Freight issues given sufficient weighting. Transport Scotland's Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), was welcomed by the FTA when it was unveiled this afternoon. The Review stressed the importance of facilitating freight movements as being fundamental to delivering sustainable economic growth for Scotland.
Gavin Scott, FTA's Head of Policy for Scotland, said: "This Review is good news for freight, and Scotland, in general. The very fact that freight's concerns are clearly now being recognised as key to the health of our economy is not only encouraging, but also refreshing given that so often in the past transport policy has been skewed toward public transport issues."
"However, industry was expecting a programme of improvements to be set in the context of a yearly plan and so far we have not been given a definitive date for any of the intended projects."
The STPR outlined 29 projects for improving Scotland's rail and trunk road networks to be implemented within the next 20 years. While all of the proposed "packages of work" are encouraging, certain of them are of particular interest to FTA and its members, most notably:
● The Forth Replacement Crossing
● A82 targeted road improvements
● Route management
● Improved links to Loch Ryan ports
● A9 upgrade from Dunblane to Inverness
● Grangemouth Road and rail upgrades
● Dundee Northern Relief Road
● Park & Ride and Park & Choose
Despite the overall benefit that it is anticipated the STPR will bring, there is still room for improvement. Gavin Scott continues: "The Devil, as always, is in the detail and there are several caveats we would like to issue. For example, we would strongly hope that the proposal to reduce road congestion on the A77 will include a bypass for Maybole. We await further details with baited breath."