Businesses lobby John Swinney over bridge closure costs
- Published
Engineers were testing structural behaviour on the bridge on Tuesday morning
Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney has held talks with some of the businesses being affected by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
Hauliers had warned they might seek compensation for extra costs totalling £600,000 a day.
After his telephone conference, Mr Swinney said that if travel plans needed to be altered he would consider doing that.
The Forth Road Bridge has been closed for urgent repairs until the new year.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the main diversion route was adding an extra £30 in fuel costs.
Repair work on the bridge is due to begin next week. Operators said they were carrying out a controlled test on Tuesday to check out structural behaviour.
The RHA welcomed the setting up of a dedicated HGV lane on the A985 and a temporary relaxation of Department of Transport rules on drivers' working hours.
Diversion routes were already busy at 06:36 on Tuesday
But RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said the Scottish government did not appear to appreciate fully the extra costs being borne by hauliers.
He said: "The knock-on effects for hauliers are already beginning to bite,
"Although we welcome the dedicated HGV route on the A985, the additional cost to hauliers is immense.
"The extra cost for a single HGV to replace what is in effect, a 2.5 mile journey with a detour that can amount to approximately a 60 mile round trip will add an extra £30 in fuel costs alone.
"With an estimated 10,500 HGVs using the bridge each day, the additional operating costs for the industry will be well in excess of £600,000 per day.
"Already we have had reports from members who have had no alternative but to ask their customers for a rate rise. A request that has, unsurprisingly, been met with a great deal of resistance.
"In addition to the increase in operating costs, the overall efficiency of the haulage industry in Scotland is already being greatly reduced as a journey that would take 30 minutes can now take up to three hours if the route is congested."
Standing room only on this train at Dalmeny
Commuters wait for the 06:30 Edinburgh train at Dunfermline
Mr Burnett said there was concern the extra costs meant Scottish hauliers would be unable to compete for contracts
Mr Swinney said after the meeting: "Since last week, we have been in regular contact with the main business organisations in Scotland and large employers in the area, while local authorities and enterprise agencies have been engaging with individual businesses to share information and identify practical steps that could be taken.
"This [the meeting] was a constructive and comprehensive discussion and a number of strong proposals were made. We will fully consider the points made by the business community and I am clear that if the travel plan needs to be altered, we will do that.
"We will continue to work closely in partnership with business in the coming weeks to keep all issues under review."
Bicycles on Forth Bridge
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said closure was the biggest change to Fife's transport system in 50 years.
The MSP for mid Scotland and Fife told BBC Scotland that some villages in Fife, such as Culross and Torryburn, were not designed to cope with the extra traffic now passing through them.
He also called for some of the restrictions to be lifted outside peak times to help local residents.
Mr Rennie, a keen cyclist, said he had asked the transport minister why people could not cross the Forth bridge on bicycles.
The minister said the bridge was an "active" workplace and there would be risks involved.
The crossing restrictions have been lifted for some patients travelling for cancer treatment but they will have to be escorted across the bridge.
- Published7 December 2015
- Published4 December 2015
