Closing the A83

Most folk would, of course, naturally regret the deaths of two servicemen when their Tornado crashed into a hillside in Glen Kinglass, above the A83 near Arrochar. There is, of course, very little left of the aircraft, and access to the crash site is pretty much only by helicopter. Yet for all that, the A83 - the main artery to the area around Loch Fyne, has been closed and remains closed today. The diversion that is in force is a seventy five mile detour. The damage this does to the tourism industry in the area is immense. It is hard to imagine that this closure is for any other reason than the convenience of the investigating services. It is certainly nothing whatever to do with the security of the crash site - years ago, I was involved in keeping the crash site of a Jet Provost secure in Shropshire - I know what's involved. No amount of restriction of public access will bring these aircrew back - but if the A83 is not opened again soon, businesses that suffered a while back due to the landslide that closed the road may this time simply not survive.