SNP accused of ‘betrayal’ over Scotland’s most dangerous road

Holyrood has failed to upgrade the A9 where more than 300 crashes have occurred in four years

The SNP Government is facing fresh criticism over its failure to upgrade Scotland’s most dangerous road, where more than 300 crashes have occurred in four years.

Since 2021, 28 people have been killed on the A9 between Perth and Inverness, with hundreds more injured.

The 88-mile trunk road was supposed to have been dualled by this year, following a pledge by the SNP government in 2011.

In 2023, the completion date was pushed back to 2035 after ministers admitted the target was unachievable.

The Scottish Conservatives, which obtained the latest accident data, accused the SNP of a “shameful betrayal” of those who rely on the A9, including First Minister John Swinney’s constituents.

Fergus Ewing, the veteran MSP and former SNP rural affairs minister, who last month announced that he will stand as an independent in next year’s Scottish Parliament elections, said his former party’s failure to deliver on its pledge was “the SNP’s shame”.

He added: “Never have promises been so clearly broken, and the lack of any sense of contrition or humility from the SNP leaders is in itself surely reprehensible.”

Figures released under a Freedom of Information request show that 2022-23 was the worst year for fatalities, with 13 people killed on the 88-mile stretch of the A9.

Between 2021 and 2025, there were 321 collisions that resulted in 134 serious, and 159 minor, injuries.

The Perth to Inverness stretch of the A9 switches between dual and single lanes, which is believed to heighten the risk of accidents.

In addition, there is no central barrier to separate traffic and prevent head-on collisions.

“These shocking figures reveal the appalling casualty toll on the A9,” said Sue Webber, the Conservative shadow transport secretary.

“Every day that goes by without this vital road being dualled is putting more lives at risk. Enough is enough. Dualling this road is a matter of life and death.”

Mr Ewing, who has been increasingly at odds with the SNP over its slow progress in dualling the A9 and A96 roads, pointed to evidence from the Road Safety Foundation showing that the risk of being in a road accident is three times greater on single carriageways such as the A9 compared with dual carriageways, and ten times greater than on motorways.

Addressing the latest accident data, he added: “Every single one of these accidents involves a family, and those where deaths have been caused will be devastated.

“The dualling of the A9, promised by this year, won’t happen by 2035 in my view, and at the heart of my campaign in Inverness and Nairn will be that the next government must complete the dualling. It is my unfinished business. It’s the SNP’s shame.”

Last year, Nicola Sturgeon, the former SNP first minister, apologised that her party’s pledge to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness could not be met.

She told a Holyrood inquiry that the £3 billion project had faced significant challenges beyond their control, including from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, opposition politicians have suggested measures to speed up progress.

The Scottish Tories have proposed an emergency law that would utilise private companies and expedite environmental impact assessments to fast-track the dualling of the A9 by the end of the next parliament.

Cost pressures and austerity

In 2011, the SNP government also promised to upgrade the A96between Aberdeen and Inverness by the end of this decade but abandoned the pledge last year.

Fiona Hyslop, the SNP Transport Secretary, blamed cost pressures and austerity, and admitted that the “original anticipated timeline of 2030” would not be met.

She also unveiled an official review that cast major doubt on whether the project will ever be carried out, after it concluded that dualling was not the best option.

Transport Scotland said 50 per cent of the A9 will be dualled by 2030 and completed by 2035. The body added that it is “actively considering” fast-track work, including opportunities for undertaking “advance works” ahead of main construction contracts.

A spokesperson said: “Our sympathies are with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured on Scotland’s roads. One death is one too many, which is why we have increased our road safety budget to a record £48 million to address road casualties across the road network.”

“We have prioritised funding for A9 Dualling within our annual budgets and we are also actively considering whether there is any way that we can fast-track work, including opportunities for undertaking “advance works” ahead of main construction contracts.

“In the meantime, additional investment has supported junction improvements, improved markings and targeted road safety campaigns to improve A9 safety. Private companies are already being used and advance works including Environmental Assessments for the route have already been made.”