Public meeting calling for A77 & A75 upgrades to be held in Stranraer tomorrow
The A77 and A75 action group will be hosting a public meeting in Stranraer Library Saturday morning
Action groups campaigning for investment in the A77 and A75 trunk roads in South West Scotland are hoping to boost public support this weekend by hosting an open meeting.
The A77 and A75 action group will be hosting a public meeting in Stranraer Library tomorrow morning, with the hope of getting more people to back their efforts.
Report says dualling trunk roads would bring £5 Billion in benefits
It comes after three council areas in South West Scotland and Northern Ireland joined forces to demand urgent action from the UK and Scottish Governments to commit to improving the roads that connect England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
South Ayrshire Council, Dumfries & Galloway Council, and Mid & East Antrim Council all backed a report that said upgrading the roads to a dual carriageway would bring in around £5 Billion in economic benefits.
The report by European engineering consultancy, Sweco, also says the benefits range from reduced journey times and vehicle operating costs worth up to £700 million to combined CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) savings of around £95 million.
Now the action groups are looking to get more people involved and are encouraging anyone effected by the poor state of the trunk roads to attend the meeting and see for themselves the benefits upgrading them would bring.
Chair of the group, and Councillor for Stranraer and the Rhins, Willie Scobie says now is the time for both governments to pay attention and not ignore the findings of the report.
READ MORE: Council leaders demand action for A77 & A75
'Id be astonished if the governments turned their back on this'
He told Greatest Hits Radio: "The report says it dualling these roads would bring in 5 billion pounds in benefits to the region.
“I would be astonished and astounded should either government turn its back on this economic impact report.
“These two trunk roads are essential to the economies in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and even England. We really have to get both governments to recognise what is in this report so that we can see some commitment to these roads being upgraded to dual carriage way standards.
“If people come along to the meeting, they can see for themselves exactly what these upgrades would mean to the South West of Scotland, and get behind our campaign.
“We have thousands of supporters online and they are there in spirit, but now we want them to come along to the public meeting.
“We have the opportunity to transform this area from the forgotten corner of the UK to the corner that has the countries best economic benefits and so both Northern Ireland, South West Scotland and the rest of the UK can thrive.”
The meeting is being held in Stranraer Library between 10am - 11am on Saturday 15 April, but for those unable to make it, Councillor Scobie and his team will be hosting a drop in session from 11am.