The old FRB will be open to taxis and Private Hire Cabs.
PHCs are only distinguishable from other cars by a small plate front & rear and white stickers on the front doors.
So there will be no practical way to prevent any car from driving across.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
"Queensferry Crossing project ‘months behind schedule’ "
(805 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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So Glasgow have bus lanes which allow PHC and Taxis, as well as buses etc. They use cameras to police these and the way they filter out PHC and taxies is that the council have a list of licensed PHC and taxi vehicles, and their number plates. These are fed into the camera's system and no fines are issues automatically to taxi and PHC. I suspect that they'll want to do this on the FRB.
Any out of town driver crossing would be able to apply for removal of the fine by showing proof of licence. (this is the process in Glasgow as well)
Posted 7 years ago # -
@baldcyclist
Yes, I can see the Daily Mail headlines already:
"LYCRA LOUTS COST US £<insert large sum here> EACH TO USE BRIDGE
"They don't pay road tax - but expect WE the taxpayers to subsidise their rides across the crumbling Forth Road Bridge.
"...etc..."
You can write the rest.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@baldcyclist
That's exactly why I reluctantly conclude that it would be better if the old bridge is used by more traffic.
Possibly electric vehicles or vehicles with more than one occupant.Posted 7 years ago # -
"The cost per user on the FRB is going to become eye wateringly expensive on Monday."
Ah yes, the beancounting value for money/CBA worries -
"
The scale of investment is estimated at £76.6 million (2016 prices) - a conservative figure primarily for signalling, stations, clearing vegetation and upgrading - considerably higher than the usual rule-of-thumb estimate is £10m per mile. In terms of comparable recent transport projects in Scotland, this is a relatively modest sum (compare Borders rail-line & Airdrie-Bathgate both £300 million, Edinburgh trams-£700 million, new Forth crossing-£1.45 billion).
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Give the FRB/QC traffic a few months to 'settle down'.
Then have a SERIOUS study/debate about the crucial issue - 'best' way to get people across the Forth.
Start with a brief chapter on the alternatives - more jobs in Fife(?)
Then maybe how to improve Fife bus services generally (not just the ones heading for the FRB).
Look at the timescale for electrifying the Fife Circle (and how it will fit in with all the above?)
New ferry to the Newhaven tram terminus??
Posted 7 years ago # -
"CYCLISTS: please don't attempt to cycle on the FRB carriageway - the joints and parapets are not suitable for bikes. Use the east footpath!"
The FRB carriageway has always been *suitable* for motorcycles and mopeds, why would it not be suitable for bicycles?
Posted 7 years ago # -
@chdot Newhaven - Burntisland ferry is the one I would vote for :-)
@fiefster Main road fence is safe enough for lower recliners I would say. The road joints can be quite abrupt though.
Edinburgh Gateway has a lack of passengers I hear. So we have an 'over popular' bridge and an unpopular station / interchange. How wrong would we be if we didn't have transport forecasting?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Posted 7 years ago #
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"
JET RAIDER is the least liked ferry in the Fullers fleet; this is due to her unstable hull design and her tendency to breakdown.
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Ah but is it cheap?!
Posted 7 years ago # -
Edinburgh Gateway has a lack of passengers I hear.
Does Edinburgh Gateway have any passengers at all? It always looks deserted every time I go past.Posted 7 years ago # -
"Does Edinburgh Gateway have any passengers at all? It always looks deserted every time I go past."
My impression too, but I've never been past at 'rush' hour.
Most interesting figures will be any loss in numbers at South Gyle.
Figures for transfers to/from trams interesting too as that was one of the 'justifications' for this station.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Posted 7 years ago #
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On the way home went through Kirkliston. Traffic was at a standstill in both directions, all the way to Queensferry. Then the motorway was similarly backed up.
Guessing delays of over an hour for some. Quicker via Kincardine?
Posted 7 years ago # -
my partner's been on a stagecoach bus fife-bound for two hours, and still hasn't got to the bridge
sad motons just can't contain themselves
Posted 7 years ago # -
I know a few folks travelling from Fife/South Queensferry to Edinburgh Park use Edinburgh Gateway, but they still buy season tickets to Edinburgh Park, so that will skew the figures.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Edinburgh Gateway was only ever built as a political figleaf, to distract from the SNP decision to cancel the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link. I don't think anyone really thought it would be a roaring success.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Message from a pal who lives in South Queensferry:-
"To the good people of Scotland- the bridge will be here for a while. It won't look any different. People in Queensferry would love to be able to get home to their families. Please go away."
Posted 7 years ago # -
I suspect most Gateway passengers are displaced from South Gyle. The trains running to Edinburgh in the morning are near capacity at peak times so not much space to generate journeys. Unfortunately they haven't seen fit to run off peak services joining Fife to the borders line and only stop half the trains at each of South Gyle and Gateway (other than one direction during peak) which further impedes the generation of new journeys.
The station does have a full set of tickets gates to access the platforms though so it should be possible to get accurate usage regardless of ticketing.
Personally I use it for about 1.5 times a week (and South Gyle another 1.5 times). Even then I have to change at Inverkeithing to get to where I am going.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Regarding traffic on the FRB. I think I noticed the sign at Ferrytoll includes Mopeds under 50cc. I keep meaning to check but haven't so far. I assume they might be filtered off at Echline Junction with only public transport allowed to continue directly to the A90.
I am certain that the designers of the whole contraflow bridge system fully expect the new bridge to be every bit as slow as the old bridge under ideal conditions but faster in less than ideal conditions. It will presumably operate with intelligent(?) traffic system limits in place most rush hours.
There would be no reason to have designated the old bridge as a public transport corridor if the new bridge is expected to be freely flowing at 70mph the whole time.
Posted 7 years ago # -
If the goal was more traffic volume the bridge would have more lanes. This would also need a significantly different approach arrangement on both sides, something that's not been altered at all other than to direct the old road towards the new.
This leads me to believe the bridge really was commissioned based on the opinion of the day that the old one was rapidly falling to bits. The 'congestionwashing' that the tailback all the way go Halbeath is somehow going to shrink during peaks is little more than opportunistic PR from the SNP. It ties in well with their image of being populist road builders (and toll removers) out to help the everyman driver.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
Drivers are warned to expect further congestion this weekend when 50,000 people take part in walks across the new crossing.
"
Makes a change from cyclists getting the blame...
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
The crossing has a temporary 40mph speed limit which will be raised to 70mph when it becomes a motorway.
That will be around mid-October once new road links are completed to the Forth Road Bridge for buses.
"
Qs
1) was this work delayed because of bridge delays?
2) does this mean no buses on FRB until October?
Posted 7 years ago # -
the PR says end October / early November
bus drivers themselves are already saying January
Posted 7 years ago # -
Thanks
Seems a bit basic to make sure the 'easy' stuff is in place??
Posted 7 years ago # -
Suppose this was the important bit -
"
First over the 1.7-mile bridge when the northbound carriageway opened at 1:49am was economy secretary Keith Brown and Roy Brannen, chief executive of the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of the £1.35 billion project.
"
Perhaps "bubble" best way to describe their experience of 'transport'.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Presumably mopeds aren't allowed on motorways anyway so will have to bail just before the A90 merges with what will be the M90 via the bus link - see https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/4926/sl2_rev_1-a1.pdf
Posted 7 years ago # -
Perhaps "bubble" best way to describe their experience of 'transport'.
Keith Brown's priorities are well documented, but Roy Brannen does genuinely seem to care about improving active travel provision (whilst stressing that it is only part of his role).
Posted 7 years ago # -
"The total number of vehicles carried by the crossing, measured by electronic sensors, is expected to be far more than the 80,000 a day that cross the Forth Road Bridge, which it will replace."
I presume this is long term rather than first few days. This project was also about increasing capacity: after all public transport and non-motorway vehicles will be shunted back onto the FRB...
Posted 7 years ago #
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