Four deaths a year on Scotland’s ‘not fit for purpose’ Euroroutes
There is now disquiet over a lack of firm action over improvements to the A75 and the A77 after years of what the South West Scotland Transport[1] Alliance (SWSTA) describes as "chronic underinvestment". It comes as concerns grow that a lack of good transport links is fuelling a "depopulation curse" in Dumfries and Galloway. The Just Transition Commission, formed to provide independent advice to Scottish Ministers on the challenges related to meeting a net-zero economy target by 2045 said that quality transport links for the region, particularly rail, was "constraining" the region in making the most of the economic opportunities associated with the climate transition and "encourage young people to leave in order to seek employment opportunities elsewhere, worsening the risk of depopulation".
Among those who are calling for more urgency on upgrading the routes is the family of Tony Sheil, 51, who died in a crash on the A75 between the international Cairnryan ferry port near Stranraer, Wigtownshire, and Gretna, Dumfriesshire. Mother-of-two Michaela Sheil and her daughters have appealed for support to get road improvements, but are concerned about what they see as a lack of urgency over solutions and believe there has been neglect for too long. Ms Sheil's bricklayer partner was driving a Ford transit van which was in collision with a Volvo lorry near Shennanton Bridge, Kirkcowan in Wigtownshire in November 2023.
Just ten months earlier on October 15, last year, two pensioners have died following a crash involving a silver Mercedes A200 and a red Renault Captu near the same spot of the A77. The A75 and A77 trunk roads are the key routes serving Cairnryan and account for all passenger journeys and freight movements between mainland UK and Northern Ireland through the Cairnryan to Larne and Cairnryan to Belfast crossings. The major trunk roads, which are the responsibility of the Scottish Government[2], are critical for connecting passengers and freight between England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and onwards to the Republic of Ireland in the EU.
The A77 runs from Stranraer to Ayr[3] and on to Glasgow, while the A75 goes from Stranraer to Gretna. But the roads, particularly the sections that run from Ayr to Stranraer and from Stranraer to Gretna, are mainly single carriageway so heavy goods vehicles are restricted to a 40mph speed limit and are often windy. The key roads are seen as "critical" not just for connectivity in south west Scotland - but to the wider nation, the UK and Ireland.
But Dumfries and Galloway MP John Cooper said: "Those roads as they stand are not fit for purpose. 
"And that is a big drag on the economy, which leads to difficulties in creating jobs and attracting businesses to Dumfries and Galloway." Transport Scotland said the strategic importance of the routes to Scotland's economy "is recognised" as the provided a "critical link" to markets in the rest of the UK and Europe and was investing GBP120m in "critical safety, maintenance and infrastructure for roads across south west Scotland. Calls for change on the key routes date back to 1936 when a bypass for Maybole on the A77 was first mooted with planned route but never built.
But in January 2022, at a cost of GBP29m the bypass which promises to divert heavy traffic away from the South Ayrshire town finally opened. Calls to dual carriageway the A77 to Stranraer were raised in Westminster and are known to have surfaced in the 1980s. Campaigners say that congestion is also caused when the routes go through towns and villages and on the A77 and travel can also be hampered by frequent landslips.
At the end of last month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves[4], said the Scottish Government would be given an extra GBP3.45m to suggest upgrades to the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway. The South West Scotland Transport Alliance (SWSTA), spearheaded by port operators Stena Line, P&O Ferries and Belfast Harbour is lobbying governments at Holyrood[5] and Westminster over the "critical need" for improvements. The influential transport group is pushing for a joint Scottish and UK government taskforce to pursue improvements was a matter of urgency.
They say Scotland has a competitive disadvantage because of the condition of the roads. They say travelling the same distance (103 miles) on the A75 from Stranraer to the M6 takes around two and a half hours. The same distance on the A55 between competitor Welsh port Holyhead and the M6 takes only an hour and 45 minutes.
A poll designed by The Diffley Partnership carried out for them in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway in the summer of 2023 shows that more than 90% of locals want full or partial upgrades of the A75 and A77, with 75% focussed on safety, while more than 60% believe the roads discourage investment, and around one in two believes it puts off tourists. Three in four think that governments do not understand south west Scotland and one in seven believe the area got its fair share of funding. In recent months, the group has held meetings with both the Scottish Government's Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, as well as Scottish Labour[6] Party Leader Anas Sarwar[7] as it makes the case for investment.
The alliance is currently carrying out work which will lead to a suggested ranked priority list for improvements being presented to politicians later this year. It hopes this will help progress a programme of upgrades on both roads. An SWSTA spokesman said: "There has been significantly more understanding and commitment at government level in the last couple of years, but we need to see this turned into action much more quickly.
"At present, these key strategic roads are completely unacceptable for the economy, the environment, and most importantly for public safety. We continue to work with both the Scottish and UK governments to push for urgent and necessary improvements. "While it has not materialised yet, we remain of the view that a joint taskforce involving both governments would help focus on the progress needed.
We would be happy to play our part in bringing representatives from Holyrood and Westminster around the table together in order to help make that happen." They said a feasibility study into a bypass of Springholm and Crocketfoot was "welcome".
The SWSTA produced this video to get their message across on the A75 and A77.But they added: "This needs to be just the first step in a broader programme of improvements along both roads. We need a timetable of what will happen and when."
In a letter to the UK Government[8], senior executives from the SWSTA warned: "Investment in the area is inevitably curtailed, and will continue to be curtailed, while the infrastructure remains sub-standard." Transport Scotland records, based on reports made to Police Scotland, show that the number of fatalities on the roads has risen between 2023 and 2024 from two to seven. Transport Scotland said it had completed five major improvements totalling GBP64m on the A77, including the GBP29m Maybole Bypass, while on the A75 they said they had completed six major road improvement projects with a total value of over GBP50m further enhancing the safety record of both routes.
They said construction had started to trial a temporary change in enforcement technology on part of the A75 between Newton Stewart and Creetown, replacing existing mobile enforcement locations with average speed cameras.
They said this will inform a review of the route as part of an "annual site selection exercise, to determine whether there is merit in permanent average speed camera enforcement along all or part of the A75".
References
- ^ Transport (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ Scottish Government (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ Ayr (www.ayradvertiser.com)
- ^ Rachel Reeves (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ Holyrood (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ Scottish Labour (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ Anas Sarwar (www.heraldscotland.com)
- ^ UK Government (www.heraldscotland.com)