Former First Minister Alex Salmond has claimed a rival MSP was “talking through a hole in her hat” about the potential installation of average speed cameras on two major north-east roads.
The Aberdeenshire East MSP said Nanette Milne was being irresponsible by spreading misinformation about the threat of devices on the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road or on the A90 north of Aberdeen.
In a letter to the Conservative MSP, Mr Salmond said it was “very sad to see you attempt to turn a serious issue like road safety into a political football”.
The former SNP leader spoke out after Mrs Milne claimed real concern was growing that SNP ministers were delaying any decision until after the general election in May.
She said residents and businesses in the Westminster Gordon constituency, where Mr Salmond is a candidate, were opposed to cameras.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay has said he was open to the idea of devices being used on other key routes if the case could be justified following the success of the A9 scheme between Inverness and Perth.
But Mr Salmond said: “Nanette Milne is speaking through a hole in her hat and it is irresponsible of her to continue peddling this misinformation to the people of the north-east.
“The transport minister has confirmed that there are no plans to install average speed cameras on the A96.
“It is very silly of the Tories to use road safety issues to score political points in the run-up to the general election.
“Work is already underway on a whole raft of measures to make the A96 safer including a £10million scheme to remove the bottleneck at Inveramsay Bridge.”
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland confirmed there were no plans for cameras on the A96 or A90 and said Mrs Milne’s claims were “simply wrong”.
“Road safety is an absolute priority and we continue to keep our options open across the entire trunk road network to promote road safety interventions, be that safety cameras or other measures, where the evidence justifies implementation.,” she added.
North-east Labour MSP Richard Baker said cameras would not be popular with north-east motorists, largely due to congestion, and the government must launch a public consultation before any decision is taken.