and our ongoing commitment is reflected in the fact that for the first time ever dualling the A9 is included in the STPR, the programme of national transport priorities.
“The Tories and their deputy leader Murdo Fraser has talked big for the last four years, but when it comes to the crunch with the publication of their manifesto have delivered precisely nothing. For the Tories, who failed to dual the A9 in their 18 long years in power at Westminster, the A9 doesn’t even rate a mention. This is the height of Tory hypocrisy.”
He pointed out dualling between Perth and Inverness on a phased basis was included for the first time in the SNP government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review and said over £50 million has been spent or earmarked for safety and structural improvements since 2008.
Mr Fraser laughed off the claims, stating the Tory manifesto includes extra cash for transport infrastructure including the “priority” dualling project.ImplementHe said, “This is just a desperate attempt by the SNP to deflect attention away form their woeful record of investment in the A9 and their broken promises to the people of Perthshire and beyond.
“It’s quite clear in our manifesto we will implement the STPR, which includes dualling the A9. It’s also clear from our spending plans we will commit and extra £310 million to the transport budget over and above sums committed by the SNP in their forward spending proposals which will mean the A9 dualling will be faster under the Conservatives than it would be under a re-elected SNP government.”
He added, “We will publish a priority list and it will be a priority on that list.”
The spat came on the day satellite navigation specialists TomTom published a top 10 of the month’s worst traffic jams, on which the A9 featured four times, making it Scotland’s most congested road.
The worst delay was on March 13, with a weather-related 20.2-mile queue from Inverness towards Loch Alvie and a 19.5-mile delay in the opposite direction from Aviemore to Inverness.
A fatal accident at Calvine created a 19.9-mile queue on March 10 one way and with one stretching 19.5 miles the other way.
Mr Fraser said the report “is another piece of evidence which supports the case for investment.”