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IT HAS been interesting to note the language of the A83 debate. Members of the public ‘demand’ a longterm solution and government ministers repeatedly refer to the ‘ best option’. Certainly the public expects and deserves a road network free from travel interruptions, but the uncertainties of traffic movements and weather conditions mean there will be occasional disruptions. The same variables apply to rail, ferry and air transport: things sometimes go wrong.

One study last year estimated that a tunnel or protective cover solution for the Rest and Be Thankful would cost more than it would save over 50 years, but cost- effectiveness is not necessarily the most important factor. The recent structural issues with the Forth Road Bridge have amply demonstrated the absolute need for the new crossing; and highways authorities struggle to upgrade roads in response to dramatic increases in traffic.

Geotechnical experts cannot promise that future instabilities will occur above the same stretch of the existing road, so even if some major civil engineering project did go ahead, it could not possibly guarantee the end of dangerous landslips or rockfalls in other locations. Nobody looks forward to lengthy and inconvenient diversions, but they do exist. Regrettably, Scotland’s – and much of the UK’s – roads do seem under-maintained in comparison to continental Europe, Scandinavia and Ireland.

There was a time – or an understanding – that the road-fund licence would help pay for maintenance of and upgrades to the trunk road network. With more and more vehicles on the roads and ever-increasing amounts of duty it is hard to understand where the money goes.