A Change.org petition started by Dumfries business owners has attracted the support of over 1500 people in its first 48 hours. And the numbers just keep rising.
The petition asks the Scottish Government to consider adding ‘at least one blue road sign to the M74 to alert drivers heading south from Glasgow that there are two regions – Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders – before you leave Scotland and reach Carlisle’.
On a recent drive down the M74 local bed and breakfast owner, Robertson Wellen felt a familiar irritation as his home town of Dumfries is conspicuously absent from the motorway signs.
Robertson moved to the area 12 years ago to set up a tourism business in what he recognises is one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. It is a constant source of frustration that road signs on the main route south don’t feature either Dumfries and Galloway or the Scottish Borders.
Robertson said: “People travelling south could understandably think there is nothing between Glasgow and Carlisle. Our South Scotland rural economy depends on tourism and we need the number of visitors to D&G and the Scottish Borders to increase. It has bothered me for years so I thought I would ask some other business owners how they felt. They agreed with me so we set up the petition to see if there was any support for new signs. We initially asked for 100 signatures but within 24 hours we had ten times that many which is great. As I write this we are just above 2000 signatures.”
Fellow petitioner Colin McQueen added: “We need to get Dumfries on the road map. It’s not right that the road signs south of Glasgow only mention Carlisle. Get this petition signed, put Dumfries on the road map and give our local economy a chance to attract more visitors”
If you want the Scottish Government to put Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders on the blue motorway road signs on the M74 please click HERE. Also, copy the link to your social media platforms and ask your friends to sign up too.
