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A9 death crash van driver 'possibly asleep' at wheel
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-41735145
(On a dualled section.)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Is dualling the A9 really that bad?
(583 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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"On track": 5 miles done so far; 75 miles to be done in the next seven years.
Posted 6 years ago # -
they will just blame delays on everyone and everything (westminster, weather, contractors, terrain, "too ambitious", previous official, pervious council, previous government, etc etc etc" when it fails .........and lets face it what can we do about it - cancel our subscription to "government-flix" and go to "government-prime" - nope.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
More than 60 safety incidents and “near-misses” involving workmen and members of the public have taken place in the first two years of the A9 dualling project.
“
Posted 6 years ago # -
If these 60 near misses occurred inside a "normal" workplace, would that activity still be allowed?
I think not.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I'm at the STEM Scotland Conference run by Holyrood for teachers and educationalists in Scotland. One of the breakout sessions is entitled 'The A9 Dialling Programme' which would appear to be a thinly veiled propaganda exercise to normalise the need for this work in the guise of promoting STEM jobs in schools along the route. Ugh.
Posted 6 years ago # -
The average speed cameras quite obviously working well. Road was never at capacity, folk (including me) just wouldn't obey the speed limit....
https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/comprehensive-a9-performance-data-published/
Posted 6 years ago # -
Spoke to someone working on the A96 dualling the other day. He told me there is literally no business case for dualling the A96. They asked for one and were told not to bother asking, because there isn't a case for it. He said the numbers west of Inverurie, until you get to Elgin at least, were so low it's laughable.
£2.5bn totally wasted. Think of what that could do for active travel. And the amusing irony is that the SNP got a kicking from the Tories in the north east at the last election, so it's not doing them any good electorally either!
Posted 6 years ago # -
Was up near the A96 recently and there are quite a few people FURIOUS about the way they dualling of the A96 is being done. They're going to tear up some really rather lovely farmland to put it in. Madness.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Hold on - the A96 is a trunk road, so is there any cycling infrastructure going in alongside it as they dual it? Fairly sure I heard at some point during the Sheriffhall...discussions...that this is what should happen. Can probably dig out where I heard that.
Posted 6 years ago # -
He said the numbers west of Inverurie, until you get to Elgin at least, were so low it's laughable.
Lest we forget induced demand. The Aberdeen and Inverness commuter belts will extend out along the corridor, some land and house owners will get well off this.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Got to try out the latest dualled section (around four miles) at Kincraig just south of Aviemore.
There is a reasonably decent cycle path which has been built alongside. It did look a bit close to the traffic at some points though. Also could have done with a sweep.
Overall on the A9 it did feel like the average speed cameras had more or less solved much of the problem. Maybe a few more nicely spaced overtaking lanes/dualled bits would do the job.
It was quite interesting to see how many drivers seemed to be put off from any over taking. E.g. I followed (and eventually overtook) a powerful looking BMW which sat behind a lorry doing just under 50mph.
Surely someone will come up with an A9 smart phone app which could give the driver helpful speeding tips.
"You're still below average - increase speed to 90mph for the next five minutes"...Posted 6 years ago # -
Here's the Strategic Business Case for the A96 from the Transport Scotland website.
Posted 6 years ago # -
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Average speed cameras should be deployed on more Scottish roads, transport secretary Michael Matheson has told The Scotsman.
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Posted 5 years ago # -
The Aberdeen and Inverness commuter belts will extend out along the corridor
And HOW. That's actually the point of the thing, I fear. Sustainable settlements? Ha. Ha ha ha.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The Aberdeen and Inverness commuter belts will extend out along the corridor
I know Transport Scotland want people to drive more, but even they can't be expecting Aberdeen's commuter belt to reach the A9?
Posted 5 years ago # -
A96 in this case rather than A9 but who knows...
I know Transport Scotland want people to drive more
This is the most depressing thing I've read in the last 30 minutes.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I have a whole other set of issues with the way we almost valorise long commutes instead of seeing them as socially and environmentally corrosive. Obviously.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The Inverness and Aberdeen commuter belts could easily meet if people were willing to put London-style hours into traveling to work.
Keith could be the new Harthill.
Posted 5 years ago # -
All about personal choice innit - which Govs are infinitely prepared to subside as long as they agree with.
Why ScotGov is in favour of car commuting and ribbon development is beyond me.
ESPECIALLY an SNP Gov whose principles
arewere Smarter, Sharing Caring (or whatever it was).(Yes I’ve said all this before.)
Posted 5 years ago # -
“The Scottish Government has apparently invested £6.9 million maintaining and extending the whole network, including a new 7.5km segregated cycle path and five crossing points where the A9’s been dualled near Kincraig.
The second dualled section of road near Dunkeld will also have 2.8km of new cycle-paths. That’s six whole new miles of proper cycle-path by 2021. Whoop, whoop.”
Posted 4 years ago # -
"a new 7.5km segregated cycle path"
Is this actually true (cycle path by the dualled Kincraig section)? It's the one part of the route where viable, attractive, flattish on-road alternatives exist in the form of the B970 and the B9152.
Meanwhile the already inadequate provision over Drumochter crumbles...
Oh, and very good article.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I might be cycling Inverness to Perth later this month but given the state of A9 path (rode it last year - awful!) am considering going through the Carirngorms. Does anyone have an opinion on this option?
Posted 4 years ago # -
"through the Cairngorms"
Route?
Posted 4 years ago # -
"Route?"
Err, Inverness to Perth... I've not given it much more thought.Posted 4 years ago # -
A9 corridor pretty much is the only road route Inverness to Perth - the alternatives are adventures of the small or large variety
Posted 4 years ago # -
You could go via Blairgowrie, Braemar and Grantown-on-Spey - around 10 miles longer, and would be a lot of climbing, but an "interesting" challenge...
https://goo.gl/maps/kcvEvrSiv5fWrkeW7
If you took a detour via Nairn, you could cut out some of the fast and busy A roads on the route above.
Posted 4 years ago # -
"Is this actually true (cycle path by the dualled Kincraig section)? It's the one part of the route where viable, attractive, flattish on-road alternatives exist in the form of the B970 and the B9152."
Yes, there is segregated path next to the dual carriageway, and I agree that it would be much most pleasant for most current cyclists to use the "old A9" through Kincraig. However using that route still involves sharing a road with fast cars so some cyclists will prefer the segregated path.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Thanks crowriver, that's something more like I was thinking was possible.
Posted 4 years ago #
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