Why I made an angry TV statement on the A9 and said 'enough is enough'

‘As the constituency MSP for Inverness and Nairn, I decided - enough was enough’

In summer last year, an A9 ‘summit’ was held in Inverness, attended by a large audience of the public.    

The-then transport minister had nothing new to say to them, instead repeating the time-worn assertion the Scottish Government remained “totally committed” to dualling the A9.  

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There was no plan, no progress and no detail, despite being nearly half way through this session of Parliament.

The SNP committed to dualling of the A9 when they first came to power in 2007.The SNP committed to dualling of the A9 when they first came to power in 2007.
The SNP committed to dualling of the A9 when they first came to power in 2007. | John Devlin/National World.

As the constituency MSP for Inverness and Nairn, I decided - enough was enough.

So, immediately after the summit, just outside Eden Court Theatre, I made a short statement for the TV news.  I said that unless the-then first minister Humza Yousaf brought out a new plan by the end of the year, setting out a detailed programme and stating when the A9 dualling would be completed, he should resign as FM.

On December 20 last year, a plan was finally brought forward in a statement to Holyrood - that dualling be completed by 2035, a full ten years after the year originally promised.

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Yet the Scottish Government failed to consult anyone on this revised plan, either on timescale or mode of funding. It was a fait accompli.

The civil engineering sector CAN do this more swiftly, and the money IS available from the private lenders, should that be required.

So in summer this year, I led a cross-party group of MSPs of all parties - except the Greens - to meet First Minister John Swinney and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop to seek an assurance that they will seriously consider a swifter timetable. 

He agreed to do so. That would mean fewer people losing their lives. 

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The death toll on the road has been unremitting. Every tragic loss destroys a family forever.   

No price can be placed on the loss of a loved one as far, far too many families know only too well.

Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn constituencyFergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn constituency
Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn constituency | Jane Barlow/Press Association.

Evidence shows that fatal road incidents are three times more frequent on single track than dualled roads, and ten times more than on motorways.

The A9, with rapid alternation between single and dual roads, is also used by many visitors, which adds further to the risk of confusion and driver error.

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My case is also that it is now the Highlanders’ turn for investment. The Highlands have had no significant investment in major road or rail improvements since devolution.

The Borders now has its railway. Glasgow and the west, an efficient motorway network. 

Fife, the new Queensferry Crossing. Aberdeen, its new bypass. And Edinburgh, in its wisdom, chose the trams.

It’s not too late for Mr Swinney to do the right thing and bring forward a swifter plan.

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If it comes to a choice between defending the indefensible and standing up for the people who voted for me, over 25 years and six election victories - I will speak for them.

The First Minister and I have stood in every election since 2011 on clear SNP manifesto promises to dual the A9 by 2025.

It is time for him to emulate Dick Turpin: “Stand and deliver.”

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