SNP delegates have voted on and passed a resolution to “reaffirm” the party commitment of fully dualling the A9 and A96 at their annual conference.
The motion, moved by councillor Jérémie Fernandes, who brought with him a copy of the SNP’s 1990 agenda featuring a commitment to dual the road fully.
Fernandes from the party’s Elgin branch stated the party should be “proud” of having that in their manifesto in the early nineties, before either the Tories or Labour had focused on the road, however he added that now SNP were the governing party, they should “get on with it”.
The full motion passed by the party states: “Conference asserts that the full dualling of the A9 and A96, with the implementation of modern safety standards, such as separated carriageways, improved junctions, enhanced signage, and state of the art Traffic Management systems, will create safer road environments that minimise the likelihood of accidents, reduce injury, and ultimately save lives.
“Conference reaffirms the SNP's unwavering commitment to fully dualling the A9 and A96 as a top infrastructure priority for Scotland. Conference further reaffirms the SNP's determination to allocate the necessary resources and expertise to expedite the planning, development, and construction of these road projects, and the party's commitment to working collaboratively with local authorities, communities, and other stakeholders to achieve these objectives.”
He said the number one issue when knocking doors for activists in the northeast, the number one issue is the two roads’ safety.
The motion was seconded by David Birckett from Peterhead, saying he could not overstate the “benefits”. He added the project had become “a bit of a political football” and said, “we have given [opposition] too much possession in this game.”
He said: “Many UK governments have let down the northeast and Moray, and we have an opportunity today to make sure that our SNP-led Scottish Government doesn’t join that long and undistinguished list of let-down governments. We avoid that fate very simply; we avoid it by keeping our promises.”
Councillor Gwyneth Petrie, Emma Roddick MSP and Pete Wishart MP also spoke in favour of the motion.
Rhodri Griffiths, an SNP member for three years originally from Wales, spoke against the motion.
He stated: “This is road building, it’s a way of problem-solving that belongs to the past – to the 1950s and 1960s. We just look around this area, and we see the amount of tarmac and concrete there is. This is not the approach we should be taking now.
“We should be looking at a greener, more environmentally friendly approach. The answer to connectivity – and I was very impressed with Tracey from Dumfries yesterday – if we want to improve connectivity, we really should be looking at the railways, this is the modern way forward.”
He also stated accidents are not to do with infrastructure but “the way that people are driving”.
Delegates voted for the resolution, which passed overwhelmingly.
