The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Northern relief road may be route to tackle gridlock
TRANSPORT: Plan to redirect traffic from Invergowrie to Angus border could be resurrected amid strategic review
Plans for a bypass around the northern outskirts of Dundee could be resurrected amid a strategic review of Scotland’s future transport requirements.
Proposals for a northern relief road would take traffic from Invergowrie to the A90 on the Angus border, north of the city. The scheme would cut through the Coupar Angus Road near Camperdown Park.
The bypass was first put forward following a Transport Scotland Strategic Transport Projects Review in 2008. It said improvements were needed to reduce journey times between the central belt and Aberdeen by up to 15 minutes.
It put forward two options – a new bypass, which would reduce traffic on the Kingsway by up to 50%, or making significant improvements to the Kingsway itself.
The scheme was estimated to cost up to £250 million, but the report warned the bypass would have a “negative” environmental impact on the northern outskirts of Dundee and acknowledged this is likely to prompt “public criticism”.
The plans were never finalised, although a Transport Scotland spokesman said schemes that had not been taken forward 11 years ago would be reconsidered as part of a new transport review, currently taking place.
He said: “Our second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) is under way and is currently identifying the transport interventions required to provide Scotland with a network fit for the 21st Century.
“Any decisions on future funding of transport infrastructure in Scotland will be informed by the outcomes of STPR2 and through the normal cycle of government spending reviews.”
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said if a bypass is ever built it will not be allowed to encroach on Camperdown Park.
He said: “The park is, thankfully, covered in its entirety by a covenant that would prevent it being used for such a purpose.”
Last week councillors in Dundee voted to close Camperdown Golf Course to reduce the amount of money it spends subsidising golf in the city.
Labour West End councillor Richard McCready said: “Like many who read the report on the closure of Camperdown Golf Course, I was puzzled by the lack of detail and the real lack of reasoning behind it.
“It is quite clear that Camperdown belongs to the people of Dundee and the City Council is only ever a custodian.
“We should not be doing anything that would take away from the amenity of the park – that is one of the reasons I am opposed to closing the golf course and why I want Camperdown House brought back into use.”
He added: “I’ve not heard of any plans for this road that would go anywhere near Camperdown Park but I would strongly oppose it if there was any suggestion that is the case.”
Dundee City Council’s executive director of city development Robin Presswood has also suggested the Kingsway can no longer cope with the volume of traffic that uses it.
Posting on social media last month, he said: “Limitations of the current road has implications for road safety, air quality, public transport and the economies of Aberdeen and Dundee.”