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A9's crying need finally heard
Page 13
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THE LONG-STANDING BAN on building services on the A9 in Scotland, which is used by 4.5 million vehicles a year.could he swept aside after Highland Council officials voted for a change of policy.
A spate of accidents in recent years has forced the council to re-consider its ban on services on the road between Perth and the far north of the country. A report by the council's Director of Planning and Development says that the ban is "no longer justifiable" from a road safety perspective.
Initial findings show that up to 20% of A9 accidents are fatiguerelated. The report adds: "HGVs should be able to access basic rest/refreshment facilities without diverting through communities".
Road transport operators have welcomed the review. Murray Campbell of Inverness-based R&F Campbell, whose 23 trucks use the A9 every day. says building more services would be a good idea, but he stresses that they must consider HGVs — not just salesmen "The major service providers tend not to be too truck-friendly," he points out.
However, any building plans may take some time to come to fruition. The vote to consider building services was only carried by a majority of two and councillors opposing the idea believe they can reverse the decision.
• Work is about to start on road improvements on several stretches of the A9. including upgrading sonic to dual carriageway, road widening and a new crawler lane.