A crackdown on speeders on the newly-opened Aberdeen bypass has resulted in a number of fines being issued.
Officers carried out high-visibility patrols and speed checks along the Stonehaven to Craibstone section of the road when it opened late last year, with back-up from the north safety camera unit.
And despite pleas for motorists to take their time and get to know the road, nearly a dozen motorists have been caught speeding.
Between December 12 and January 31, 10 fixed penalty notices or conditional offers were given to drivers in relation to speeding offences.
The final four-and-a-half mile stretch of the AWPR opened on February 19 between Craibstone and Parkhill, allowing drivers full access to the entire 36-mile route for the first time.
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A police report to Ellon Community council earlier this month noted that drivers have been caught in excess of 90mph, 95mph and even 103mph already.
North East MSP Lewis Macdonald said: “The warnings to drivers to make sure they watch their speed have clearly been heard.
“I believe this shows the difference that police presence can have on a road, particularly a new one.
“The police are clearly taking this seriously – I think one of the only times I’ve ever seen a speed camera operator after dark was on one occasion I spotted one while driving on the new bypass.”
In January, yellow rumble strips were installed on the approach to the Cleanhill junction on the bypass as part of efforts to improve safety on the AWPR.
Mr Macdonald added: “It’s a very quick road where you can comfortably drive at the 70mph limit on a number of stretches, therefore it is completely unnecessary to exceed that limit and break the law by speeding.
“It is vitally important that these speeding figures stay this low, as safety should be the primary concern of any driver using the new bypass, or indeed any road around the north-east.”
A police spokeswoman declined to comment.
