Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond has turned motoring detective to get to the bottom of a north-east mystery – Strichen’s whistling road.
Drivers travelling on the B9093 Mintlaw to Strichen route have been experiencing an unusual sound from the tarmac, described by some as a hum or whistle.
Curious to find out more, Strichen resident and local MP Alex Salmond took the issue up with Aberdeenshire Council.
His enquires revealed that the road in question has been covered with an “experimental” surface as part of the council’s mission to drive down C02 emissions.
The newly surfaced stretch will be monitored over the coming months and has no adverse effects on safety or wear and tear for vehicles.
Mr Salmond, now the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster and an avid Star Trek fan, said the sound was almost extra-terrestrial in nature.
“Many of my constituents have written to me regarding this peculiar matter, and I myself have often pondered the genesis of the celestial-sounding symphony coming from beneath my tyres,” he said.
“I was happy to investigate this matter, and delighted to learn of the cause behind it. I’m sure that a definitive explanation into the exact cause of the sound will be disclosed in due course.”
Now Aberdeenshire Council’s roads chief, Philip McKay, has shone light on the phenomenon. He said: “The material recently laid on a section of the B9093 Strichen to Mintlaw road is an experimental surfacing material which we are using with a view to future introduction council-wide.”
Mr McKay said the warm mix asphalt which has been used is mixed and laid at a lower temperature than “conventional materials”, reducing the Co2 emissions from the work.
He added: “This surface will be monitored over the next year or so to see how it performs against conventional surfacing materials.
“The tyre noise which seems to have been witnessed, although unusual, has no adverse impact on performance or safety, but has been noted and the cause is being investigated.”
