9 June 2014
VAST MAJORITY WANT SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO PRIORITISE REPAIR OF EXISTING ROADS OVER BUILDING
Transform Scotland launches its 'Fix It First' campaign and website
Transform Scotland [1] has today (Monday 9 June) released the results of a new survey showing that the vast majority of Scots, from all backgrounds, of all ages, and across the whole of the country, want the Scottish Government to prioritise the repair of the existing road network over building new roads.
When asked the question "Do you think the Scottish Government should give priority to fixing the existing road network before building new roads?", 84 percent of respondents agreed, with only 7 percent disagreeing. [2]
Audit Scotland has reported the cost of getting all of Scotland's existing road network into good repair at around £2.25 billion, just a quarter of the £9 billion the Scottish Government has committed to spend on new roads [3]. Transform Scotland has launched its 'Fix It First' [4] campaign to gather public support for that aim. Transform Scotland has launched a campaign website at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/fixitfirst>.
Phil Matthews, Chair of Transform Scotland, said:
"This survey clearly demonstrates that the vast majority of the Scottish public want the Scottish Government to prioritise repairing and maintaining our existing roads over building new ones. The people of Scotland want the Scottish Government to “Fix It First’."
"Scotland’s existing roads, cycle paths and pavements are in an increasingly poor state of repair. Markings are deteriorating, pavements are damaged, and potholes are all too common, slowing down and diverting journeys, contributing to pedestrian, cyclist and motorist accidents, and resulting in expensive injuries and repair costs for travellers. Scottish roads are considered to be amongst the worst in the UK."
Bringing Scotland's existing road network into good repair would benefit motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and the businesses that use them by making journeys more comfortable and safer. It would also boost the Scottish economy as the repair and maintenance work is more likely to be delivered by Scottish firms, creating local jobs. In contrast, none of the four companies that comprise the consortium constructing the ‘Forth Replacement Crossing‘ is headquartered in Scotland, and none of the eleven contract bidders for the 'Aberdeen western bypass' are Scottish companies.
Better quality roads would also save local authorities money. Audit Scotland has reported that payments to compensate drivers for pothole damage cost Scottish councils £1.2 million in 2011/12 alone. [5]
Other benefits of keeping Scotland's road network in good repair would include reductions in local air pollution through less stop/start traffic, and greater progress to reduce carbon emissions from Scotland's transport sector, which is currently a key reason why Scotland is failing to meet the legally-binding targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act.
Phil Matthews continued:
"Over the last five years, while the Scottish Government has increased the roads budget by 40%, there has been an ongoing failure to tackle the road maintenance backlog. That's just not good enough. And the current financial settlement has led to Scottish Local Authorities not having the funds available to repair and maintain roads. It's time the Scottish Government stepped in to fund these repairs and maintenance, which would bring benefit to individuals and businesses alike. It's a mystery why the Scottish Government hasn't already done so."
"There is obviously no shortage of money in the Scottish Government’s road infrastructure budget, the problem is it's all directed to build new roads instead of repairing and maintaining the ones we've already got. Furthermore, far too little is being spent on making our roads and pavements safer for those who want to leave the car at home and use active travel methods such as walking and cycling instead.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] Transform Scotland
Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and ferry operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups - see www.transformscotland.org.uk/members.aspx for details.
[2] Survey
The survey was undertaken by ScotPulse between 9-11 May 2014. It was undertaken online with a representative sample across Scotland. There were 1086 respondents and the results were weighted to Scottish population 16+ by age and gender. The question asked was "Do you think the Scottish Government should give priority to fixing the existing road network before building new roads?"
[3] Spending on roads
The £2.25bn road maintenance backlog figure was reported by Audit Scotland in its 2011 report ‘Maintaining Scotland’s Roads: a follow-up report’: <http://www.accounts-commission.gov.uk/work/all_national.php?year=2010>.
We estimate the Scottish Government’s road-building commitments on its major trunk road projects to be around £9 billion; however, this is not an exhaustive list of its road-building commitments:
* A9 dualling -- £3 billion
* A96 dualling -- £3 billion
* Forth Replacement Crossing -- £1.462 billion
* Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route -- £745 million
* M8/M73/M74 bundle -- £588 million
* A82 -- £200 million
[4] 'Fix It First' campaign
Transform Scotland has launched the ‘Fix It First’ campaign in order to urge the Government to increase investment in the maintenance of the existing assets in Scotland before undertaking any new road building projects. More information about the campaign can be found at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/fix-it-first.aspx>. The campaign website is at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/fixitfirst>.
[5] Compensation to drivers from pothole damage
Audit Scotland report 'Maintaining Scotland’s Roads' (May 2013). Available at <http://www.accounts-commission.gov.uk/work/all_national.php?year=2013>.
END OF NEWS RELEASE