Forth Road Bridge - now in intensive care

[BigD]

Makes no odds what nationality anybody is,

Exactly so why open with, "As an Englishman"? That's like me saying as a Scottish man why is the M6 always a disaster when there's a small accident or why is operation stack a complete pain in the backside, why did it take me 4 hours to get through the chunnel in the summer etc etc and you've answered all of these with the first part of the sentence below.

the politicians screwed it up, nobody else, played the cheap votes gag with abolishing the tolls, but did not then commit the budget to maintenance it required.

I also agree that the tolls should have remained but then I don't travel across it every day and if I did I may think differently. They wasted a fortune building new toll booths then scrapped the tolls.

p.s. agree with Campbell apportioning blame doesn't get the bridge fixed so lets talk solutions.

[campbell]

This is a good example of the political sparring.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... s-35091492

It looks increasingly likely that corners have indeed been cut, and engineering professionals overruled by politicians. Or budget constraints.

Hilariously, though, I agree with Derek Mackay (whom I do not rate) when he says the focus should be fixing the current fault.

They should leave the flame war until the traffic is flowing again. The arguments are a distraction and a waste of energy. Whichever "Party" one may support.

[Dark]

This is just the latest incompetence.
Wait until the lights go out, that will really get everyone's attention!

[Scuffers]

p.s. agree with Campbell apportioning blame doesn't get the bridge fixed so lets talk solutions.

Yup, problem I see now is the solution they are doing is a temporary bodge just to get it open again..

why are they not just replacing the truss-links as a whole? one assumes that's too hard to do in the short term?

when they do bodge it, I bet they put huge restrictions on HGV's over the bridge..

[campbell]

If I were a Fifer, I'd rather they bodged it quickly now to let me keep my job, and fixed it properly once the new crossing running. Rather than taking months over an elegant solution now

[tut]

We also don't do trolling.

Remember the hot elise driver who also flew choppers?!

Was that me?

tut

[Stevoraith]

0637 train from the Hamptons was quiet this morning.

S

That's because the one before it had 8 carriages instead of the 3 we'd been suffering with all last week!

Simon, I think the only people apportioning blame are those with a particular political axe to grind.

It seems like, with the benefit of hindsight, the SNP made the wrong decision to abolish the works which were identified in 2010.
However, had the structure held up for one more year, the way they played it would have been a master stroke as they would have avoided inconvenient roadworks until the new bridge was open.

Whether the abolition of the tolls had a part to play in that decision I don't know.
You're wrong to say that was a cheap vote-winner which back-fired though. I don't remember it being in their manifesto, and even if it was, it didn't work because none of the typical forth-commuting constituencies voted for SNP in 2007.

Also your point about one bridge being for north bound traffic and the other for south bound is wrong.

The plan is for the new Queensferry crossing to take all traffic except for public transport (ie buses and taxis) which can take the slightly shorter route across the existing Forth bridge.

[tenkfeet]

You would think the Trolls would of noticed the cracks in the roof.

[Jeremy]

I was initially pretty disappointed when I seen some politicians trying to make gain out of the situation rather than focusing their energies on positive solutions. However, the aggressive shouty shouty 'nothing to see here' response from the SNP now leads me to think there is more of a story here than initially appeared. Will be interesting to see how it develops.

Regards,

Jeremy

[Sanjøy]

Only 2 carriages on the 0637 this morning, standing room only and people left on the platform at Inverkiething.

[Jam_s160]

I'm heading to Murrays on Friday early from Aberdeen. How much more time is needed to go around the Kinkardine bridge?

[BigD]

Coming from Aberdeen I'd be tempted to go Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, and miss Kincardine altogether.

[campbell]

Yup. A90, A9, M9. Miss out Dundee by going Forfar-Coupar Angus-Perth if you want a change of scene.

In fact Glenshee starts to become viable at this level.

Be careful of time of day. Avoid morning rush hour...

[Scuffers]

I was initially pretty disappointed when I seen some politicians trying to make gain out of the situation rather than focusing their energies on positive solutions. However, the aggressive shouty shouty 'nothing to see here' response from the SNP now leads me to think there is more of a story here than initially appeared. Will be interesting to see how it develops.

Regards,

Jeremy

this that almost goes without saying...

It's been a bit of a mess for years, Labour screwed up the new bridge contracts/design/etc, SNP have made it worse by meddling with not only the new bridge contracts but also screwing up the future of the existing one.

Have to say, it's not a Scotland only problem, you only have to look at the sh*t over Heathrow to see that!

[Jam_s160]

Yup. A90, A9, M9. Miss out Dundee by going Forfar-Coupar Angus-Perth if you want a change of scene.

In fact Glenshee starts to become viable at this level.

Be careful of time of day. Avoid morning rush hour...

Good call chaps, I was just going to head to the eye of the morning rush storm. I'll be leaving 5am so early start