SNP Moray councillor Jérémie Fernandes pushes party on A96 and A9 dualling commitment

An SNP member of Moray Council has submitted a motion asking his party to reaffirm its commitment to dualling the A9 and the A96 at its upcoming conference.

Cllr Jérémie Fernandes says his motion, which highlights the importance of both road projects, has received the unanimous backing of the Elgin SNP branch.

It has now been submitted for inclusion on the agenda of the SNP’s 89th annual conference which will be held in Aberdeen from October 15-17.

Cllr Fernandes said: "I am proud that it is the SNP who first put the dualling of the A9 and A96 on the political agenda.

"Moray SNP has advocated for the dualling of the A9 and A96 since the 1990s, well before devolution, well before the party was in government and at a time when neither Labour nor the Tories were interested.

"This local pressure was crucial in making the party commit to the dualling of both roads and we must now deliver on these commitments.

"We know how vital these infrastructures are for the people of the north and north-east, in terms of road safety, business development, and support of a just transition.

"I have submitted the motion and party members will decide what goes on the final agenda of the annual conference.

"I am confident that this motion will be accepted, so we can fully and frankly discuss the issue in October."

Cllr Fernandes' motion calls for the dualling of both roads to be recognised as a "top priority".

It states: "These strategic road projects are vital for enhancing connectivity, promoting economic growth, ensuring road safety, and facilitating smoother travel for the people of Scotland.

"Conference acknowledges that the A9 is one of Scotland's major arterial routes, connecting the Central Belt with the Highlands and beyond. However, it has long suffered from congestion, accidents, and limited capacity, hindering economic development in the regions it serves.

"Conference further acknowledges that the A96 is another critical transport corridor, connecting the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen. Similar to the A9, it faces challenges such as traffic bottlenecks and safety concerns.

"Conference believes that dualling the A9 and the A96 will unlock significant economic potential for Scotland. Enhanced road connectivity will attract investments, facilitate the movement of goods and services, and open up new markets for businesses

"It will also promote regional development, encouraging businesses to expand outside urban centres and contributing to a fairer distribution of economic opportunities across the country, while also supporting a just transition.

"Conference asserts that the full dualling the A9 and the 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 severity, and ultimately save lives."

A commitment to dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness was made in December 2011, with a deadline of 2030.

However this, as well as its sister project on the A9, were paused as part of 2021's SNP-Green coalition deal so that a "transparent, evidence-based review" could be carried out to measure their environmental impact.

This review was originally supposed to announce its findings last year.

Speaking in June, a Transport Scotland spokesperson they would be reported "later in the summer".