The vast majority of people who took part in a Press and Journal reader’s poll say the A96 should be fully dualled from Inverness to Aberdeen.
Just a few days before Christmas 2022, the Scottish Government confirmed that a long-awaited final decision on fully dualling the A96 would not be made until well into 2023.
The government also published the results of a public consultation it carried out into the travel habits of people who use the A96 transport corridor.
In its consultation, the government found the most frequently-raised suggestion for the A96 corridor was the need for full or partial dualling, which 55% of respondents called for.
It also found that 11% opposed dualling, either full or partial, and that just 5% used public transport along the A96 corridor on a daily or weekly basis.
But we wanted to get straight to the heart of the matter.
And so we asked our readers a simple yes or no question — should the A96 be fully dualled all the way from Inverness to Aberdeen, yes or no?
‘Every city in Scotland should be linked with dual carriageway’: 93% of poll responses say A96 should be fully dualled from Inverness to Aberdeen
In total, 1,308 votes were cast in our poll.
There were 1,221 votes for yes (93.35%), and just 87 for no (6.65%).
Many took to social media to explain why they supported fully dualling the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen, with some criticising the public transport services available as alternatives to driving.
One commenter wrote: “Every city in Scotland should be linked with dual carriageway, no ifs or buts.
“Population is increasing in Moray, along with that increasing road traffic.
“They say use public transport, but it needs to be affordable.”
Another said: “It’s ridiculous that the bus from Aberdeen to Elgin takes two and a half hours for 65 miles.
“No wonder people don’t use public transport.
“The trains were OK until the strikes and cancellations.”
‘It should have been done years ago’
Others highlighted safety concerns that A96 dualling has been proposed to address.
A commenter said: “It should have been done years ago to save all these deaths on the road.
“Get your fingers out and get it done, we are due better roads in Scotland.”
“It was promised on the grounds of safety ten years ago, and remains a pledge,” added another person.
“Government needs to be honest with the north’s public.”
Although the number of people publicly saying why they oppose full dualling were in the minority, a handful of people voiced their opinions.
One person said: “No. Let’s get the railway improved and electrified first.
“The time it takes to get from Aberdeen to Edinburgh and/or Glasgow is bloody ridiculous.”
Click here to find out more about where the SNP and Greens stand on A96 dualling, and find out more about the delayed dualling decision here.
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