Galloway road improvement campaigners are to seek urgent talks with transport minister Jenny Gilruth on scheduling bypasses for Crocketford and Springholm.
The move follows a packed public meeting in Crocketford’s Anderson Memorial Hall on Monday night attended by around 70 residents.
Police representatives, Councillor Pauline Drysdale and Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson were also present.
The crisis summit was called after a horror accident in Crocketford last month involving two articulated lorries, a car and two parked cars.
Crocketford Community Initiative (CCI) chairperson Ann Botel is now calling for action on the road.
She said: “The CCI will get a few letters to go to Jenny Gilruth asking her to come down and meet us. The transport minister needs to come down here.
“She needs to have conversations with people who are putting up with what’s happening on the A75 through their village.
“The time has really come for that to happen. They have to take a bit of notice about how difficult it is for people who live here beside the road.
“It’s really scary and worrying for folk.”
Ms Botel acknowledged concerns about Westminster interference in transport – which is a Scottish Government responsibility.
But she called for political rivalries to be set aside for progress on vital road improvements.
She said: “I don’t think the Scottish Government and the British Government are pulling together very well at the moment.
“There is a problem about the two governments arguing with each other.
“The Scottish Government needs to be speaking to the British Government about money for improvements.
“At the end of the day I don’t care who offers the money – we just want the bypasses done.”
She added: “I have been here for 42 years and I’ve seen everything from lorries on fire to police chases.
“And the traffic lights we worked really hard to get installed have been knocked out twice in accidents since they arrived. That was only three years ago – which tells its own story.
“We really need to get something done now – everything always seems to be in the distance.”
The Scottish Government indicated that Ms Gilruth was unable to meet with the CCI due to diary constraints.
But she agreed to meet Mr Carson who will relay their concerns.
A spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has made clear that the UK Government should provide appropriate funding to enable us to progress improvements to the A75 and A77 and will continue to press this case.
The spokesperson added that “an option” of targeted A75 road improvements – including bypasses for Crocketford and Springholm – was in the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) setting out future investment plans.
