NEWS: Bridge over troubled waters

Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
March 18, 2009

THE Scottish Government's transport body Transport Scotland has been accused of being "unaccountable, evasive and frequently unresponsive" in its dealings over the new Forth Road Bridge.

Politicians, campaigners and local people told a meeting in South Queensferry that their attempts to engage with the transport body were stonewalled, passed over or met with incomplete or contradictory answers.

The meeting at Queensferry High School, which brought together a cross-party panel of MSPs, lobbyists and around 60 residents, heard a variety of views on the cost, design, purpose and impact of the bridge.

Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MSP Margaret Smith, who voted for the bridge once her preferred option of a tunnel was ruled out on cost grounds, said: "I asked Transport Scotland a series of simple questions regarding emissions and the impact the bridge will have on the quality of life but they ducked and dived the issues.

"There seems to be no vision for this bridge whatsoever, and all we're being presented with is penny-pinching and lies."

Ms Smith said that her direct appeals to Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson for information were also referred on to Transport Scotland for comment, and met with the same "inadequate response".

Green MSP Patrick Harvie, one of the only MSPs who opposed the new crossing, added: "To say Transport Scotland is opaque would be an understatement."

Queensferry resident Craig Boath, 37, a company director, told the meeting, organised by anti-bridge campaigners the ForthRight Alliance, the transport body had continually stonewalled his requests for information on how the new bridge would affect him and his family.

He said: "I've telephoned them and sent letters by e-mail, fax and recorded delivery and even asked for a meeting to discuss it face-to-face, but they have continually failed to respond and I find that deplorable and disgraceful."

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Des McNulty MSP said: "We've already seen gross mismanagement of the Edinburgh Trams project, and we don't want to see mismanagement of the bridge as well."

Even the Scottish Government's own representative at the meeting, Lothians SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville, agreed that the transport body's efforts to engage with the community had been "unacceptable".

No-one from Transport Scotland was represented at the meeting last night, but a spokeswoman said: "We have attended community meetings, met with people one-to-one, held a series of exhibitions and we will continue that engagement and do our best to answer their questions."