£1 million allocated to improve notorious A85
Nicole Reid • Published 24 May 2012 09:30
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COMRIE community chiefs have welcomed an additional £1million allocated by Transport Minister Keith Brown to address the safety concerns of the notorious A85 through the Shakey Town.
The community council have been campaigning for the "dangerous" road to be looked at for months and are delighted additional funds have been allocated to address the poor markings in the road.
Keith Brown MSP has also asked Scotland TranServ to inspect the road markings on the A85 and ensure that these are refreshed as part of this year's work.
Backed by Strathearn Conservative MSP Liz Smith, the community have fought for the road to be improved especially after the number of crashes and incidents in the last few months.
A recent report published by the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) in February found that road markings were deteriorating on some key sections of Scotland's trunk road network.
Liz Smith MSP raised this issue with the Transport Minister recently who agreed to look into the matter. She said: "I am therefore pleased that the Scottish Government have taken on board the need to address this situation and allocated an additional £1 million to start to address the situation.
"It is particularly welcome news that Scotland TranServ have been instructed to inspect the road markings on the A85 and ensure that these are refreshed as part of this year's work.
"Roads without good visible lines are like roads without signs, without them, drivers lose vital information to guide them safely. Reflective lane markings which show the centre and edge of roads can be a key safety tool for drivers, especially in poor visibility or at night. It is vital that emergency repairs to repaint the white lines on these roads takes place as soon as possible.
"Rural roads account for three in four road deaths, an unacceptable situation which we must address. I have long campaigned for safety improvements, particularly for road markings at blind summits on the A85 which have seen fatal accidents.
Keith Brown added: "Well maintained road markings are very important to the Scottish Government as they contribute to road safety and driver behaviour. I am pleased to allocate further funds from this year's programme for road markings and work is planned for later this year."
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