Greens urge Parliament to reject £2.3bn white elephant

For immediate release 26 May 2010

Today will see the Scottish Parliament debate the Forth Crossing Bill, the Scottish Government's proposal to build an additional road bridge adjacent to the existing Forth Road Bridge. Greens support a reliable road crossing over the Eastern Forth estuary, but believe the more prudent approach would be to repair the existing bridge for a maximum of £122m.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"The other parties at Holyrood need to wake up to the pressure on the public purse. There will be significant cuts in Scotland's budget next year, but even those will be shallow compared to what we can expect over the term of the next Scottish Government. Why then, in this dire financial climate, would any politician be prepared to waste more than 2 billion pounds on a new bridge when the existing one can be safely repaired for a fraction of the price? The parties who back this scheme at 5 o'clock tonight will certainly be held to account sooner or later.

"Even in the good times we opposed squandering this money on Scotland's most expensive photo opportunity. If it goes ahead it would lead to additional congestion and a significant rise in pollution, and it would also squeeze out public transport projects across the country. The same money would allow us to reopen railway stations across the country, insulate every home in the land, or simply save public money instead. Whatever Parliament decides today, and it seems almost inevitable that they will support this white elephant, we will keep urging Ministers to come to their senses."

A poll last year indicated that the plans for a new bridge were deeply unpopular with the Scottish public, who preferred the repair option by a majority of 57% to 34%. YouGov polled 1114 Scottish adults about this issue between the 26th and the 28th of October 2009. The question asked was as follows:

As you may know, the Forth Road Bridge is deteriorating, and action will need to be taken to ensure a continued road link across the eastern Firth of Forth. The Scottish Government has proposed building a new bridge at an estimated cost of up to £2,300m which it will pay for using public Scottish funds, but borrow initially from the UK government in order to help spread the cost.

According to a report by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, the existing Forth Road Bridge could be repaired, rather than replaced, for an estimated cost of up to £122m.

Those in favour of REPLACING the bridge argue that it needs to be widened, to reduce congestion, and that a new windshield should be built to protect travellers.  Those in favour of REPAIRING the bridge argue that replacing the bridge altogether would put an unnecessary burden on public funds.

Which ONE of the following statements comes closer to your view?
The Scottish Government should REPAIR the existing bridge: 57%
The Scottish Government should REPLACE the existing bridge: 34%
Don't know: 10%