§ 5. Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he intends to take urgent action to ease the traffic congestion on the A75 and A76, and, in particular, the bottleneck at Dumfries.
§ Mr. McElhoneWork is in hand on the Newton Stewart Bypass on the A75 and on the Newbridge diversion on the A76, and a further scheme at Auldgirth, on the A76, is out to tender. Preparatory work is proceeding on further improvement schemes to bypass communities on the A75. Measures to ease traffic congestion within Dumfries are for Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council.
§ Mr. MonroDoes the hon. Gentleman accept that it is not as easy as he makes out? Is he aware that the traffic bottleneck in Dumfries is probably the worst in Scotland and is aggravated by excessive container vehicle traffic from Ireland? When does he expect practical proposals on the ground for making a start towards alleviating the bottleneck and providing a ring road for Dumfries?
§ Mr. McElhoneI am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be aware that in 1968 the then town council commissioned a study that recommended an inner relief road instead of a bypass, because the level of traffic was so low. The regional council is now updating the traffic information, but the results are not yet available. We shall consider the matter when the report is produced.
§ Mr. ThompsonDid the Minister read the recent article in The Guardian about the situation in Glenluce? Did not a blush of shame rise on his countenance when he read the article? Is he aware of the effect that the article had on hotel bookings in Glenluce, and can he give some good news for the people of 1226 Glenluce, who have had to put up with so much?
§ Mr. McElhoneI regret that I did not read that article.