Fergus Ewing slams 'misguided' SNP plan to cut speed limit on main roads out of Inverness
Highland MSP Fergus Ewing is demanding a meeting with his SNP colleagues in government to stop plans for a 50mph speed limit on main roads from Inverness to Aberdeen and Perth.
The SNP rebel turned his ire against the Scotland-wide proposal for a 10mph speed limit drop for car drivers on single carriageway roads, which covers much of the A96 and A9.
He wrote to Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop requesting a meeting to discuss the policy – and urging her to ditch it completely.
His intervention comes after we revealed almost 90% of P&J readers who responded to our poll last month are against the plan.
In the letter seen by the P&J, Mr Ewing states his Highland constituents will be 'most impacted' by the proposals, due to having very few miles of dual carriageway.
'I would urge you to make a very early announcement that they will be abandoned, in the face of overwhelming opposition', he told the transport secretary.
Speaking to the newspaper, the Inverness and Nairn MSP said the proposals came 'wholly out of the blue'.
He added: 'A staggering 90% of P&J readers have said no to this plan.
'Many argue that far from improving road safety, it will risk further incidents through causing driver frustration leading to some taking risks when not safe to do so.'
The SNP MSP claimed the proposals would 'discriminate' against those in the Highlands, due to the lack of dual carriageway sections, and in the north-east.
'The SNP government have put forward many proposals which they have had to scrap, and which I have, speaking out against the party line, opposed,' he added.
'These include banning fishermen from swathes of the sea, the deposit return scheme, the wood stove ban, absurd heat pump targets and recently the target to cut road miles by 10 per cent.
'This is another misguided proposal which should join those others in the burgeoning policy bin in St Andrew's House.'
We asked our readers a simple yes or no question – whether they agree with the plan?
Almost 90% of those surveyed, 555 people, voted No with only 63, just over 10% supporting the proposals.
Government roads agency Transport Scotland previously said the 'significant policy shift' will save lives and reduce serious injuries.
Under the plans, car drivers on single carriageway roads could face a 10mph reduction in speed limits, from 60mph to 50mph.
But speed limits for HGVs would rise on the same roads from 40mph to 50mph and on dual carriageways from 50mph to 60mphs.
More than 19,000 responses were received following a public consultation on proposed changes to speed limits in Scotland.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: 'The Scottish Government has consulted on these issues and is considering the responses received, before publishing recommendations later this year.
'The Cabinet Secretary for Transport has received Mr Ewing's letter and will respond in due course.'
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