Tories' road campaign criticised

There are ongoing concerns about safety on the A9

A new Scottish Tory campaign on upgrading of a "dangerous" Scottish road has been heavily criticised by transport campaigners.

TRANSform Scotland branded the Conservatives "liars and hypocrites" for demanding the "dualling" of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

However, the party said it had supported the upgrade since before the Scottish Parliament opened.

The Scottish Executive said the £600m for a full upgrade was not available.

The "Dual the A9" website and online petition campaign has been launched by Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser.

However TRANSform Scotland director Colin Howden was critical of the move and said the Conservatives' policies were stuck in the 1980s.

'Priority road'

He said: "Only last Thursday Tory leader Annabel Goldie led a debate in the Scottish Parliament calling for a "greener, fairer Scotland" yet this week they're back to promoting subsidy for private motoring and road haulage.

"It's very clear that the Tories are liars and hypocrites when it comes to policies on transport and the environment."

But Mr Fraser said his party had "long sided" with A9 commuters.

"It is Scotland's deadliest road with the unfortunate statistic of having the highest death rate of all of Scotland's roads," he said.

"These cold facts must be considered by the Scottish Executive when deciding which roads require upgrading."

Ministers, who have already announced improvement works on the A9, said they were aware of the public's safety concerns.