Scottish Parliament to Reconsider Petition for “High Road” Solution to A82 Upgrade between Tarbet and Inverarnan
Monday, March 24, 2025 – The Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation & Public Petitions Committee will once again consider the joint petition by Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and Helensburgh and District Access Trust, advocating for a “High Road” solution to the upgrade of the A82 between Tarbet and Inverarnan. The committee will hear evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
The petition, first lodged in September 2022, can be found on the petitions webpage at PE1967 High Road petition’s webpage, which provides a comprehensive history of the petition.
John Urquhart, Chair of the conservation charity Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, expressed frustration at the lengthy process, stating, “It has taken over 2 years for us to bring the Transport Secretary before the Petitions Committee. In that time, we have lost track of the number of individuals who have occupied this post, which speaks volumes to how the government has allowed this key infrastructure project at the heart of the National Park to drift.”
Urquhart emphasized that the A82 upgrade is not simply a road engineering project, but a major infrastructure endeavor with significant implications for the future of north Loch Lomond and its communities. He called for a proper evaluation of the “High Road” option against the “disastrous” Low Road proposal, taking into account the National Park’s recently announced “Future Nature Landscape Connections Initiative,” which underscores the importance of preserving the loch shore as a vital landscape connection for cultural, recreational, and economic purposes, as well as its ecological role as an Atlantic Oakwood wildlife corridor and freshwater littoral ecotone.
The petition has garnered over 900 signatures, demonstrating strong public support for the “High Road” solution.
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