A9: Highlanders '10 times more likely to die' on the roads than those in the central belt

First Minister John Swinney promised his government will try and move quicker on the A9 dualling project, after Mr Ewing told him Highlanders will continue to die on this notorious road.

This comes after a 49-year-old man died in a four-vehicle crash on the A9 at Ballinluig on Tuesday, which is in Mr Swinney’s own Perthshire North constituency.

Speaking at first minister’s questions on Thursday, Mr Ewing said: “On Tuesday this week yet another person lost their life on the A9 and three more people were taken to hospital.

“The Road Safety Foundation produced evidence that people are three times more likely to lose their life in an incident on a single carriageway road compared to a dual carriageway road, and a staggering 10 times more likely to lose their life on a single-track road compared to a motorway.

Read more: The politics behind A9 delays - the 'wasted years', 7 transport ministers and ongoing doubts

“So families in the Highlands are 10 times more likely to lose someone to a road death than those in the central belt.”

Mr Ewing has been outspoken on the Scottish Government’s failure to the dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness for the past few years, and has accused ministers of de-prioritising the project since the 2021 election.

The A9 dualling project was initially due to be completed next year, however it has been hit with delays and complications which mean only 11 of the 94 miles have been dualled.

The Scottish Government pushed the dualling programme back an entire decade, and it is now expected to be finished by 2035.

At first minister’s questions, Mr Ewing demanded the First Minister bring forward new proposals for the “swifter dualling of the A9 so fewer people die”.

All this week The Scotsman has been doing a deep dive into the A9 dualling project, and a number of Highlanders have told the paper they do not believe the project will be finished by this new 2035 target date.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop however, told The Scotsman in an exclusive interview that the road will be completed by 2035.

The Steamie newsletter brings you unrivalled political analysis - sign up here

In response to Mr Ewing’s question, Mr Swinney paid tribute to the man who lost his life on Tuesday, and said: “I recognise the seriousness and the significance of this issue.

“The government has invested in a number of stretches of the A9 already.

“The government will keep the programme under review to identify if there is any way to move at a faster rate.”

Read more: Why the A9 should not be dualled over a 335-year-old Jacobite battlefield

However, when pressed by Conservative MSP Jamie Greene on whether the Scottish Government is “still fully committed to fully dualling every road it promised the public it would dual”, he evaded answering the question.

In response, Mr Swinney said: “The government is committed to its investment programme and will take action to set out its support for road safety measures.”