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Product Name: Transport
Product Description
It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of the first Forth Estuary Transport Authority Local Transport Strategy. The enclosed document is the result of several months of careful consultation and consideration, and sets out the aims and objectives of FETA for the coming years.
After 40 years the Forth Bridge is channelling more than 24 million vehicle trips a year, from areas spread wide across the Lothians, Fife and beyond. The bridge is now operating well beyond its design capacity, and with ongoing maintenance and strengthening programmes underway, we must take steps to resolve the issue of increasing traffic congestion and delay. Through this Strategy, FETA seeks to provide realistic alternative travel choices across the Forth, allowing more reliable and strategically significant traffic movements as well as contributing to a vibrant Scottish economy. It also recognises the need to plan ahead for a new multi modal crossing to meet both the increasing maintenance challenges for the existing bridge and to cater for future growth in public transport services.
This strategy covers the period from 2005 to 2020/21. During this time we aim to reduce traffic congestion, increase the use of public transport and provide funding to ensure that the M9/A8000 project is delivered. To achieve our aspirations we recognise that we will need to put in place an appropriate charging regime.
Proposals for a new charging scheme will be brought forward in the coming months and these will be subject to further consultation. I will be contacting you again in the new year regarding this and would welcome your input again.
The transport investment package outlined in this strategy will assist in addressing shorter term issues. However, it is important to consider that we need to keep looking ahead, beyond this strategy, to ensure the Scottish economy continues to flourish and grow in the decades to come.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your input into this valuable document, and look forward to working with you in implementing the goals it has laid out.
The A8000 has a long history of traffic congestion and is recognised as the weak link in the strategic road network of the East Coast of Scotland. Although having “local road” status, it is the main route for traffic from the Forth Road Bridge to the central Scotland motorway network, Edinburgh City Bypass and Edinburgh Airport. The inadequacy of the A8000 leads to major tailbacks onto the bridge during morning peak traffic and people trying to reach the bridge in the evening peak experience severe delays.
An on-line improvement scheme was first published in 1977 but replacement of the single carriageway by an off-line dual carriageway was later accepted by all members of the Forth Transport Infrastructure Partnership (Scottish Executive, City of Edinburgh, Fife and West Lothian Councils and the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board).
The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of the A8000 and accepts the benefits of upgrading it but decided in its Strategic Roads Review of 1999 not to change its status from a “local road”. In its more recent report Scotland’s Transport: Delivering Improvements (March 2002)’ the Executive repeated its support for the upgrading and called for this Authority to consider funding as part of its long-term aim to reduce congestion.
Agreement has recently been reached with the Scottish Executive on a funding package for the scheme estimated at £35.6 m and on 27 June 2005 a £7m advanced contract to consolidate mine working on the route commenced. Tender documents for the main works have been issued with a view to a construction start in June 2006. Opening of the dual carriageway is expected in Autumn 2007.
The Ferrytoll Park & Ride, 1.5km north of the Forth Road Bridge has proved to be very successful. Surveys carried out by Fife Council show that the number of people using it during the week had increased quickly, from 100 cars in November 2000 to 400 cars (80% of capacity) by May 2002.
Ferrytoll proved such a success that provision had to be considered for further expansion and the final report of the Forth TRIP Radical Measures Study published in 2002 recommended that improving the Ferrytoll site was a high priority.
Fife Council considered four options to double the number of spaces, each including the construction of an additional dedicated lane on the A90 Southbound from Admiralty junction. The cost of the preferred option, which increased the number of spaces without disrupting current spaces, was £8.75 million. Fife Council contributed £175,000 and FETA agreed to contribute £500,000. The balance of funding was awarded in the Scottish Executive’s Public Transport Fund Award announced in November 2002. The expansion project which involved constructing a 2-deck multi-storey car park at the back of ths site was completed in May 2005 and has now increased capacity from 500 to 1040 spaces.
For information on bus services from Ferrytoll call Fife Council’s Transportation Helpline, (01592) 41 60 60, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm or log on to www.ferrytoll.org where details of the proposed extension are also available.
Company Details
FETA’s vision is to provide reliable, integrated, safe and sustainable travel choices across the Forth for both strategic and local journeys, making optimum use of the Forth Crossings and other associated transport infrastructure
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