Trunk call for A70

Dec 26 2008

THE A70 is one of the most dangerous roads in Scotland.

Official figures reveal that five people died and 418 people were injured in accidents on the Ayr to Lanarkshire road in just four years.

Ayr MSP John Scott insists that the figures support his call for the route to be adopted as an official trunk road by the Scottish government.

He said: “These figures simply underline the urgent need for further investment to be made in the A70, and the best way in which that could happen is if the Scottish government were to take responsibility for the route by adopting it as a trunk road.

“There is a clear case for trunking the A70 to help attract inward investment to southern Ayrshire to boost our economy and support local jobs.

“But the fact that the route is consistently in the top 20 for accidents of all roads in Scotland surely strengthens the argument for taking all possible steps to substantially improve it.”

The figures, which related to accidents between 2003 and 2007,were released to Mr Scott through a series of parliamentary questions.

He added: “Almost every other road in the accident list for each of the last five years is either a motorway or a trunk road for which the government has responsibility, and we need the same level of recognition from the government for the A70.

“If they were to adopt the A70 as a trunk road , it could open the door to large-scale investment in the route and could bring enormous benefits over the long-term to local communities and our local economy.”