Crossing chaos

Your article “Matheson admits Queensferry Crossing congestion” (30 January) shows a deliberate attempt by the SNP to divert attention away from the real issues associated with it.

The SNP deliberately talk about the bridge congestion when they should be talking about approach roads congestion. There are currently no congestion issues associated with the bridge – with a 70mph limit it has a huge capacity to meet growth in the future. The real issue they don’t want to talk about is the choice of this crossing route. In choosing it they were fully aware from the Parliamentary Bill stages that it had major restrictions, especially as it hit land on the North Shore. In order to accommodate this route they had to squeeze the design of the approach roads and accept majorly substandard road layouts, thus accepting built-in congestion. The new roads fall far short of motorway design standards and these roads are now at capacity.

The roads on the south side are equally unsuitable, with the approach to the elevated roundabout causing major congestion by allowing motorists to use the dedicated lane for South Queensferry as a “rat run” to leave and rejoin the approach road a few metres further up. The roundabout itself is badly designed – it only takes seven vehicles on the exit to South Queensferry heading south before it backs up onto the roundabout, thus causing more congestion.

Add to this the fact that the quality of road surfaces on all the approach roads are appalling, well below any acceptable quality for a new road.

The SNP Government are dysfunctional in allowing 20,000 new houses to be built in the dormitory areas of Fife since they promised that there would be no further traffic growth on a new crossing. JOHN RT CARSON BSC CENG

FICE FCIHT Kirkliston Road, South Queensferry