Councillor column: A82 road safety issues must be resolved

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ONCE again, we have had another fatality on the A82 Loch Lomond-side. Yet another life lost on this section of road, with all the distress and anguish to loved ones that accompanies it.

While I do not wish to seem insensitive, we must also recognise the economic impact and disruption caused to others.

I have been advocating and lobbying for average speed cameras (ASCs) to be installed for over a year now, and while there has been an increased presence of mobile speed camera vehicles in recent weeks, I really do need to ask how many more fatalities and injuries have to occur before anything permanent is done.

I have written to Michael Matheson, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, to once again highlight the seriousness of the situation, including comments from people who contacted me after this most recent accident, and also from the community MSP and MP.

I note that ASCs are to be installed between Lix Toll and Killin, which is to be welcomed, but I firmly believe that it is now a matter of urgency that they are also installed on the entire stretch of the A82 Loch Lomond to A83 Inveraray road.

Following the introduction of ASCs on the A9 in 2014, fatalities have been reduced by a whopping 40 per cent, and the A77 has seen an even more impressive 46 per cent reduction.

Hopefully, by the time you read my next column, there will have been some movement towards their introduction on the A82 Loch Lomond to A83 Inveraray road. Rest assured, this is an issue I intend to pursue until the appropriate action is taken.

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I AM pleased to say that I will now be running surgeries on the first Wednesday of the month at the Howie Pavilion in Rosneath from 1pm-3pm, and also on the second Tuesday of the month at the Gibson Hall in Garelochhead from 11am-1pm.

These surgeries are a tremendous way to both connect with people in the community and deal directly with issues that affect them. To date, they have been enormously positive in terms of engagement, and it is my hope that my constituents continue to feel they can both reach out to me and trust me to serve them as best I can.

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IN closing, I wish to congratulate Dawn Gourlay and the Loch Long Jetty Association on the opening of the pontoon at Arrochar, which I believe will prove to be a great asset to the village.

A lot of hard work has gone into this and it’s great to see so many people now using it, for fishing, small vessel mooring, and so much more. A community achievement to be rightly proud of!