Edinburgh, Fife, and West Lothian councils to fight new Forth bridge plans amid congestion fears

Published on Saturday 21 November 2009 10:19

COUNCIL chiefs are preparing to fight plans for the new £2 billion Forth crossing amid fears it will lead to soaring congestion in Edinburgh, it was revealed today.

Edinburgh, Fife, and West Lothian councils are set to join together to lodge formal objections against the plans for the new bridge. They are worried that increased levels of traffic will lead to congestion and tailbacks in the Capital if decent public transport alternatives are not provided.

The parliamentary bill for the new bridge, which was published earlier this week, sets out plans for the biggest transport project in Scotland for a generation.

Local transport body SEStran is now set to seek legal advice on behalf of the three councils after claims that transport minister Stewart Stevenson failed to listen to concerns about traffic flows.

According to council bosses, there is no mention in the bill of public transport options on the approaches to the new bridge.

In a letter to the transport minister, Russell Imrie, chairman of SEStran, sets out the "disappointment" felt by the three local authorities that their concerns were not listened to.

He said: "We are all supportive of progressing the bill for the new crossing and would not wish to see this process delayed, but we have grave concerns about the level of associated provision for public transport."

In a joint statement by SEStran and the local authorities, council chiefs set out their frustration that Transport Scotland had not included measures in the bill to promote the use of public transport, park-and-ride or priority lanes.

They also point to the fact that a "lack of flexibility" means that should either the new bridge or existing crossing be closed, there would be "significant" congestion and disruption on the adjoining road network.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Edinburgh City Council's transport leader, said: "While I welcome the publication of the bill, we need a firm commitment from the Scottish Government that a focused public transport strategy will be developed.

"Spending over 2bn to have the same traffic queues, or worse, is not a sensible position."

Last month, the city council urged MSPs to put the brakes on the 2bn crossing until 2011-12, when an update on the corrosion of the existing road bridge's main cables should be available.

The council believes the huge savings that could be made by abandoning or postponing the project could be switched into other transport projects, such as extending Edinburgh's tram network and upgrading rail lines.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "We note that this report is seeking authority to make representations to parliament, potentially including formal objection, subject to a number of conditions. At this stage, it does not recommend formal objection."

Work on the new bridge is due to start in 2011 and be completed in 2016.