Six of the 10 most dangerous locations for safety on Scotland’s trunk roads been been identified on the A96, according to a new report by Transport Scotland.
In its Annual Road Safety Review 2024/25, operator Amey identified multiple blackspots on the busy road, including the Blackburn and Inverurie roundabouts on the A96 in Aberdeenshire and advised Scotland’s roads chiefs to make improvements to the locations.
In Moray, the A96 south of the Keith bends and east of Hardmuir also featured in the 10 “riskiest” locations. There have been 14 deaths on several parts of the road in the last five years.
The findings come after plans to make the A96 from Aberdeen to Inverness fully dual carriageway by 2030 were paused while another consultation is held after a climate report suggested it shouldn’t happen.
As reported in the Scottish Daily Express, additional sites have also been identified by stakeholders such as Aberdeenshire and Moray councils, including the A90 Toll of Birness, Cortes junction, Forres Bypass, Pans Port roundabout in Elgin and the Waulkmill Cottage to Barmuckity roundabout on the A96.
Amey has agreed to review the performance of these sections “in terms of operation and road safety”.
Transport Scotland has been warned about the dangers of the two roads in a report received by this website through freedom of information legislation. Amey produced an Annual Road Safety Review 2024/25 for the north-east roads, which was sent to transport chiefs last year.
It highlighted that the number of those killed and seriously injured in collisions did decrease but failed to meet the targets set by Transport Scotland. It also urged for a review of ten “high risk” sites on the roads which needed work to prevent incidents happening.
In its report on the North East’s danger areas, Amey said: “Five proactive measures such as carriageway resurfacing, dotted profile markings, vehicle restraint systems, solar studs and the introduction (or widening) of carriageway hard strips are tangible interventions that can be introduced at higher risk sites in order to reduce the risk factor and increase road safety.
“However, the longer-term objective may be to realign the carriageway which is likely to require third party land, be more complex and expensive.”
The top 10 most dangerous road sections
- A9 Broxden Roundabout
- A96 West of Lhanbryde Roundabout
- A9 Keir Roundabout
- A96 South of Keith bends
- A92 South of 5 Links Roundabout
- A96 Blackburn Roundabout
- A96 Inverurie Roundabout
- A96 Grangehall Road Roundabout
- A92 West of Kilmany
- A96 East of Hardmuir
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A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “One death on Scotland’s roads is one too many. Road safety is a priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we are investing a record £36 million to reduce deaths and to achieve our ambitious road casualty reduction targets by 2030.
“Last year, over a third of road casualties in Scotland occurred on single carriageway roads with a national speed limit of 60mph. With many of Scotland’s national speed limits located in rural areas, these figures emphasise the need to address rural road safety. We recently launched a consultation to gather views on changes to speed limits, including for HGVs, to ensure they are safe and effective. The proposals aim to reduce injuries from collisions, while maintaining reliable journey times for all road users.
“The current favoured position of the Scottish Government is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including the Nairn Bypass. It is important local people, businesses and communities are given the opportunity to help inform the Government’s final decision on how to take forward improvements to the A96 Corridor.
“No decisions on the final outcome from this review will be determined until we hear from the public and consider their views from this 12 week consultation. People have until 21 February 2025 to get involved.
“The A9 is an essential route in Scotland. It must be safe, reliable and resilient, and that is what this Government will deliver. The delivery plan announced on 20 December 2023 has been developed to balance market capacity, disruption to road users and challenging financial constraints and provides much-needed certainty for road users, local communities and the construction industry on when works are expected.
“We have made good early progress in meeting delivery plan targets. The procurement of the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project began in May 2024 and the construction contract for the Tomatin to Moy project was awarded in July 2024 – with work on that section starting soon. We’ve also published the Made Orders for the 15 mile section of the A9 between Dalraddy and Slochd. People can find out more at www.a9dualling.scot.”
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Douglas Lumsden said: “It’s no surprise six out of the 10 ‘high risk’ locations for road safety in the North East are on the A96, which is a death trap in its current state.
“The SNP government’s reluctance to upgrade the A96 is a betrayal to the families whose loved ones have tragically died or suffered injuries on the road.
“One death or injury is one too many and it’s clear the A96 remains one of the most dangerous roads in Scotland.
“Not only that, but North East residents also have to contend with the dangers of the A90 Toll of Birness and Cortes junctions on a daily basis, which the SNP government continues to shamefully ignore.
“These findings should be a wake-up call for the Scottish Government, which has neglected our North East road network for far too long.”