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Friday, January 22, 2010

Ferries Across the Firth of Forth

I am pleased that there is going to be a Hovverlink between Kirkcaldy and Portobello, Edinburgh, which will help ease congestion on the Forth Road Bridge as it will speed up journey times between Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh as the crossing will only take 25 minutes to cover the approximate 4 miles rather than people having to travel 32 miles by road.

However, I am very disappointed that this is not going to happen until 2012. On the Clyde there are a number of ferries and I think a similar scheme could be fully developed on the River Forth. For example, a roll-on-roll-off car ferry from Dunbar, East Lothian, to Anstruther, Fife or another suitable ferry terminal on the Neuk of Fife for this purpose, which may require redevelopment of the harbours. This would also require road infrastructure from the Fife coast to the M90 to be improved.

It is approximately 17? miles between Dunbar and Anstruther and it is 87 miles around the coast, and this would save on the carbon footprint and heat spots with transport going round and through Edinburgh and would be cost saving from the north of England to the North East of Scotland and Highlands and would also open up tourism throughout Fife and southeast Scotland. This would be one way of boosting the economy and help increase employment.

I also support a passenger service from Burntisland to Granton (a crossing distance of less than four miles against a road distance of 19.9 miles)which should allow people to park their cars and travel without stress in congestion to and from Edinburgh and also this could be part of an integrated public transport system where one ticket allows travel on buses in Fife and Edinburgh as well as the ferry.

All the above would help to ease the flow of traffic in and around Edinburgh and Fife and would help the environment by reducing carbon emissions.