Transport Summit Report Published for Public Feedback

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf welcomed the publication today of a draft report on the summit and encouraged the public to have their say.

The Minister said:

“The recent Transport Summit in Dumfries provided a great forum to discuss the role of transport in supporting the economy and communities in Dumfries and Galloway.

“Having heard from representatives from road, rail, ports and bus services, attendees recognised that connectivity is key for the area both to the central belt and further afield.

“As I made clear at the summit, we are planning to review the National Transport Strategy and the Strategic Transport Projects Review. As part of that, we will be considering improvements to the A77 south of Girvan, links to the Cairnryan ferry hub and the A75 and also improvements to connect Dumfries and the A74 (M).

“Ahead of any major improvements to the trunk road network, we are committed to looking to establish if any more immediate measures can be introduced to improve safety. I recently met with the local campaigners for the A75 and last week my officials held a public meeting in Springholm. They are now taking forward a traffic management study for Springholm and Crocketford to explore what can be done to further improve driver behaviour for the people living there, building on the previous work which had a positive impact in reducing vehicle speeds in the village.

“Our maintenance programme is also continuing. As the £1.3 million resurfacing programme at Cardoness on the A75 draws to a close, preparations are underway for further work at Glenterry to Barrharrow. Investment in the South West Landslide Action Plan is on-going, including at priority sites on the A77 at Cairnryan and A76 at Enterkinfoot.

“One of the other themes at the summit was remoteness in rural areas and the importance of buses to communities and the lifeline services they provide. In recognition of this, we will work with local authorities, including Dumfries & Galloway Council, as we bring forward the recently announced Transport Bill which will include measures to improve bus services across Scotland.

“The draft report of the summit is now published and I would encourage anyone with an interest to read it and provide any comments by 31 October 2016.”