Cross with care and one bridge is plenty

THERE are few things more infuriating than sitting in traffic jams - but one of them must be politicians who are too keen to champion misguided sticking plaster "solutions" that amount to burning taxpayers' money.

The Forth Road Bridge is a major bottleneck for those travelling to and from Edinburgh and, with a limited lifespan that is shrinking fast, there are serious questions about how to provide a crossing that delivers value for money, eases the city's congestion and tackles pollution.

For many, the answer is simply to build a second road bridge now to take the extra traffic and to replace the existing bridge when its time is up. But at huge expense - at least 500 million - it makes far more sense to take measures to lengthen its lifespan and make the alternative routes work better for both commuters and freight. Reduce wear and tear by reducing traffic levels and there will be no need for a second bridge.

The urgent need for repairs to stop the bridge collapsing does not mean a second crossing is needed. The most optimistic estimates suggest a second bridge will take ten years to finish. It is, therefore, more important to address the factors causing damage at the moment to prolong the lifespan of the existing bridge.

The state of the bridge is deteriorating so quickly simply because there is too much traffic - too many heavy goods vehicles, too many cars carrying only the driver. Bridge manager Alastair Andrew admitted as much in the Evening News in May when he explained that it "was never designed for the loads it is carrying - more than 5600 tons of traffic drives over it every day, but it was only built to carry 2800 tons. This has reduced the life expectancy of the bridge. It should have lasted 120 years."

Either a thorough repair process is undertaken, or the bridge becomes so structurally unsound that it has to close permanently leaving us with no crossing until a replacement bridge can be completed a decade or so from now. Building a second Forth road bridge now would simply accelerate drivers into traffic jams in central Edinburgh. Feta chairman Lawrence Marshall recently revealed that trams will never run on a second bridge, that the pledge of a multi-modal crossing is effectively a "Trojan Horse" for a project that will worsen Edinburgh's traffic problems.

As Greens pointed out when we proposed legislation to force ministers to set and meet annual traffic reduction targets, congestion costs the UK economy 20 billion each year. So it's clearly in the interests of business that a second bridge is not built in the near future, but that the number of vehicles coming into Edinburgh is reduced. Free-flowing traffic will ensure that the Capital's reputation as a centre of economic activity is secured.

There are various ways that Feta, the relevant councils and Executive ministers can lengthen the lifespan of the bridge and reduce congestion.

There are bottlenecks for road traffic in Fife, at the bridge, and at pinch points like the Barnton Roundabout. Increasing road capacity at one of these bottlenecks will merely increase congestion at the next. Instead, increase public transport capacity and move freight on to rail.

The UK's first private road, the M6 relief road, charged four times as much for heavy freight compared to cars when it opened, reflecting the real costs to the public in road repairs - and the true cost in bridge repairs is, of course, even greater per mile.

If 82-tonne "supertrucks" are allowed on British roads, they will further damage a bridge that already has to be resurfaced every seven years, rather than the expected 25 years, largely because of heavy trucks. Re-routing freight on to the railways will reduce traffic flow and prevent the damage heavy freight causes to roads.

A hefty 60 per cent of journeys across the bridge at peak time are taken by solo motorists - car sharing could instantly reduce the number of vehicles crossing the bridge and reduce damage. We need schemes that encourage drivers to share cars, and substantially increase tolls for single drivers, especially at peak times.

The reopening of the Stirling-Alloa line will allow coal trains bound for Longannet power station to be diverted off the rail bridge, allowing more passenger trains to make the crossing.

Providing more stations in Fife and more park and ride facilities would be a relatively cheap and effective measure to give car drivers an alternative to driving into Edinburgh. Ferries from Kirkcaldy and Burntisland to Leith could be convenient for commuters to North Edinburgh.

These strategies are cheap compared to building a new bridge and offer environmentally-friendly solutions that help everyone - commuters, freight carriers and those who cannot afford to run a car - get moving.

Mark Ballard is Green Lothians MSP and speaker on transport.