Brown: Gridlock will ease when new crossing is less of a novelty

JODY HARRISON

traffic due to tourists wanting to see the new structure.

“However, it is clear this is having a material impact on people’s livelihood, with some commuters from Fife missing half a day of work due to the excessive build-up of traffic.

“To help those who depend on free flowing traffic to and from Fife, Transport Scotland should consider delaying the work to the Forth Road Bridge and keep it open until the ‘tourist boom’ of the new bridges passes.”

The new £1.35 billion bridge initially opened to traffic on August 30, but was closed for celebrations between September 1 and 6, with vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge instead.

A 40mph speed limit is in place on the approach roads and over the Queensferry Crossing, which will be upgraded to motorway speed later in the year.

The RAC route finder shows the Queensferry Crossing.

safety charity Institute of IAM Roadsmart, said: “In this age of instant connectivity it seems very old-fashioned to have to wait for a huge structure

like the Queensferry Crossing to appear on satnavs.”

There have been calls for the Forth Road Bridge to be re-opened in an

Mr Brown said: “We always anticipated this huge level of interest. What we currently have is the same capacity as before – one bridge opened, 40mph, average speed cameras.

“I know it can be extremely frustrating but we have to get to the stage of being able to open both bridges and thereby alleviate some of the pressure currently being felt.

“I have asked Transport Scotland to see if there’s more we can do. And we have seen some improvements today.

“Hopefully, when it becomes less of a novelty, it will improve even further and within four to six weeks we expect to see the old bridge open and some of that further capacity released.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We appreciate road users’ patience as the new road layout and crossing continues to bed in and recommend people plan their

Google Maps also has the new bridge on its updated image.

attamept to ease congestion until the “tourist boom” of the crossing passes. Both ends of the new bridge have experienced queues journeys in advance and check Traffic Scotland for the latest position on the roads before starting their journey.

“We have always said that even when the crossing becomes a fully operational motorway the main advantage will be its resilience and journey time reliability, as result of the introduction of hard shoulders, wind-shielding and a 70mph speed limit.

“It is a replacement for the Forth Road Bridge and as such does not increase capacity.

“The Forth Road Bridge will become a public transport corridor in the autumn. Until then we are not going to get a true picture of operational performance.”

The Queen officially opened the bridge last Monday, following a series of events marking the opening of the structure, the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world.

But the TomTom map has no sign of the crossing.

Drivers make their way over the Queensferry Crossing, but those using a TomTom satnav are being diverted over the KIncardine Bridge.

stretching for miles since its opening.

The Forth Road Bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists as work continues to make

the final connections to the network.

Amsterdam-based TomTom was approached for comment but did not respond.

Jim Logue said the claims were ‘spurious’.