A96 dualling blow sees Moray councillor attack Scottish Government
A decades-long bypass campaigner has been left “extremely angry” by the Scottish Government’s scrapping of A96 dualling by 2030.
Councillor Sandy Keith (Elgin North, Labour) attacked the move as defying “common sense” and claimed it showed that ministers “have not listened” to the people of Moray.
The outcome of the A96 Corridor Review was released last Thursday - nearly two years after its initial deadline of December 2022 - and includes a proposal to abandon the 2011 pledge to fully dual the road.
A consultation has been launched on the plans, which suggests that road improvements should be limited to Elgin and Keith bypasses alongside “targeted safety improvements”.
Announcing the report, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop confirmed that the 2030 dualling pledge would not be met but claimed that the Scottish Government still support full dualling.
In February, we revealed that Transport Secretary Michael Matheson MSP agreed to scrap the 2030 date from policy documents more than four years ago.
Last week’s statement was the first public confirmation from the Scottish Government that the deadline has been abandoned.
Cllr Keith said: “I am extremely angry about the news that the Scottish Government has dropped plans to carry out this work by 2030.
“We see the toll of road deaths being added to too many times and the heart break that brings to so many families – it seems to be have happening all too often recently.”
More than 20 years ago, the Elgin councillor played a key role in an Elgin Bypass campaign led by The Northern Scot and the Moray Trade Union Council.
“People lined up to sign a petition on Elgin High Street and signed it on their doorsteps,” he added.
“It was and remains the settled will of the people of Elgin and Moray and this always complemented the desire to see the A96 fully dualled from Aberdeen to Inverness.
“Members of the Elgin and wider Moray community went to Edinburgh to deliver our case - but politicians in the Scottish Government have not listened.”
In 2022, Moray Council agreed a motion proposed by Cllr Keith which reaffirmed cross-party support for A96 dualling.
“The lack of progress is there for all to see – not one inch of dualling of the A96 in Moray has been commissioned by the current Scottish Government in the 17 years it has been in power,” Cllr Keith said.
“It should be obvious to the Scottish Ministers, which includes our own constituency MSP Richard Lochhead, that Elgin needs a bypass and the economy of Moray requires full dualling of the A96.”
Cllr Keith argued that Moray desperately needed the benefits that full A96 dualling would bring, including reduced congestion, better air quality, better road safety, economic growth and tourism.
“I want Elgin and Moray to be the best it can be,” he added.
“I want our area to have the modern infrastructure that is currently lacking but which is standard elsewhere in Scotland.
“In this day and age we shouldn’t still be arguing for this – it should be common sense and the Scottish Government needs to start listening like it has never done before.”
He added: “The provision of an Elgin Bypass and fully dualling the A96 will begin to transform our daily living and will bring benefits to employers, visitors and residents alike.
“People need access to better roads if they are to be able to take up opportunities of employment a bit beyond Moray’s boundaries such as the proposed developments at the old Ardersier yard.
“Local businesses will be able to get their goods to markets further afield more quickly and more reliably – in other words it will be good for jobs and the economy.
“Potential visitors to the area will also get here more quickly and safely and will be able to attend our current attractions and ones set to be enhanced in the near future, like Elgin Town Hall.”
