Average speed cameras will go live on a stretch of the A90 in October, Scotland’s transport minister said as he held talks with north-east groups about the controversial measure.
Humza Yousaf met a number of affected groups, including Stonehaven Community Council, in Montrose yesterday.
The politician, whose office has refused to disclose details of how the decision to implement the road safety scheme was made, said they were a “proven success” elsewhere.
The £2million project to cut the horrific death toll on the stretch of main road between Stonehaven and Dundee was first revealed in May. There were three fatal collisions and six serious crashes on that section of the route in 2015.
There will be 30 cameras, 15 in either direction, covering the 51-mile stretch, with each device between three and four miles apart.
Mr Yousaf also met representatives from the North Safety Camera Unit, Tealing Community Council, Forfar Community Council and the Federation of Small Businesses.
He said: “Average speed cameras are about road safety, and these systems have been a proven success.
“Unfortunately, the A90 consistently features as one of the trunk roads in Scotland with the highest collision statistics.
“Any death on our roads is one too many, and I look forward to seeing similar results on the A90 as we’ve seen on the A77 and A9 in reducing casualties and improving driver behaviour.”
Stonehaven Community Council member Mike Duncan said the meeting had been “very informative and useful”.
He said: “I think average speed cameras are the far safer option as opposed to the speeding up and slowing down that goes along with static cameras.
“They ensure a far more pleasant journey at a constant speed.”
The Press and Journal has asked to see all paperwork from Mr Yousaf’s office about the controversial scheme.
But Transport Scotland claimed there was a “greater public interest” in ministers and officials being able to have “frank” discussions behind closed doors than in disclosing the information to voters.
