Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Politician meets transport boss to discuss proposals for a roundabout at Toll of Birness

Aberdeenshire MSP Gillian Martin meeting Michael Matheson to discuss the Toll of Birness
Aberdeenshire MSP Gillian Martin meeting Michael Matheson to discuss the Toll of Birness

A north-east politician has met with Scotland’s transport minister to drive forward plans for a roundabout to be built at a notorious A90 junction.

MSP Gillian Martin discussed the proposals with Michael Matheson in a bid to reduce the number of accidents at the Toll of Birness.

There have been several collisions at the junction between the A90 Ellon to Peterhead road and the A952 road to Fraserburgh in recent years.

Signs were erected last year in an attempt to slow down drivers but Ms Martin believes more work can be done to help prevent crashes.

She now plans to meet with Aberdeenshire Council’s road safety manager to discuss what work can be carried out at a local authority level.


>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter


Ms Martin said: “I had a really constructive meeting with the Transport Secretary who made it clear that he is keen to provide any support he can which will benefit the A952 junction and help mitigate against incidents.

“It is clear there is an appetite amongst constituents who use this stretch of road to strengthen the infrastructure.

“The flashing signs that have been in use since last year are a positive approach to concerns but it is clear we must do more.

“Further discussions need to be had about the potential for a roundabout at the Toll of Birness so the next step will be meeting with Aberdeenshire Council to discuss what can be done to assist in bringing this forward by the local authority.

“Access in the weeks before Christmas to the AWPR has been transformative for the north-east and we must build on this by making improvements elsewhere.”

A report produced by the North-East Scotland Transport Partnership (Nestrans) in 2017 details future options for changes to the A90 north of Ellon.

This included building a roundabout at the Toll of Birness which could cost £970,000.

Nestrans chairman Peter Argyle said: “Nestrans has done a great deal of work with consultants to consider the A90 north of Ellon including the junction at Toll of Birness.

“The cost of these interventions would reasonable and the benefits would be enormous.

“I would be delighted if Ms Martin helps to support our case with the Transport Minister.”

The Why Stop at Ellon group has been campaigning for several years for the A90 Ellon to Peterhead stretch of road to be turned into a dual carriageway.

Leader and councillor Gillian Owen said: “It’s not a case of just sticking a roundabout in – there’s a whole road aspect to consider as it’s put in the Nestrans report.

“I’m keen for any safety measures that can be included.

“I’m supportive of improvements and have been campaigning for the last five to seven years but it has to be done in the context of the Nestrans work so it’s holistic.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Transport Scotland has been engaged in discussions with Aberdeenshire Council and developers since March, 2016 specifically in the context of the impact that the development in Mintlaw may have on the safe and efficient operation of the A90 Toll of Birness Junction.

“We are clear that any potential development led scheme could result in improvements such as a roundabout, but this would be led by other parties to address the impact of the development and not as a consequence of road safety evidence.

“The longer term consideration of the routes and junctions north of Aberdeen will be in the context of the ongoing Strategic Transport Appraisal, part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal, and through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review.”