The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Crashes raise calls to audit safety on A90
Calls have been made for a safety audit of the A90 between Perth and Dundee after major crashes. It comes after four teenagers were taken to hospital after a recent serious car crash.
Conservatives Murdo Fraser MSP and Carse of Gowrie councillor Angus Forbes say it is time the Scottish Government carried out a safety audit of the road.
Mr Fraser said: “There have been concerns about road safety on the A90 Perth-dundee road for some time and the situation has been exacerbated recently with major accidents.
“I have written to the cabinet secretary for transport regarding this issue as we feel a safety audit of the road needs to take place.
“Part of the problem is that the A90 Perth to Dundee road is an A-class road that takes traffic from the M90 motorway but many motorists don’t realise this and then they encounter things like tractors and bus stops.
“This can obviously cause real problems for many vehicles who could well be travelling at speeds associated with motorways.”
Mr Fraser questioned whether the road needs more explicit signs.
Mr Forbes, Perth and Kinross Council’s environment and infrastructure convener, met Transport Scotland officials to discuss safety.
He is concerned nothing has happened in the two years since his meeting.
“This road is treated by many as a motorway, yet it has bus stops and laybys, not to mention a high number of agricultural vehicles criss-crossing it daily,” he said.
“I have no desire for this to be made a motorway but simple things like removing the layby at Kinfauns would make a difference.”
On Friday, a man died on the road near Kinfauns.
The A90 Perth to Dundee road also saw a lorry hauling a crane hitting a flyover bridge near St Madoes on October 31 2019. No one was injured but the flyover was closed for 12 months as a result.
In September 2019, a group of van passengers had a lucky escape when their vehicle flipped near The Horn restaurant.
A month before, two cars crashed into a lorry near Longforgan and another crashed at the St Madoes junction the next day.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the deceased following the incident on Friday February 26 near Kinfauns.
“As part of standard policy after such accidents, our officials will be meeting representatives of Police Scotland and Bear Scotland to obtain more detailed information on the circumstances surrounding it.
“As police investigations into this fatal accident and the incident at Glencarse last month are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”