A package of safety measures unveiled for a notorious A9 blackspot was last night branded a “colossal waste of money”.
Thousands of people backed a petition calling for a permanent footbridge at Gleneagles train station.
They said that a temporary crossing, which was put in place for last year’s Ryder Cup, should have been retained to help curb the stretch’s alarmingly high accident toll, which includes two recent fatalities.
Transport Scotland agreed to explore the possibility of creating a new bridge and embarked on an extensive consultation programme.
The roads authority revealed its plan for the site which includes new electronic warning signs and wider pavements but no bridge.
The proposed £100,000 investment was condemned by Auchterarder campaigner Ronnie Johnston, who launched the petition last year.
He said: “This is an absolute disgrace.
“They are spending all this money on things which are going to do absolutely nothing to improve safety.
“These flashing signs are meant to go off to warn motorists about pedestrians crossing the road, but if you are approaching this spot in a car travelling at 70mph, by the time you see the signs you won’t be able to slow down,” he explained.
“I can’t see these new pavements they’re talking about saving any lives either.”
He said: “What they are proposing is a colossal waste of money and they should put the plans to the side and work more on creating a new bridge.”
Mr Johnston questioned the reported £2 million cost of building a new crossing.
“I’m not going to stop this campaign,” he said.
“I intend to carry out a study of the site myself.”
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said the investment involved “smart” warning signs, improvements to pavement lay-outs on the north side of the road and the closure of the existing crossing point.
This will see the footway widened between Western Road and Station Road.
“The safety of our trunk road network is of paramount importance and we do all we can to make sure that the interventions we make are as effective as possible,” he said.
“In this instance, we have listened to the concerns of the community and undertaken a thorough assessment of a range of options to improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the A9 at Gleneagles Station.”
Mr Mackay said the measures were a “comprehensive solution”.
“We do appreciate that some people will be disappointed that a footbridge is not being installed at this location, but evidence suggests that these measures will be most appropriate in this case,” he said.
“They will reinforce the improvements already introduced at Auchterarder, where the average speed cameras have helped to reduce the number of vehicles speeding excessively by more than 90%.”
Transport Scotland will continue to monitor the A9 route, he said.