Jenny Gilruth's constituency includes Kinglassie.

'LAST week I welcomed Scottish Government Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, on a site visit of the A92. The visit came on the back of North Glenrothes Community Council’s tenacious campaign for road safety improvements.

As a Markinch resident who regularly uses the A92, I know only too well of the dangers faced at the Balfarg and Cadham junctions in particular. It is sometimes impossible to cross the road heading north; and crossing from Balfarg often feels like taking your life in your hands.

So I was delighted that the Transport Minister committed to visit the road for himself, to see the problems faced by local people on a daily basis.

Following the site visit, I was encouraged that the Minister has now committed to an options study to assess road safety on the A92. Crucially for local people, one of the options now being considered is a roundabout at Balfarg. This is a hugely encouraging step forward for the campaign. As the town’s MSP I’ve also been assured by Transport Scotland that the study will work in consultation with local stakeholders, namely North Glenrothes Community Council, to ensure we get the right solution.

The results of the options study will be published this summer. In the meantime, I have written to Fife Council seeking assurances that a pledge to commit funding for a future roundabout at Balfarg will be delivered, should Transport Scotland give it the green light. We need the council and the Government to work together on the A92.

When you take a step back and consider that the A92 is the main arterial route from Edinburgh right up to Aberdeen, it is somewhat surprising that the A92 has not been prioritised. In fact the narrowest part of the road is just outside Glenrothes at the Leven bridge - and if you’ve ever walked the route (which I would not recommend) you’ll know just how little room there is - particularly for HGV’s. With Dundee benefitting from record levels of investment and the new Queensferry Crossing to the South, improvements to the A92 are a vital part of missing infrastructure.

Again, I would like to praise the incredible efforts of North Glenrothes Community Council – the campaign to improve safety on the A92 would not have reached this turning point without their resolute dedication. In my role as the town’s MSP, I will continue to press for road safety improvements on the A92. Meetings and visits are all well and good - but it’s concrete action we need now, to deliver the results that the people of Glenrothes deserve. Watch this space'.