Experts say Scotland’s growth is being held back by a lack of new roads

Challenges presented by geography and politics have stalled the growth of Scotland’s road networks, threatening to keep the economy in the slow lane, according to transport experts.

Michelle Ferguson, director of the CBI Scotland, told The Times:“You only need to look at a Google satellite map to realise Scotland’s motorways are the beating heart of our economy, with many businesses located close to key routes that allow them to save time and money reaching their customers. Whether it’s haulage, manufacturing, computing or advanced services, firms base their decisions on whether they can access fast, reliable transport routes.

“But motorway construction has slowed in recent years in a way that just doesn’t fit with our ambition for long-term, sustainable economic growth. In its national transport strategy, the Scottish government has rightly highlighted how important effective good movement is for growth and set its sights on improving connectivity. Right now, though, business is clear that poor transport connectivity between cities and regions, ports and depots, is holding back investment and productivity.”

Ferguson called for “dedicated investment in critical corridors” for roads such as the A9, from Perth to Inverness, which is still mostly single carriageway. She also highlighted the A77 from Ayr to Stranraer and the A75 from Stranraer to Gretna, core connections for Northern Ireland and the trunk road from Edinburgh to Newcastle and the northeast of England.

She concluded: “We badly need upgrades to the dualling of the A1 north of the border, as well as expanding and upgrading the full road network, including new motorway projects. No plan for economic renewal will get off the ground without serious investment in our infrastructure. It’s about more than just laying down tarmac. It’s laying the foundations for new investment, better jobs and long-term sustainable growth across Scotland.”

Prosper chief executive, Sara Thiam, said: “We recommended that the Scottish government should complete the dual carriageway network between Scotland’s cities by upgrading the A9 between Inverness and Perth and A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen, with early work to increase capacity around key sites for the offshore wind industry, particularly the Port of Ardersier.

“We also called for investment to create a long-term solution at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll and Bute, which will reduce disruptive closures for people, tourism businesses and the movement of goods, and to develop improvements along the strategic A75 corridor between Gretna and Cairnryan port.”

Colin Borland, of the Federation of Small Businesses, echoed other business leaders in saying that Scotland has a problem. “The quality of roads and other transport infrastructure has an enormous impact on the small businesses that form the backbone of our rural economy,” he said. “That is why the lack of progress on dualling the A9 and A96, for example, is such a concern for so many businesses in the Highlands. Whether in rural Highlands or a gridlocked city, it’s not great for productivity if you’re stuck in traffic rather than running your business.”

Professor Iain Docherty, a transport expert who is dean of advanced studies at Stirling University, added:

“Although smaller in an absolute sense, Scotland looks much more like Norway and Sweden. These countries have very concentrated populations in a few large cities, large distances between these urban centres and their other much smaller cities, and very challenging mountainous terrain in between.”