The Leaders of South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council are once again calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to invest in the A77 and the A75.
These two major trunk roads are critical for connecting passengers and freight between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Despite this, the roads which run from Ayr to Stranraer and from Stranraer to Gretna, are mainly single carriageway.
The speed limit for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) is restricted and although there are proposals to increase the speed limit for HGVs, the tight bends and rural nature of the roads would still slow traffic considerably.
Congestion can lead to some drivers taking risks and in 2024 unofficial figures show there were 26 series accidents on the A77 and 18 on the A75. Since 2016 there have been 20 confirmed fatalities on the A77 and 12 on the A75.
The councils are calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to invest in their trunk roads to improve safety, commerce and address environmental concerns.
Studies show that dualling the A77/A75 would bring £5bn of positive benefits to the UK economy. Benefits range from reduced journey times, improved road safety and vehicle operating costs (£700 million) to combined CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) savings of around £95 million.
Rail improvements could also have an impact. There could be dedicated freight facilities at Barrhill, Cairnryan port and Ayr. Even the use of purely diesel trains running from Stranraer to Birmingham could save over 20-million-kilogram of CO2e per year compared to moving the equivalent load by HGV.
Councillor Brian Connolly, Leader of South Ayrshire Council said: “The A77 is the main route to and from Northern Ireland to the rest of Scotland and beyond. Despite this, Scottish Government funding seems fixed on the A9, A96 and A83.
“Freight operators and Stena have described the A77 and A75 as outdated and unsafe, and a threat to the region’s economic growth. This is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. The Scottish Parliamentary Election is on the horizon, so now is the time to ensure all political parties have improving the A77 and A75 in their manifestos.
“Following the election, we need to sit down with MSPs and discuss proposals which could save lives and generate billions of pounds of transformational benefits.”Councillor Stephen Thompson, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council said: “The economy of Dumfries and Galloway is inextricably linked to the effectiveness of the A75 for goods traffic, travel to work and cross region and border connection linking the north of England and Northern Ireland. It is a route that is known for issues, delays and accidents and is impacting on the ambitions of the region for economic growth, investment and jobs that could sustain the communities along its route.
“The council has been working with its neighbour in South Ayrshire across a shared agenda with the A77 to raise the profile and the case for improvements to both routes regularly and often with local MSPs and Government Ministers. The South West of Scotland should be recognised as a region that adds significant benefit to the Scottish economy, and investment into our trunk roads and transport infrastructure should be central to the future programme for government.”
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