Council and Government in transport accord

Date Added - 17/03/09

A series of constructive moves to deliver major improvements to traffic management in Moray have been agreed between Moray Council and the Scottish Government. 

The agreement followed a meeting in Edinburgh between Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson, senior council members and officials and a senior Transport Scotland official. 

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the exclusion of an Elgin by-pass from the Strategic Transport Projects Review, to establish a way forward in jointly relieving Elgin’s traffic problems on the A96, and also to inform the Minister of the importance of the A95 to Moray businesses exporting goods from the area. 

The following were the principal conclusions from the meeting: 

• The Elgin by-pass remains on the longer term agenda and there will be detailed discussion between council and Transport Scotland officials to discuss the traffic flow figures recorded in the by-pass submissions and those in the Strategic Transport Projects Review
• At top level, the two organisations will discuss other ways in which traffic can move more easily through and around Elgin and the Minister has said he wants another joint meeting in the summer to discuss the outcome of these talks, with timing of delivery included
• The economic importance of the A95 to whisky and food exports and the tourist industry was accepted and that Transport Scotland will continue to consider the need for improvements to sections of this route, together with other and existing competing priorities. At the same time there will be rail passenger and freight improvements to provide opportunities to take more commercial traffic off the roads
• The scale of proposed developments at RAF  Lossiemouth will demand infrastructure investment and there will be approaches to the Ministry of Defence for a ‘developer contribution’ to works outside the base
• That all of the discussions between now and the summer should result in an agreed, fact-based traffic master plan for Moray 

After the meeting, the Minister said: “This was a constructive meeting. I am very pleased that we can move forward, working together to deliver an agreed traffic management plan for the benefit of Moray and those who use its roads and rail. 

“I am determined that by the end of the summer we will have an agreed programme in place, complete with time lines.” 

Moray Council depute convener Allan Wright  said: “After the disappointment that the Elgin by-pass did not figure in the transport projects review, I was greatly heartened by the Minister’s  insistence that, working together, there was a great deal that could be done. I was particularly pleased that there will be a follow-up meeting later in the year when we can chart progress. 

Councillor John Russell, chairman of the council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee, said: “Everything emerging from this meeting was positive right down to the assurance from Transport Scotland that the STPR was dynamic and if situations changed then outcomes could change as well. 

“So, whilst there is no Government commitment, the by-pass is not written off forever and, in the meantime, I am confident that, together, we will deliver considerable improvements to our roads network. 

“It was also gratifying to hear the Minister’s view on the necessity to balance the conflict between removing through traffic from the town centre and the centre’s economic development.”