A9 dualling campaigner Laura Hansler has said she is “absolutely appalled” by Transport Scotland’s response to the inquiry triggered by her petition to the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Hansler submitted a petition calling on the Scottish Government to complete the dualling programme for the 112-mile Inverness-Perth section – which was due to be finished this year – and to build a memorial to victims to Scotland’s “killer road”.
The probe blamed Scottish Government secrecy and indecision that allowed failings to mount, which eventually created not just “distrust” but also a “sense” in the Highlands that the area has not received its fair share of investment.
Responding to that, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop and Transport Scotland cast serious doubt on prioritised funding for the road as it must be renewed annually.
Laura Hansler, at an A9 hearing in Holyrood.
Also, despite significant secrecy and the refusal of the government to admit there were problems until 2023, no changes will be made to oversight – and plans for a memorial to victims were dismissed.
Ms Hansler said: “At this stage of the game to still be categorically, completely and utterly unclear about how they are going to fund this road, to still be unsure about the mutual investment model [private finance] and whether they are going to use the capital budget or not, or half and half – it’s just beyond disgusting.
“This has given the public no assurances, no reassurances for that matter, but I think one of the most damning and most damaging things transport secretary Fiona Hyslop has done in this response is to say that she doesn’t support the memorial.
“You’ve got to remember that both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon both openly and wholeheartedly supported the formation of this memorial and what she has categorically done by saying this, in this statement, is to make it incredibly difficult, so utterly impossible for anyone in the construction industry such as Balfour Beatty and John Paul Construction to come back and work with me on this, which they were willing to do.
“She has made that absolutely impossible for me now and I am disgusted by her viewpoint on this.”
Hundreds of people have been killed on the A9 since it was built.
The Scottish Government expect it to be fully dualled by the end of 2035.