A campaign group is calling for Transport Scotland to upgrade a stretch of the A82 Inverness to Glasgow road rather than downgrading it by reducing the speed limit.
It is hoped that lowering the limit from 60mph to 50mph between Fort William and North Ballachulish in Lochaber will reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in accidents.
But the A82 Partnership yesterday said this was not the answer and renewed its call for improvements to the alignment and camber on the busy trunk road.
The group’s call for action followed the appearance of long poles, topped with black plastic bags and sticky tape, alongside this section of the carriageway.
Stewart Maclean, of the A82 Partnership, said the poles heralded the imminent implementation of the results of Transport Scotland’s 2012 Speed Limit Review, which was revised in February 2015.
He said: “The A82 Partnership continues to make representations to have this road upgraded and views this speed limit reduction as acceptance by Transport Scotland that the road does not comply with its criteria for a national speed limit of 60mph.
“Regretfully the decision, at present, is to downgrade this section of road to a 50mph limit rather than invest the required funds in an upgrade.”
He pointed out that travelling from Glencoe to Fort William drivers would face eight speed limit changes.
They will be required to reduce their speed from 60mph to 40mph, then permitted to increase to 50mph, then back up to 60mph, down to 50mph, a further reduction to 40mph, then back up to 50mph before reducing to 40mph and then 30mph as they enter Fort William.
And Mr Maclean said he believed this would be very confusing for motorists.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said safety was an absolute priority and setting speed limits consistent with the surrounding environment helped to improve this for all road users.
She said: “The speed limits between Glencoe and Fort William best reflect the changing nature and characteristics of the route across this 16 mile section with the planned 50mph speed limit expected to come into operation in the coming months.
“We fully appreciate the importance of the A82 to the local and regional economies and the local communities.
“That is why we have invested almost £80million since 2007 into the maintenance of the A82 to ensure that it continues to support economic growth in the region.”
