POLICE have launched a crackdown on speeders and dangerous drivers on one of the north’s most notorious roads.
A special unit will target rogue motorists on the A82 between Glasgow and the Highland capital.
The busy road is the main tourist route from the west coast to Loch Ness and the Great Glen. But earlier this month it was revealed it was shut nearly 100 times in the space of three years – with accidents one of the major factors in the string of closures.
Specialist officers will be based at Fort William for the first time as the single police force also focuses on other trunk roads in the Lochaber, Skye, Lochalsh and Argyll areas.
That means crash investigators will be on the scene of serious smashes more quickly, helping to prevent the long closures and frustrating delays which often follow incidents.
The move was welcomed last night by safety campaigners and politicians, although they called for more structural improvements to the road itself.
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson said he was pleased the new unit had been launched, but insisted the route needed upgrading.
He said: “The A82 is a road we have to be very careful on, particularly in the winter – it can be a very dangerous road if you don’t know it and equally dangerous if you become too familiar with it. It needs a lot of improvements and the route improvement plan study that is currently under way will identify exactly what needs doing.”
Highlands and Islands MSP David Stewart said: “Greater patrolling of the trunk roads will reduce accidents and, as it is based in Lochaber, this will prove a particular advantage on the A82 and parts of the A9.”
And Stewart MacLean, of the A82 Partnership, said: “We have been campaigning for a traffic unit in Fort William for quite some time. This is mainly due to the length of closures, which are made longer by the time it takes for officers to travel down from Dingwall. We are looking forward to these being reduced.”
Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Stewart Nicol, said the new unit would help to improve links with Inverness for local businesses, people living in and around the Highland capital and tourists visiting the area.
He said: “We all recognise the challenges on the trunk road network in the Highlands, but we also recognise the issues that arise from accidents on them due, in many cases, to the lack of alternative routes.
“This new unit in Fort William will help on lots of different levels. The trunk road network is hugely important for economic and business activity in Inverness and the Inner Moray Firth, but it is also very important for tourists visiting the area.”
Police Scotland said the new national trunk road patrol group in Fort William was one of 11 across Scotland.
Its duties will include routine patrolling, attending incidents, investigating collisions and providing specialist officers to assist in the investigation of fatal road accidents.
Local commander for Lochaber, Lochalsh and Skye, Chief Inspector Derek Paterson, said he hoped it would assist in keeping people safe on the roads.
He said: “The establishment of this unit will bring direct benefits to the wider communities across the west central Highlands through a higher profile policing presence on the trunk road network.
“In addition, they will provide a supplementary resource to identify, target and disrupt those criminals who use the road network for illegal activities.
“I welcome the assistance the unit will provide to local policing through attendance at incidents, thereby allowing local officers to spend more time in their communities.” Earlier this month, Transport Minister Keith Brown said the A82 was closed 97 times due to road accidents, fallen trees and landslips in just three years.
At that time, Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie McGrigor said he hoped the Scottish Government and Police Scotland would examine how the aftermath of accidents was dealt with to ensure roads reopened as quickly as possible.
He said yesterday: “I welcome these new national trunk road patrol groups, particularly those in the Highlands and islands.”
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