Another step will be made on Wednesday 21st January for the residents of the Howe o’ the Mearns and the 28,000 drivers who pass through the above junction daily.
A further public engagement, to which all A90 users are invited, is being held in the Dickson Hall, Station Road, Laurencekirk, on Wednesday 21st January from 2.00pm to 8.00pm. Laurencekirk Community groups invite as many road users as possible to visit the event and comment on the new proposals.
Thanks to the efforts of Jill Fotheringham and her supporters who organised petitions to the Scottish Government over the past decade and the members of the cross party capital and infrastructure committee of MSPs, we are approaching the publication date of the study by CH2M Hill to establish the best option to resolve this ever growing problem at this junction.
Supported by the local community, community councils, Aberdeenshire and Angus Councils, MSPs, MPs and NESTRANS the time has come for Transport Scotland to respond positively to the results of this independent report.
Road users and all local residents can study the proposals which should improve road safety and return the public’s confidence in using this vital piece of Scotland’s infrastructure.
The challenges in crossing the dual carriageway has effectively deterred many drivers from using the road and has resulted in Transport Scotland applying a control order to prevent any major development in the wider area (including Montrose) until the problem is resolved.
The local economy has lost several existing businesses and customers – as well as being unable to offer sites to new or expanding ventures.
During the past six years the travel time to Aberdeen from Laurencekirk has increased by around 30% as a result of the increased volume of traffic during the peak hours from 6.30am to 8.30am.
Let us hope that 2015 will witness a new and final chapter in this long running saga so that Transport Scotland can realise its mission to reduce travel time between Scotland’s economic centres.
from Mike Robson, Laurencekirk Development Trust
