Delays caused by A9 average speed cameras could cost the Highland economy almost £10 million, a business chief has warned.
Figures from the Scottish Government show that travel time from Perth to Inverness had increased by around 10 minutes after the introduction of the safety measure.
Fraser Grieve, Highland director of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry which represents 1,200 business organisations and sits on the A9 Safety Group, said it was “very positive” that accidents had reduced but cautioned that there was a “big cost in terms of people’s time” thanks to the speed cameras.
He said: “The increase in journey time is towards the higher end of the estimates that they put on, on average increasing by 10 minutes.
“That’s a big cost in terms of people’s time.”
Some estimates, based on UK transport department calculations, have previously suggested that A9 delays of between five and 10 minutes could equate to as much as an £8.7million financial cost to the Highland economy.
Mr Grieve added: “There have been huge positives from having the HGV speed limit increase.
“That’s been hugely beneficial in reducing the speed differential between vehicle types.
“There will be a real challenge with the average cameras with increased roadworks going on and the different speed limits on different stretches of the road.
“It’ll be difficult to see how it will play out over the next decade as the roadworks are in place.”
Stewart Leggett, Chair of the A9 Safety Group said: “Road safety trends remain encouraging and this summer has seen the first time since 2007 where there were no fatal accidents in July, August or September on the A9.
“This improvement is taking place despite rising traffic volumes and the busy summer period which saw a number of major events take place.”