ABRIDGE OF SIGHS?

Politicians, drivers, residents and planners give their view

It was a bridge to the future, a stunning piece of engineering, a structure seen around the world. But, after opening in August 2017, has the 1.7 miles of Queensferry Crossing made the world greener and commutes quicker?

The £1.35 billion bridge – the largest infrastructure project for a generation – was intended to replace, not increase, road provision, according to Scottish Government quango Transport Scotland. But a senior official was forced to concede to MSPS last week that there has been a huge rise (more than a million) in journey numbers compared to the same period the year before.

Alison Irvine of Transport Scotland told the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee the increase was “not the direction of travel that we would want to see”.

Here, we ask politicians, drivers, residents and planners what they think. Is the Queensferry Crossing a pathway to the future or a bridge of sighs?

THE GREEN MSP John Finnie Scottish Greens transport spokesman

We’ve known since the 1960s that if you build more roads they fill up with more cars, so it’s a bit embarrassing that we appear surprised when it continues to happen.

This isn’t just about the road rage and dangerous pollutions levels along the A9 as traffic edges its way through Edinburgh communities. Whole housing estates are being built in Fife designed around access to the M90. It is completely unsustainable.

At the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, the transport and planning manager for Edinburgh told us that just installing bus lanes would not be enough to solve the issue. The bus operators there agreed. Public Transport needs to become the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to make your journey.

The Scottish Government must listen to what the experts are telling them, not rely on the failed model of 50 years ago which keeps building roads in the hope they will become empty.

In a climate emergency there needs to be regular and reliable public transport, so that it becomes the easiest option. That’s why the Scottish Greens propose public ownership and phasing in free bus travel.

THE EXPERT Dr Neil Ferguson Chartered engineer and lecturer at the University of Strathclyde

The increase in traffic in the last year is surprising. It’s not as if there are 20,000 new houses in Fife or 30,000 new jobs in Lothian. It may be to do with the public transport system, which is the other option for getting from Fife to Lothian.

It may be operating at capacity, it may be to do with the relative costs or travel time compared to using the car. Just because there is congestion, it doesn’t mean the car is not quicker.

There is a vast amount of evidence that shows if you improve the level of service in the road network you are going to attract more traffic. And if the Queensferry Crossing offers a higher quality of service, that will make car travel more attractive.

Maybe the reliability is better and this makes the journey by car less risky, particularly when compared to public transport like the trains, where the level of service may not be good and you may not even get a seat. The car may still be quicker and cheaper than the other options.

THE COMMUTER Steven Leckie Secretary of Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council

I work at Edinburgh Park and the only options are take the train or take the car. But the train service is appalling. There used to be two trains at peak time and now there is only one at 8.15am.

A lot of people used to get the train but it is overcrowded and unreliable so they now take the car. There are often cancellations. If the 8.15am is cancelled, the next train isn’t until 9.01am. But that train sits outside Inverkeithing for 20 minutes to let an intercity train go past.

We have the most dreadful public transport in Fife. There are constant issues. So, the increase in car journeys is not really surprising to me.

The new bridge has a speed limit of 70mph whereas the old bridge was 50mph. That’s fine when it’s quiet but at peak times you’re queuing. And that means people are trying to avoid the queues by using slip roads to access other minor roads as rat runs.

And it’s not going to get any better, because more houses are being built in Fife as it’s cheaper to live here than in Edinburgh.

THE FORMER COMMUTER Hilary Warnock Theatre nurse from Saline in Fife

I changed my job a year ago to avoid the commute to Edinburgh. I used to spend so long sitting in traffic. It could easily take over an hour on the journey home, and that was after rush hour.

I spend many hours on my feet and we don’t have a lot of breaks. After a 12-and-a-half-hour shift the last thing you need is to be stuck in traffic for over an hour. It was a nightmare.

The most frustrating thing about the commute back to Fife was selfish drivers using the slip roads to get a few cars ahead. A lot of them would take the South Queensferry exit but come straight back on again using the slip road on the other side.