Forth Bridge still has important role to play

Sir, - Having been unsuccessful in the ballot to walk the Queensferry Crossing, I recently made my own observational cycle trip from Halbeath to Hawes Inn and return, via the Forth Bridge.

The complexity of the A90 road layout from the top of Castlandhill down to Ferrytoll is striking.

The changes in the grade and the bends, I believe, give drivers a feeling of restraint which along with the current speed limit and the gantry cameras increases driver anxiety which somehow makes the congestion worse.

Overall there is a cluttered feel on the approach to the Queensferry Crossing and the steeply battered banks are over planted with trees which will soon need thinning.

The Forth Road Bridge has now been open for over 19,000 days and the vegetation on the approaches urgently needs cutting back.

The bridge looks tired and dirty and it desperately needs refurbishment.

Walk over the bridge and stop in the middle and you will feel the constant vibration and experience the swaying back and forth.

Look through the dehumidifying inspection port at some of those 11,618 stalwart steel wires and one gets a real sense of how fragile this vital infrastructure link is.

The Queensferry Crossing is a marvel and will prove to be completely necessary but we are likely to require the service of both bridges in the forthcoming 40 years as much as we have relied upon the Forth Bridge during the last 40.

Sandy Main. Quarryhill, Kinloch.

Picture: Kris Miller. The Forth Bridge can still be relied upon.