Plea to accelerate improvements at bottleneck junction

Unacceptable delays spark letter to transport chiefs

Quick action is needed to tackle a major cause of delays to motorists on the outskirts of Perth, a councillor has said.

Willie Wilson has written to transport minister Humza Yousaf asking for a cash pledge to be made when improvement measures have been drawn up for the Broxden roundabout.

The busy junction sees the M90, A9 and A93 roads all meeting up on the western edge of the city.

However, in his letter Mr Wilson says the roundabout is “more of a hindrance than a help”.

“On various days during the week there are lengthy delays building up both in traffic coming from the Glasgow Road direction and Edinburgh/Dundee Road directions,” he said.

“The tailbacks also from Inverness and the north have increased a good deal over the last few months.

“There is growing frustration among local motorists and others. The situation with the roundabout is unsatisfactory.”

Mr Wilson said there were several reasons behind the junction’s problems, including the lack of left turning lanes both from the Edinburgh/Dundee Glasgow access and the Glasgow/ Inverness access.

“I know that Transport Scotland are looking at a variety of options, including traffic lights and left turning lanes for Glasgow and Inverness,” he added.

“However, this seems to have been taking a long time.

“I should be grateful to have from you a personal commitment that this scheme will receive the priority it deserves and that once Transport Scotland has carried out a review of the options... there will be no delay in funding the necessary improvements.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Our trunk road operating company is undertaking work to further develop the proposals prepared by the council and its consultants for Broxden.

“At present there is no confirmed timescale for their delivery. However, we will continue to work with the council and developers.”

The spokesperson added: “Drivers using the A9 and A85 around Perth will be aware of the significant work under way which has resulted in increased delays locally but will also support future growth for Perth.”

There is growing frustration among local motorists and others

Picture: Steve MacDougall. Perth councillor Willie Wilson wants to speed up improvements at Broxden to solve its traffic problems.