A PETITION urging the Scottish Government to rethink its upgrade plans for the A82 along the west side of Loch Lomond has been lodged at Holyrood.

The petition has been lodged by the Helensburgh and District Access Trust, which has been campaigning since last year for the government’s transport directorate, Transport Scotland, to rethink its plan to upgrade the current trunk road between Tarbet and Inverarnan, and the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

The Trust wants to see a ‘high road’ option chosen instead because of the lesser impact it says such a road would have on trees, plants, wildlife – and people living along the current route.

The petition has been submitted by Helensburgh resident John Urquhart, who is the chair of the Trust and the vice-chair of the Friends.

It is now open for members of the public to add their online signature until Tuesday, October 18 – after which it will be considered for submission to the Scottish Parliament’s public petitions committee.

Specifically, the petition calls on the parliament to “urge the Scottish Government to reconsider the process for selecting the preferred option for the planned upgrade of the A82 between Tarbet and Inveraranan, and replace the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) based assessment with the more comprehensive Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance.

Mr Urquhart said: “We have held face to face meetings with Ross Greer MSP and Jackie Baillie MSP.

“A campaign has been conducted aimed at informing officials, politicians and the public about the issues posed by the A82 upgrade proposal. This has included letters to the press and a deputation to the board of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

“We have also submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, which revealed that route selection was made without full and comprehensive cost benefit analysis of all options.”

In the petition Mr Urquhart says a ‘high road’ option would preserve the oak woods along the shoreline, would alleviate visitor management pressures along the whole length of the current road, and would take heavy traffic away from Tarbet and Ardlui, improving residents’ quality of life and alleviating road safety issues at Arrochar Primary School.

The petition also says a higher, straighter route would be both faster and safer than any lochside road, and that the existing road could be retained for access to property and as an occasional diversion.

The petition had attracted 67 signatures as this edition of the Advertiser went to press on Wednesday.

It can be signed online at petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1967.