MSP claims Ayrshire transport is neglected
A Labour MSP claims a new report highlights the “utter neglect” of Ayrshire’s transport systems.
The“South West Scotland Transport Study Initial Appraisal: Case for Change” report was commissioned by Transport Scotland and consulted with communities and businesses.
And Colin Smyth claims it shows the ill feeling from communities who feel their roads are forgotten when it comes to transport and infrastructure investment.
The South Scotland MSP said: “This report lays bare the utter neglect by the Government of our region’s transport system for far too long.
“From the lack of investment in key trunk roads which make them a real risk of serious accident. To the fact that bus and rail fares are simply too high to make them an affordable alternative to the car, people in our region are being badly let down.
“There is little in the report that will surprise anyone as far as the suggested projects are concerned although there will be anger that the full dualling of the A75 and A77 has not been recommended, while at the same time the SNP Government are pressing ahead with spending £ 3 billion dualling the A9 to Inverness from Perth.
“However, what will frustrate people most is the fact that there will be a further two months of consultation on the proposals and then it will simply form part of the national strategic transport projects review which won’t report for a long time. We know there is little chance of the SNP Government taking forward all the projects in the study but what people want them to do is get on with some of
I’ve noticed before that the staff at Ayr station are awful, they really are
them as soon as possible. We are sick and tired of our region being forgotten about when it comes to transport spending.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We understand the importance of connectivity for the South West of Scotland. The extensive stakeholder engagement and data gathering taken place during this study helped us develop a good understanding of the issues and opportunities for strategic transport links across all modes.
“It is only right that those with an interest are able to provide comments on the draft report produced as a result.
“Improvement options for the A75 and A77, such as localised widening, partial dualling and local bypasses are included in the options to be taken forward for further consideration – these packages will offer many of the benefits of dualling with lower environmental impacts.”