Only 500 people have responded to the latest A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road improvement consultation which could lead the SNP to drop its dual carriageway upgrade promise.
The figure was revealed to MSPs behind closed doors as the public consultation nears its end on February 21.
It compares to the SNP Government’s first consultation, costing the taxpayer £6.2 million, which attracted 4,600 responses and generated 11,000 options to improve the 100-mile “corridor”.
The latest response rate shows the public are growing “sick and tired of distraction tactics”, the SNP’s opponents claim.
During the meeting, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop also refused to give any sort of timetable to attendees on plans to dual the route between Aberdeen and Inverness, one MSP said.
A recent review of the project made the case against continuing with the SNP’s promise to fully dual the road.
Instead, new bypasses were suggested for Elgin and Keith, along with improvements to the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line and targeted road safety improvements.
In November, Ms Hyslop admitted the project will no longer be completed by 2030, ordering another consultation on what to do next.
‘Public are sick and tired’
North East Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, who attended the talks, said: “The response figure shows the public are sick and tired of the SNP’s false promises and consultations, wasting millions of taxpayers money in the process.
“Throughout the meeting, my colleagues and I repeatedly demanded firm timetables and commitments for dualling but government ministers and officials refused to be drawn.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said the “current favoured position” is to fully dual the A96 with work being progressed on the process to dual between Inverness to Nairn, including Nairn bypass.
He added: “No decisions on the final outcome from this review will be determined until the Scottish Government hears from the public and considers their views from this 12-week consultation.
“People have until February 21, 2025 so there is still plenty of time to get involved and we would encourage anyone with an interest in the A96 to take the opportunity to play their part in the discussion.”
The public consultation can be accessed online here.
Conversation