Edinburgh to Forth Road Bridge Campaign

[habibi]

Spokes have revived this issue, if anyone's interested.

http://www.spokes.org.uk/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=116

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25.9.07 Campaign for top-quality route Edinburgh to Forth Road Bridge

Spokes is renewing its campaign for a flagship-quality route between Edinburgh and the Forth Road Bridge. If you use this route - please help us!!


The decision of the SNP government to abolish tolls on the Forth Road Bridge - which requires legislation in the Scottish Parliament - has led to growing concern about increased traffic and congestion in and around Edinburgh, and increased CO2 emissions. See

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/ticc/inquiries/BridgeTollsBill.htm

In response to this concern, Cabinet Minister John Swinney MSP stated, "We will continue to invest in initiatives which reduce congestion, such as improved park and ride, and improved rail, bus and cycle links."

How seriously Mr Swinney meant the last 3 words, we don't know, but we are seizing the opportunity to try and get action on the above route, which is currently appalling. Comments from regular users about the route include, "completely inadequate," "national disgrace," "dangerous and intimidating," and so on.

For our letter to Mr Swinney, see downloads - campaign submissions - Scottish government. The link is at

http://www.spokes.org.uk/modules.ph...e=index&req=viewdownload&cid=15&orderby=dateD

If you use this route, whether as a commuter, or leisure user, please contact your MSP and ask them to raise this with the Minister, John Swinney. It really will help greatly to make the government take this seriously if the issue is raised with local MSPs by many concerned people. Please do *not* just copy the wording out of our letter - write using your own words and giving your own thoughts on the route and on what should be done. Please copy us your letter and any useful replies [spokes@spokes.org.uk].

To identify your MSPs [remember that you have both consituency and 'list' MSPs!] go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/index.htm

Thank you!!

 

[MrGrumpy]

Helan Eadie for us ? Funnily enough reading some of those comments its fair to say that route into town is utter tosh at all times of the day. It puts alot of folk of that i know !!

 

[HLaB]

Its one of the reasons I moved to Granton from Dufermline, now my trips to Dunfermline/Fife are for leisure and I normally go via South Queensferry, Dalmeny Station and the Airport avoiding the pants section.
When I was commuting fron Dunfermline that section by the A90 is pants, too narrow. One night I caught the handlebars on a loose fence dislodged my Topeak Phone/ key case without realising; I was fortunate a passer by found it and used the phone to dial the house and returned it.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I will be in touch with my MSP about it certainly. It's a complete disgrace and here we are once again moving into the winter months and dark nights, which as a result of car headlights, will make an already highly dangerous path even more of a risk.

But I am "lucky" I suppose that my work is at South Gyle and since they've re-opened the A8000/ B800 I can avoid the A90* all together.

*pathway that is - if we were allowed along the dual carriageway that would be my route of choice.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

One other thing - the reason for the resurgence of this campaign is because the SNP will scrap the FRB tolls by the end of the year, and they acknowledge that this will result in an increase in volume of traffic. Therefore they're saying they need to invest in alternative modes of transport to counter this increase.

What a load of bollox.

No bridge tolls = votes from the motoring public. Job done. If they were truly interested in encouraging alternative means of transport then scrapping tolls is the last thing they would have done. I fully expect this to come to nothing.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I will be in touch with my MSP about it certainly. It's a complete disgrace and here we are once again moving into the winter months and dark nights, which as a result of car headlights, will make an already highly dangerous path even more of a risk.

But I am "lucky" I suppose that my work is at South Gyle and since they've re-opened the A8000/ B800 I can avoid the A90* all together.

*pathway that is - if we were allowed along the dual carriageway that would be my route of choice.

i work at south gyle as well, Mail Centre up top but going the A8000 way is a wee bit longer, do you go the old railway track way ? Which comes out at Newbridge ? Went that way all last week on late shift, not bad but we ended up heading for the canal to bring us to the industrial estate.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I work where the old Ferranti building and the BAE Systems buildings were (the roundabout where the fighter plane was).

I go on roads all the way - got a roadbike and it doesn't mix well with cycle paths. So now I go through Kirkliston, then take Steadings Road(?) which brings me out onto the A8 just along from the newbridge roundabout. Then flee along the A8 straight to the Gyle.

It is a bit longer than the A90 then Maybury, but it's quicker.

 

[MrGrumpy]

might try that way on the new bike when I decide to order, kinda waiting on some light at the end of the tunnel re the current IA and the Post office

 

[habibi]

My current route of choice from the bridge is the B800 then cut left onto Standingstane Road, then left again on the Kirkliston B road, then dual carriageway into town from Cramond Brig.

Wouldn't touch that Dalmeny back road / trench section with a bargepole now that the B800 is clear.

 

[goo_mason]

I'll pass this on as I know a few cyclists here at work (the large pensions company at the Gyle Centre end of Edinburgh Park ) who use that route but who aren't on this forum.

 

[MrGrumpy]

well got a nice reply back from my MP, she is passing it onto to the committee clerk, hurry up the rest of you never know

 

[GAVSTER]

Was that Helen Eadie MSP?

 

[MrGrumpy]

Was that Helen Eadie MSP?

yep it was

 

[GAVSTER]

I will also raise the issue. I hope that as she's my Mother-in Law that she'll make 'sufficient representations' :-)

I'm just about to move to her constituency - Dalgety Bay - to be exact and starting that commuter run on the bike. I often use the route for trips across from Embra and it ain't great.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

At least you get to hear about it when your M-I-L makes a booboo! Mine pretends to be infallible and I haven't as yet been able to disprove it.