NEWS RELEASE - YouGov poll shows 57% oppose extra Forth Road Bridge

Posted on November 9, 2009

Results from a YouGov poll released today (1) indicate that just 34% of Scots support SNP plans for a new road bridge over the Forth, while 57% believe the existing Forth Road Bridge should be repaired. (2) According to the Scottish Government, the new bridge is currently expected to cost up to £2,300m. The Forth Estuary Transport Authority estimate that repairing the existing bridge would cost just £122m - even this much lower cost would only be required if the current dehumidification scheme does not work. (3) Later this month the Scottish Government is expected to publish legislation which would authorise the new bridge if approved.

The poll was carried out at the same time as the Holyrood voting intention figures released on 1 November. (4) The detailed figures show that supporters of all of Scotland’s political parties were opposed to the plans for a new road bridge for the Forth, with both Conservative and Labour voters particularly strongly opposed. (5)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“As so often, common sense prevails outside Holyrood, and the massive scare campaign Ministers have run against the existing Forth Road Bridge has clearly failed. Like everyone else, Greens believe we do need a road crossing over the Forth, and fortunately there already is one. There’s still time for Scottish Ministers to listen to public opinion and fix the existing bridge for a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the disruption.

“John Swinney tells us that the Scottish public finances have never been under such pressure. Despite these pressures, he’s preparing to squander billions on a project Scotland simply doesn’t need. If this deeply unpopular bridge is eventually built, the damage to the public finances will be matched only by the damage to the SNP’s reputation, and if they defy the evidence they will jeopardise their own political future.

“Every party’s supporters in this poll preferred repair, not replacement, especially Tory and Labour voters. The pressure is now on the other parties to vote down this legislation when it comes forward.”

Lawrence Marshall, chair of the ForthRight Alliance and a former chair of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, said:

“There’s talk of billions having to be cut from front-line Scottish public services in the coming years, and regionally important infrastructure schemes such as the rail link to Glasgow Airport have been dropped by the Scottish Government due to being ‘unaffordable’. It’s therefore no surprise that the general public does not share the Government’s view that spending a minimum of £2,300 million on an additional road bridge at Queensferry should be the nation’s top priority project for this generation.

“They recognise that the existing bridge can be and is being repaired - at a fraction of the capital cost of a new crossing.

“If Scottish Ministers do not recognise these financial and engineering realities then it’s time for other MSPs to acknowledge the unpopularity of their previous vote to build another bridge and to reverse their decision - taken, if truth be told, in a bit of a panic.

“That way they will also save themselves the task of having to explain to local authorities, health boards and constituents throughout the land why schemes long hoped for in their area are having to be sacrificed to pay for something that’s not needed, is not wanted and will only serve to undermine Scottish Government progress towards meeting commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, tackle road congestion and encourage the use of public transport.”

Duncan McLaren, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“The time is coming for Parliament to choose between an unpopular and unnecessary bridge and progress on delivering the ambitious climate change targets MSPs passed less than six months ago. Even the Scottish Government have finally admitted that their plans are for an additional bridge, not a replacement. More road capacity would mean more traffic, more congestion, more pollution and more accidents, just as it always does.

“If Scotland is to both meet its climate targets and support a sustainable economy, Ministers should be investing in better public transport, and helping people make the shift from the car to the bus, the train and the bike, not blowing billions on a bridge. If the present bridge really were irreparable, it would have been irresponsible of Government to have ignored that: but given that the bridge is reparable at a much lower cost and impact, it is both fiscally and environmentally irresponsible to pursue a replacement.”

Notes

1. The poll was commissioned jointly by the Scottish Green Party, the ForthRight Alliance and Friends of the Earth Scotland.

2. YouGov polled 1114 Scottish adults 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%

3. See: http://www.feta.gov.uk/

4. YouGov surveyed 1114 Scottish adults from 26 October to 28 October 2009.

5. Using the constituency vote from the same poll, the other parties’ supporters views are as follows:
Conservative » Repair: 64%, Replace: 30%, Don’t Know: 6%
Labour » Repair: 59%, Replace: 32%, Don’t Know: 9%
Lib Dem » Repair: 56%, Replace: 37%, Don’t Know: 7%
SNP » Repair: 51%, Replace: 41%, Don’t Know: 9%