THE A77 Action Group have been promised some £200,000 will be spent on a survey to look into building a dual carriageway.

Last Wednesday, November 22 members of the group, alongside cllr Willie Scobie, local MSPs and representatives from Stena Line and P&O attended Holyrood and spoke to Transport Minister Humza Yousaf.

John Campbell of the A77 Action Group said: “Mr Yousaf promised he would spend £200,000 on a new survey of the A77 and A75 and look into building a dual carriageway.

“He hopes the survey, which will be carried out by the best constructors in the field, will take place within the next two months.

“This was totally a surprise for us and is something new that had not been suggested before. We are very happy with that announcement but we have had more than a dozen surveys carried out in the past.

“Ferry routes from ports in Wales and England are growing at a much faster rate. Businesses are thriving because they have a motorway and duel carriageway right up to the port.

“But Scotland doesn’t. Many HGVs are now being sailed into ports in England and travelling to Scotland so they can avoid the A77 or A75.”
Additional officers have been deployed in the South Ayrshire area as part of a commitment to improve road safety on the A77.

Area commanders in South Ayrshire and Galloway regions have joined forces and are working with partners to raise awareness on road safety.
They want to improve driver behaviour through high profile education and enforcement activity.

On Friday, November 10 officers and roads policing colleagues held a heavy goods vehicle safety check point in Girvan and carried out patrols in the area to engage with drivers and monitor the speed of vehicles.

Inspector John Hamilton, who co-ordinated the vehicle checkpoint, said:

“The campaign continues with local officers working with partners and Road Policing Team officers to target areas of concern throughout South Ayrshire and Galloway.

“A key feature of this campaign is awareness raising in addition to enforcement activity. 

“We will be taking every opportunity to speak with users of the A77 in South Ayrshire and Galloway, to make them aware of local concerns and ask for their support in making the road network safer for all.”

Anyone who wishes to highlight areas of concern are encouraged to contact Police by calling 101.

For more advice and guidance on road safety, please visit: http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/road-safety/