Alan Clayton (Letters, November 3) hopes that the new Scottish Government will transfer significant transport funding to west Highlands roads, and contrasts this need with the previous government's funding of the Edinburgh tram system.
I am afraid Mr Clayton is likely to be disappointed, given the SNP government's commitment to an additional Forth road bridge. I say "additional" rather than "replacement" because, after a period of uncertainty, it now seems almost certain that the current bridge can be repaired, using technology developed for similar bridges around the world.
Transport Minister John Swinney recently announced to the parliament's transport committee that the cost estimate for this additional bridge is up to £3bn. This most recent increase is alone more than the entire cost of the Edinburgh tram scheme. And, rather than reducing Edinburgh congestion, as will the tram, the new bridge is likely greatly to increase it. Will it be £3bn well spent, then?
To give some idea of what the cost of the bridge represents, for the same money you could build the Edinburgh tram scheme, reopen Glasgow-Bathgate-Edinburgh and the Waverley railways, electrify the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line, give every Scottish council £20 per head of population for cycle and pedestrian schemes, and still have money left.
If the bridge goes ahead, how much will remain in the transport budget for public transport schemes or for major engineering works to ensure reliable future access for major towns such as those about which Mr Clayton is so rightly concerned?
On a related point, your editorial (November 3) is greatly to be commended for reminding us that the disastrous recent landslide may well be a taste of more and worse to come, possibly even "catastrophic".
While no one event can be put down directly to climate change, the landslide is the type of event predicted for the west of Scotland by climate-change scientists. It is not just in Scotland that such predictions are coming true: the UN has warned that climate-related disasters are increasing around the world, with more emergency appeals in the first nine months of 2007 than in any complete previous year.
In this context, spending £3bn on a project to double motor traffic (and CO2 emissions) across the Forth - money needed desperately to reduce our impact on the climate and to adapt to its effects - seems doubly perverse.
Dave du Feu, 2 Greenpark Cottages, Edinburgh Road, Linlithgow.
Councillor Alison Hay is absolutely correct to say (The Herald, November 3) that the "chickens are coming home to roost" with regard to the problems affecting Argyll and Bute's roads. She should know because they are chickens belonging to her party. The underinvestment in Argyll and Bute's roads over many years is a testament to ineffective political representation by our Liberal Democrat MP and former MSP, and lack of interest by Liberal Democrat transport ministers.
Mike MacKenzie, Argyll and Bute SNP, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.
In his letter (November 3) about the closure of the A83 Robert Wakeham also raises questions about the condition of the A82 between Tarbert and the head of Loch Lomond. I would refer him to the answer I received from Trunk Roads Network Management which basically said that the section south of Inverarnan will have repairs commenced in the financial year 2009/10. The section between Tarbert and Inveruglas will have repairs commenced in the financial year 2010/2011.
I wrote to The Herald in June in reply to a similar query raised by Nigel Dewar Gibb, giving him the same answers. As you leave Glasgow airport you see a multilingual notice advising you to "keep left". Could the Scottish Government erect a similar notice telling locals and tourists when the road will be repaired? It could be placed adjacent to the permanent/ temporary traffic lights. This would save people wondering when it would become "fit for purpose".
George Smith, 21 Birny Hill Court, Clydebank.
Visiting a project in Pakistan three weeks ago, we were held up by a slide and rockfall on the Karakoram highway. The terrain was as wild and dangerous as one could wish, but four hours later, after some hard work by a small tractor and much advice from the onlookers, the traffic was on its way. Perhaps the answer to the problems of the Rest and Be Thankful could be to import some Pakistani highway engineers.
Denis Rutovitz, 29 Starbank Road, Edinburgh.
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