10 December 2008
Strategic Transport Projects Review announcement
Road-dominated programme will lock Scotland into oil dependency
Transform Scotland today (Wednesday 10th) criticised to the Scottish Government's announcement of the Strategic Transport Projects Review, saying that the programme would "lock Scotland into oil dependency".
Paul Tetlaw, Chair of Transform Scotland, said:
"This obsession with further road-building will lock Scotland into increased oil dependency. At a time when we need to be planning for massive cuts in climate emissions, we need to see a programme aimed at getting people out of cars rather than a spree of road-building. It is an acknowledged fact that new road-building creates more car journeys so how this programme will help deliver 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is difficult to believe.
"The commitments to rail electrification north of the Forth and to a national smartcard are welcome. And while £3 billion on Glasgow rail improvements is also welcome, we would have expected Transport Scotland to have come up with something rather more specific than is stated here.
"However, it is the Perth-Inverness corridor which clearly shows the Government's bias towards road-building. While the Government proposes to spend up to £4 billion on dualling the A9, the single track railway will receive a tenth of the money.
"Furthermore, the existing Forth Road Bridge can and should be repaired, and it is incredible that the Government still refuses to face facts on this. At a time of financial crisis and climate chaos, the Government should be looking to repair the existing bridge rather than subsidising long-distance car commuting."
On what is missing from the Review, Paul Tetlaw continued:
"The programme does very little for bus users and nothing for walkers and cyclists. The programme provides no incentive for people to take up health-giving modes of transport such as walking and cycling. If the Government was serious about improving health and tackling obesity, we would be seeing more than a measly 1% of transport expenditure going into walking and cycling projects. We need to see a programme of strategic walking and cycling routes developed for all towns and cities across Scotland.
"The failure to invest in Scotland's capital city is also apparent. While the Edinburgh tram network remains capped at £500m, it seems that there is no spending limit for road projects everywhere else. If the Government wants to invigorate Edinburgh's stalling economy, we would instead be seeing investment in the extension of the tram network to serve major brownfield development at Edinburgh Waterfront and southwards to serve the Royal Infirmary and the South-East Wedge."
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.
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