NEWS RELEASE
30 September 2004
BRIDGE PROTESTERS TARGET COMMUTERS
Protest marks last day to comment on Second Forth Road Bridge proposals Campaigners against plans for a Second Forth Road Bridge will this morning (Thursday 30 September) take their protest directly to those bridge commuters currently disadvantaged by the current bridge set-up and least likely to gain from any new road bridge.
On the final day the public can have their say on plans for a new road bridge, members of the ForthRight Alliance - a coalition set up to oppose the new road bridge - will leaflet members of the public using the Ferrytoll Park & Ride on the Fife side of the estuary. The Alliance has chosen to target public transport users because they are currently being penalised: trucks and cars receive frequent-user discounts while buses do not.
Friends of the Earth's Head of Research (and ForthRight Alliance member), Dr Dan Barlow, said:
"Those using the bus to cross the Forth are being penalised. Lorries and cars get a discount for frequent use of the Bridge yet bus users do not. We think this is unfair. While tolls on the bridge have remained the same for decades, bus ticket prices increase every year. Today is the public's last chance to take action to end this inequality. FETA have been consulting car and lorry drivers about the future of cross-Forth travel. Today we are offering public transport users the opportunity to have their say."
"We think that those within FETA who support a new Road Bridge are only interested in promoting car use and have no genuine interest in prioritising public transport use. The claims that any new bridge would be" muti-modal" should be seen as the smokescreen that it is."
The ForthRight Alliance is concerned at FETA's proposal to built a Second Forth Road Bridge - before it has taken serious steps to deliver high-quality bus, rail and ferry alternatives. Convener of the ForthRight Alliance and Vice Chairman of the Cockburn Association, Bill Cantley said:
"Currently seventy percent of cars on the Forth Road Bridge at peak hours are single occupancy vehicles, this cannot continue. Public transport must become the cheapest and most luxurious alternative for commuters. FETA should take notice of the growing national opposition and ditch their plans for a new road bridge. That way we can begin to deal with the real issue of reducing overall traffic levels. We fully support the sustainable, non-road bridge, alternative - 'Package 3'".
Bridge facts:
- 70 per cent of traffic crossing the current road bridge at peak hours have only a single occupant
- currently people using public transport are disadvantaged: trucks and cars receive frequent-user discounts while buses do not
- even if a new £1 billion bridge was built, demand for the current bridge would fall by only 0.5 per cent. The alternative public transport options would reduce demand by up to 10 per cent and cost a fraction of this cost.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
David McDonald, (ForthRight Alliance) Cockburn Association, 0131 557
8686
Lang Banks, Friends of the Earth Scotland on 0131 554 9977 or (pager)
07654
200937
Colin Howden, TRANSform Scotland on 0131 467 7714
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Campaign groups who successfully fought a Second Forth Road Bridge
proposal ten years ago have reformed to fight plans for a new crossing.
The ForthRight Alliance have reformed in response to the Forth Estuary
Transport Authority's (FETA) decision to include a Second Forth Road
Bridge
option in its transport strategy. The campaigners propose that instead
of
an additional road crossing FETA should be pursuing sustainable transport
alternatives.
The groups back an alternative set of options ('Package 3') that would reduce traffic levels but not involve building a second Forth road bridge.
Alliance members currently include: RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, TRANSform Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Friends of the Earth Edinburgh, Friends of the Earth Fife, The Cockburn Association (The Edinburgh Civic Trust), The Civic Trust Scotland, Railfuture Scotland, SPOKES, CRAG, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Edinburgh and Lothians Greenbelt Network, Living Streets Scotland, Scottish Association for Public Transport, SERA Scotland.
Full list: http://www.forthrightalliance.org/members.html
[2] A consultation on FETA's Local Transport Strategy
ends today 30th
September. http://www.feta.gov.uk/
[3] Click on images above for hi-res versions.