A call has been made for a permanent footbridge to be built over the A9 near Gleneagles, following the death of an elderly pedestrian who was hit by a car.
The 79-year-old man from Glasgow died following the incident on the A9 near Gleneagles on Thursday.
Around £7.4 million has been spent upgrading Gleneagles Railway Station and completing a new link road to prepare for the thousands of golf fans who will descend on the area in September for the Ryder Cup.
Despite the new transport infrastructure being aimed at providing safer access to the A9 Perth to Stirling road, both north and south, and a temporary footbridge being installed during the high-profile sporting event, Iain “Windy” Wilson, a businessman and amateur weather forecaster from Auchterarder, said he feels measures need to be taken to prevent more deaths on the road.
He said: “How can they spend £7.5m on doing up the station and the road link and not even consider a permanent footbridge for the people of Auchterarder and surrounding areas who use the train station on an hourly/daily basis?
“I’m not aware of all the planning details or information regarding the temporary footbridge that will be erected during the Ryder Cup for pedestrian access over the A9, but I’m assuming it’ll be a scaffolding structure of some sort.”
Councillor Tom Gray, one of the representatives for the Strathallan ward, said a “fully-integrated transport hub” is a “first-class aspiration” to have for Gleneagles.
“This would maximise public transport use and hopefully avoid a recurrence of the untimely tragedy we all reflect on,” he said.
“The fatality is tragic and, if the victim was a rail passenger, is another example of the outcome from negligence of the daily needs of Auchterarder when the A9 was constructed. The many accidents at the road junctions in the vicinity are further evidence.”
He continued: “The road and improvements to Gleneagles Station are part of the strategic transport plan for the region and designed for particular benefit to all users within Strathearn and Strathallan.”
The new link road cost £3.9m and connects the rail station to the nearby A9. The £3.5m refurbishment of Gleneagles Railway Station included new lifts, new waiting rooms, toilet facilities and the installation of wi-fi.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “Our sympathies are with families affected by this incident.
“Police are currently investigating what happened and we will visit the site with our operating company to establish if further action should be taken.”