The Argyll First campaign to bring Argyll’s major arterial road up to scratch and keep it there – - Sign for the A83 – is continually gathering significant support.
Significantly, Argyll and Bute Council have been supportive, with discussion on the A83 at the December meeting of the Executive followed by an emergency amendment proposed by Councillor Alison Hay and seconded by Transport Spokesperson, Councillor Duncan MacIntyre.
The minute reads:
‘The Chair advised that the following Notice of Motion under Standing Order 14 had been received for consideration as a matter of urgency at this meeting:
‘This Committee requests that the Leader of the Council seeks a meeting with the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Infrastructure to discuss the persistent closures over the last 3 years of the A83.
‘The road is the main access into Argyll for the people of Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands and therefore is vital to the people and businesses who use this route.”
Moved by Councillor Alison Hay, seconded by Councillor Duncan MacIntyre.
The Chair ruled and the Committee agreed that the above Motion along with the business dealt with at item 15 of this minute be taken as a matter of urgency by reason of the need for better and more integrated strategic transportation infrastructure planning due to problems that had arisen from the recent landslip on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and associated road closure; and the ongoing operational issues with the new Dunoon-Gourock passenger ferry service.’ (The formal draft minute on these matters is here: $ExecutivePaperStrategicTransportInfrastructure15Dec2011)
Since the A83 enables the only two points of road access to the Cowal peninsula and, via the short Colintraive to Rhubodach ferry to the Isle of Bute , it is odd not to see Cowal and Bute mentioned in the motion; but their interests will be served by the sum of the collective effort Argyll First are working to bring to this campaign.
Councillors George Freeman (Lomond) and Gordon Chalmers (Mull), of the Argyll and Bute Independent Councillors Group, have also added their personal support in signing the petition.
While much business support has been coming in by hard copy letters – some of which we have noted in previous news items, a lot is arriving by email. A sample of these includes:
- Argyll Estates and Inveraray Castle
- Campbeltown Community Business Ltd. and The Picture House Campbeltown
- Collins Clayton and Co, Campbeltown
- For Argyll
- Furnace Community Council
- Inverclyde and North Ayrshire Care Services Ltd,
- Loch Fyne Gallery, Harbour Street Tarbert
- Loch Melfort Hotel & Restaurant
- Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club
- John & Elaine Mackirdy Bute, Black of Dunoon
- Oatfield House Bed and Breakfast Campbeltown
- West Coast Motors
- Wild and Magic Islay travel company, Islay
- Wild Biscuit Ltd.
The geographical span of these concerned businesses underlines the importance of the A83 across Argyll.
ADD YOUR OWN SUPPORT NOW – Sign for the A83. This road matters.
There’s one place where West Coast Motors’ Glasgow – Campbeltown bus route departs from the A83 for a very short distance to serve the centre of Furnace village. The approach road from the Inveraray direction is in an appalling state, has been since at least the two very frosty previous winters, and will get even worse if we have more frost this winter. I imagine that Argyll & Bute Council are aware of this problem, and perhaps Councillor Hay could address her council’s persistent neglect of this bit of road, as well as pursuing the government’s persistent closures of the Rest and Be Thankful. She should bear in mind that if buses are forced to stop going through Furnace, and have to halt on the A83, there are safety implications both for passengers who have to then cross the trunk road and traffic that has to overtake stationary buses.
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Isn’t it wonderful how an upcoming election can concentrate minds?
(Or am I just getting more cynical as I get older?)
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Well done to Cllrs Hay and MacIntyre.
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You can’t be serious!!
This is a straight jump onto a (very good) band-waggon!
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For Barmore 2: Of course it is – and there’s an election coming up.
BUT – the A83 is vital to all of Argyll – much of it directly and the rest less directly but still powerfully. A strong public campaign associated with a united front across the local authority cannot be overlooked in the way that a divided position can.
We note that the Transport Minister is saying that Transport Scotland has ‘no plans’ to implement any solution other than the existing ‘mitigation measures’ at the landslip-troubled section of the A83 at the Rest. Of course it doesn’t. ‘No plans’ is standard spin-speak and means no more than that they’ve not finally made up their minds and not gone to tender. Until that stage, everything is ‘deniable’ by all concerned and that is what is happening.
We know from informed, first hand, inside information that Balfour Beatty is costing the ‘gallery’ solution – the one we loosely describe as a lean-to roof, bedded into the hill above the suspect section, keeping the road open in the event of a landslip.
This company is a major contractor to Transport Scotland. It is inconceivable that it is spending money on a costing operation without Transport Scotland’s knowledge; and that this solution – the best solution – is not under consideration.
If couldn’t be more important that the Sign for the A83 campaign can show powerful public and business support, with a united front from all shades across the local authority. This leave no wriggle room for Transport Scotland, as they have with a divided local authority.
Two things influence governments in such decisions: financial and political cost. From our experience, beyond extreme cases, political cost weights heaviest.
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