Fort William’s continuing congestion woes were raised in the Scottish Parliament last week when transport minister Fiona Hyslop was probed on the town’s integrated transport plan by Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes.
One of eight portfolio questions raised on transport, net zero and just transition on Thursday September 28, Ms Forbes asked the minister ‘how the government was progressing its integrated transport plan for Fort William to reduce congestion and increase resilience and reliability on the trunk road network’.
Ms Hyslop responded that a proposed integrated transport plan is emerging from the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), and that she had had several discussions with transport stakeholders during a recent visit to Fort William.
She added that the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland would work with partners in the Fort William 2040 initiative to ensure the town’s future benefits Fort William’s people, businesses and visitors.
A follow-up question from Ms Forbes noted that vehicles can take more than an hour to travel a mile in Fort William in the summer months, and asked how Transport Scotland can progress a permanent long-term solution.
In return, the minister said the impact of congestion had led to the proposal of a bypass to be revisited, with the idea and constraints being part of the thinking for the Fort William 2040 Masterplan Development.
Speaking after the portfolio questions session, Ms Forbes said the extent of the tailbacks in Fort William was widely known.
She added: “I was delighted, as well as relieved, to see an explicit commitment to improving links in and around the town in STPR2 – however, whilst I appreciate major projects require extensive consultation, very little has happened since that time.
“There are huge opportunities for Fort William in the future and that’s why the government’s long-term transport strategy is so critical for the area.
“I hope that by raising the matter with the Transport Minister in the chamber, this will help Transport Scotland move forward with an implementation plan as quickly as possible.”
Video of the question being raised, and the minister’s answer, can be found on the Scottish Parliament’s Meeting of the Parliament page for September 28.