25 February 2011
Fixing existing roads would have greater economic benefit than building new roads
Transform Scotland [1] today (Friday 25th February) welcomed the Scottish Government announcement of a "roads review". [2] Transform Scotland believes that the review should provide a basis to shift spending from unnecessary and unsustainable new roads to maintaining our existing transport assets.
Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said:
"It is simple good business practice to maintain one's existing asset base. We shouldn't be commissioning new roads when funds are not available for maintaining our existing transport assets. This was one of the key recommendations of the Independent Budget Review that wasn't addressed in the Scottish Budget. [3]
"The one sensible thing that could come out of this review would be a decision to shelve the unnecessary £2.3bn Second Forth Road Bridge, and the direction of these funds to tackling the £2.25bn road maintenance backlog identified by Audit Scotland. [4]
"Improving road maintenance would improve conditions for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and bus users, across the whole of Scotland. Not only would it deliver a better quality transport system, the economic impact would be retained locally as most of the work could be done by Scottish companies and local authorities.
"By contrast, the main beneficiaries of an additional Forth road bridge will be foreign construction companies." [5]
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups - see <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/members.aspx> for details.
[2] 'Transport Minister announces review of Scotland's roads', Transport Scotland, 25/01/11: <http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Scotlands-Roads-Review>
[3] Transform Scotland's evidence to the Independent Budget Review on maintaining transport assets was accepted by the IBR Panel in its final report (see p. 128 of <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/919/0102410.pdf>):
“[P]rioritisation of the key strands of capital expenditure, including essential maintenance, should be guided by national priorities and coordinated to ensure that maximum strategic coherence and public value is derived.”
However, November 2010's draft Scottish Budget instead showed a cut to the trunk road budget for road maintenance (Table 7.11 of <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/331661/0107923.pdf>).
[4] See <http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/media/article.php?id=164>.
[5] Seven of the eight companies that comprise the two consortia bidding for the Second Forth Road Bridge contracts are foreign:
* American: American Bridge Company
* Danish: MT Højgaard
* German: Hochtief
* Spanish: Dragados
* Anglo-Dutch: BAM Nuttall, an English subsidiary of the Dutch ‘Royal BAM Group’
* English: Balfour Beatty
* English: Morgan Sindall.
Only one of the consortia bidders, Morrison Construction, has Scottish roots – but it is a Scottish division of a company headquartered in England, Galliford Try.
END OF NEWS RELEASE