A90 Toll of Birness
Location and Context
The Toll of Birness junction is located on the A90(T) near Ellon in Aberdeenshire and forms the junction between the A90 trunk road and the A952. Transport Scotland regularly receives correspondence from members of the public, elected representatives and community groups, with concerns often raised regarding both its operation and perceived safety performance.
A90 Toll of Birness Road Safety Performance
Transport Scotland's annual road safety review process has not identified Toll of Birness as a location meeting the criteria for further investigation through the Trunk Road Casualty Reduction Programme. The junction has not appeared in recent Annual Road Safety Review reports prepared by the North East Operating Company and, on the basis of current collision evidence, is not classified as an collision cluster site or "accident blackspot".
The below table and figure illustrates the safety performance of the Toll of Birness junction, where there has been one personal injury collision in the vicinity of the junction in the 3-year-period associated with the 2025 Annual Road Safety Review i.e. from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024.
| Year | Fatal | Very Serious | Moderately Serious | Less Serious | Slight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In recent years, Transport Scotland has introduced a number of road safety measures at the junction, including the installation of Vehicle Activated Signs in 2021. Since these measures were implemented, a reduction in recorded injury collisions has been observed. The junction will continue to be monitored through the annual road safety review process.
A90 Toll of Birness Operational Constraints and Development Pressures
Whilst the available collision data does not support the classification of Toll of Birness as an accident blackspot, the cumulative impact of planned, consented and completed development in the vicinity has resulted in operational and capacity constraints at the junction.
Aberdeenshire Council's adopted Local Development Plan (LDP) 2017 allocated approximately 1,200 homes within Mintlaw. The Plan also allocates land for over 1,400 homes and significant employment development in Peterhead, together with a further 1,000 homes and associated employment land in Fraserburgh. In addition, substantial development proposals associated with the renewable energy sector are being brought forward at St Fergus. Collectively, these developments have the potential to impact upon the operation of the A90(T) and A952 corridors.
As a result of the operational and capacity constraints at Toll of Birness arising from the scale of planned development in the area, Transport Scotland requested that planning conditions be applied through the development management process in line with the Planning (Scotland) Act to reflect these constraints and the requirement for the junction to be upgraded. This requirement has been in place since 2017 and has constrained development within Mintlaw to 200 additional homes, with the capacity of the existing junction limiting the amount of development that can proceed. Therefore, only a proportion of the allocated housing sites have been capable of progressing pending delivery of the junction upgrade.
The level of consented development under construction is approaching the threshold associated with the 200-house limit. As a result, mitigation at the Toll of Birness junction is now required to allow further development to come forward and support future growth within the area.
In line with the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), Development Plans are required to identify necessary infrastructure to support the spatial strategy, and developers are responsible for mitigating the impacts of their development on the trunk road network. In this instance, however, Aberdeenshire Council has sought developer contributions towards a coordinated junction improvement scheme, rather than requiring individual developers to deliver mitigation works at the Toll of Birness junction independently.
In parallel, Nestrans, the statutory Regional Transport Partnership for North East Scotland, undertook the A90(N)/A952 Ellon to Peterhead and Fraserburgh Transport Appraisal, to consider options for improving strategic transport connections in North East Aberdeenshire. The study has been undertaken in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). This exercise included consideration of the Toll of Birness junction, and the ‘Detailed Options Appraisal’ identified a roundabout as the preferred solution.
Aberdeenshire Council is now leading the detailed design of the proposed roundabout, with support from Transport Scotland and the North East Operating Company to identify a deliverable solution. This support includes design reviews and technical advice to ensure that the proposed scheme meets the relevant design standards. The design work is scheduled to be completed by March 2027. While the timing of the junction upgrade and the full funding package have yet to be confirmed, Aberdeenshire Council has already been collecting developer contributions towards the scheme. The Council is continuing to explore additional funding opportunities.