§ 7. Mrs. Hartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further urgent steps he proposes to take to increase the safety of the A74; and if he will now provide crash barriers.
§ Mr. MillanI shall continue with the improvements I detailed in the debate on the Consolidated Fund on 18th December last and add to them as circumstances require. I am arranging for example for the erection of signs which will remind drivers of cars that there is a 60 mph speed limit on the A74.
Five kilometres of central crash barrier are being provided on A74 north of Beattock, and I have instructed that as a start of a continuous programme for providing additional lengths about 10 kms should be provided at the south end of M74 where a number of cross-over accidents have taken place. As I explained in the debate, I do not think that the case for erection of central barriers at all locations is conclusive. They should certainly mitigate the effects of some serious accidents, but they may cause others which would not otherwise have taken place. I shall, therefore, monitor the effect of the length being installed and take the results into consideration in the process of identifying other stretches where their erection should be given priority.