Forth Road Bridge: 'the world's most expensive bus lane'?

Plans by the Scottish government to transform the old Forth Road Bridge into a 'bus lane' have been met with strong opposition by commuters.

The proposal, aimed at reducing the overall costs of the new Forth Road Bridge, would use the old constuction for public transport, removing the need for a potential bus and tram lane on the new bridge.

The Scottish government plans to invest £112 million in maintaining the bridge, as well as estimated annual running costs of £5m.

With low levels of traffic expected to cross this "public transport corridor", many critics, including Lawrence Marshall of the ForthRight Alliance, have pointed to prospect of the bridge becoming “the world’s most expensive bus lane”.

Mr Marshall told The Journal: “It is a fig leaf, a white elephant, it is not credible to sustain the bridge with just 300 vehicles crossing it each day."

In addressing this issue, Mr Marshall described the Scottish government as “a stone wall, who ignore us [the ForthRight Alliance] as an annoying irrelevance”.

When the cost is calculated against the predicted flow of traffic, it could potentially cost up to £114 for a vehicle to cross the old Forth bridge.

It is also predicted that commuters could find themselves stuck in long queues on the new bridge, whilst the old bridge is traffic-free, something Marshall believes will force the government to “buckle under pressure to reopen the old bridge”.

In 2008 transport managers reduced the costs of the new bridge by £2 billion, by removing planned bus lanes, as well as one of the approach roads.

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in Edinburgh described the proposal as a “false economy” and the “bargain basement option”.

They said: “We are concerned that the bridge isn’t being built with the capacity for trams, buses and cars. In the long term this would be the most economical option”.

“It is a short term solution, given that the bridge will eventually collapse into the Forth.”

A council spokesperson said: “The cost of maintaining the old bridge for just public transport is much less than if general traffic were allowed on the bridge."