Poor Scottish road links also risk hurting NI too

There is a growing concern across the North Channel that the Cairnryan/Larne and the Cairnryan/Belfast routes' future viability are being put at risk by the continued lack of investment in roads infrastructure serving the Lochryan ports, compared to improvements being made to the northern English and Welsh ports' infrastructure.

Both Stena Line and P&O have raised these concerns both publicly and to the Scottish government in a series of meetings on the issue.

I am involved with the two pressure groups fighting for road upgrades to the A77 (pictured) and the A75 connecting the North Channel Ferry routes with England and the Scottish central belt. These groups (‘Dual The A75’ and ‘A77 Action Group’) have a petition being heard at Holyrood on November 23.

This is an issue that we feel is not only vitally important to south-west Scotland but also has significant ramifications, socially and economically, for Northern Ireland.

Therefore I’m asking your readership, politicians and businesspeople to let the Scottish Government know their decisions on these roads affect lives on the other side of the channel.

Matt Halliday,

Kirkcolm