THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DRIVERS
IN SCOTLAND
UNPUBLISHED LETTER REGARDING THE A90
I am in agreement with MSP David Davidson's condemnation of the Scottish Executive with regard to safety on the A90 (P&J 22 Feb).
I travel on this road frequently and, as with many other roads classed as 'danger roads', the main problem would appear to lie with poor driving and judgement - particularly at junctions. However, improvements such as better lighting and longer acceleration and deceleration lanes, as Mr Davidson suggests, would be welcome.
But of course, the modern answer to all road safety problems is installing a speed camera. Lewis Macdonald's quote that "low-cost road safety measures are being carried out at various locations, including the installation of safety cameras" frankly says it all. It doesn't matter that the camera can't do a thing about failed manoeuvres at junctions - they generate cash while real improvements don't.
Last year, I asked the Scottish Executive to supply me with accident statistics for each A90 camera site, to support their claims that speed cameras had reduced casualties on the A90. I also asked for figures revealing how much money the cameras had raised since they were introduced. My requests were declined.
The Executive did state, however, that only two (Glamis and Kirriemuir) out of the 24 cameras on the A90 at that time were installed to "address specific accident issues", while the rest were aimed at reducing the speed of traffic and were not located at accident blackspots. They told me "it would be wrong therefore to compare accident statistics for each site". I was also told "the figures for income generated by individual cameras are irrelevant so far as road safety is concerned." I disagree.
It's high time that politics and profit were taken out of road safety and that competent driving standards and genuine safety improvements were promoted instead.
I hope that when the Western Peripheral Route is constructed, thought will be given to the layout of the road to maximise safety, without relying on the installation of cameras to fund the construction costs.
Simon Tonks
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