Exclusive: Minister for transport claims changing A96 to single track will save Scottish government thousands of pounds, be better for environment
Artist's impression of the A96 near Nairn after the narrowing work is completed
Nairn residents were outraged today to find that the Scottish transport ministry has announced that, instead of dualling the A96 to increase capacity, it will be changed to single track to decrease capacity.
Explaining the move, transport minister Fiona Hyslop explained that the change in tack was spurred on by the concept of induced demand. "In America they never stop adding lanes to their highways - every time you increase the flow of traffic, more people want to drive on the roads," the minister said in an exclusive interview with The Nairnite. "Adding capacity does not solve congestion, and every summer we're seeing more and more people drive to the Highlands."
The controversial move to change a bi-directional single carriageway to single track is unprecedented in British history. However it may become common in the future, Hyslop claimed. "The best way to increase air quality and road safety is to reduce the amount of cars and trucks on the roads. With this new system we're expecting to see ten, maybe even eleven vehicles make it through Nairn in any given 24 hours during the summer months. As awareness about environmental issues increases, so will the amount of single track A-roads in Britain."
Local resident Eric MacGregor was not impressed. "At this rate I'll have to start taking the train into Inverness," he said, shaking his head. "We have a long tradition of dangerous overtaking along the A96 in our family, and we'll be devastated to have to give it up. Waiting for two hundred camper vans to go past while you sit in a passing place for half an hour just isn't the same as speeding past a school bus at a hundred miles per hour on that really nasty bend at the Ardersier turnoff."
But others seemed to receive the news more positively. "I'm thrilled," said local yoga instructor and salad technician Tasha Cunningham. "Rewilding the dirty road surfaces of the Highlands is a step in the right direction. We're hoping to plant communal organic vegetable gardens along the reclaimed lanes, and sell directly to drivers waiting in the passing places. We've already been offering full yoga courses to drivers waiting in the five o'clock traffic, by the time they set off again they've usually mastered the Inverted Narwhal, one of the most challenging positions."
Perhaps the biggest benefit for Holyrood will be the money this will save the government. Single track roads cost significantly less to build and maintain than bi-directional carriageway, with one estimate saying the government could see an overall saving of as much as £1,277 after sixty years, once narrowing work is completed, which is estimated to take 250 years.
"With our finances so stretched, sacrifices must be made," First Minister Humza Yousaf said in a statement today. "We're hoping that this is a win-win - we'll be saving money and reducing air pollution at the same time." When queried about what "win-win" local residents or prospective visitors would see, Mr Yousaf laughed maniacally before abruptly ending the conference with no further explanation.
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