Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Traffic chiefs to meet locals over A90 safety
TRAFFIC bosses have pledgedtomeetcommunity leaders over safety concerns on a major Tayside road.
A 31-year-old woman and her sixyear-old son were left seriously injured after a crash on the A90 near Tealing, north of Dundee, on Monday.
The woman’s two other young children, aged three and six months, were also in the car but unhurt in the collision on the northbound carriageway.
The crash led to calls from Tealing Community Council for further safety measures on the route, even though plans are already in place to install average speed cameras on the stretch.
Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland has now agreed to meet with members of the group to discuss their concerns.
A spokeswoman said: “We assess the safety performance of the trunk road network, including the A90 at Tealing and the whole of the A90, annually by screening all locations where three or more accidents have occurred over a three year period.
“We have i dentified the A90 Tealing junction for further investigation and offered to meet with Tealing Community Council to gather feedback which will help inform this report.
“The A90 Dundee to Stonehaven average speed camera system will go live in the autumn.
“Evidence from the system installed on the A9 shows that average speed cameras encourage better driver behaviour, with the number of fatal casualties down by more than 37% and serious injury casualties by 45% on this route.
“Similar reductions in casualties and improved driving behaviour are expected on the A90.”
Sandra Burke, chairwoman of the community council, had said in the wake of the crash that “much more” needed to be done to keep motorists safe on the road.
She said: “Leaving, entering and crossing the j unctions on this stretch, which cuts right through the village, is increasingly dangerous as the amount of traffic on the road continues to increase.
“We welcome the recent announcement that average speed cameras will be installed this summer between Dundee and Aberdeen, but it’s just not enough to safeguard lives.
“This has been an accident blackspot for more than 20 years, including several heart-breaking fatalities.
“We want the Scottish Government to urgently consider installing proper acceleration and deceleration lanes at the junctions, a 50mph limit between Fintry and the Glamis turnoff plus the installation of a pedestrian flyover.”