CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
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Transport Minister and Pollok SNP MSP Humza Yousaf congratulated the cross-party consensus on cycling and praised the inclusivity and diversity of the cycling community. “Segregated cyclepaths are crucial for breaking down barriers. I promise you, what [Pedal On Parliament] are saying is being heard at the highest level of government”. He then emphasised the importance of cycling amongst children and young people.
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Well the Minister did have a minute to tweet this just before going to PoP Glasgow:
"M8 'missing link' between Newhouse and Baillieston opens a week early - ScotGovt getting on with the day job"
The annual payment by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Roads Partnership for the M8 M73 M74 project is higher than total Scottish Government annual expenditure on active travel. Details of these annual payments are set out in the attached Scottish Government spreadsheet:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/12308/NPDhubPipelinepayments
Also, I'm not quite sure how a project billed as costing £500m racks up annual charges totalling £1.39bn between this year and 2047. Is the spreadsheet wrong, or is something else going on?
Is the spreadsheet wrong, or is something else going on?
PPI?
From the OJEU notice for the project:
The Project consists of the design, construction and finance of a package of three discrete construction schemes (M8 Baillieston to Newhouse, the M74 Junction 5, Raith and the M8/M73/M74 Network Improvements) (the New Works) and the finance, operation and maintenance of the motorway network provided by the New Works, associated structures and related elements and part of the existing motorway network (the O&M Works) for a period of 30 years after completion of the New Works.
He then emphasised the importance of cycling amongst children and young people.
Before saying 1.6% of the travel budget will be spent on active travel...
I'm curious, does mr Yousaf think these segregated bike lanes will spring up naturally? Or does he admit the Scottish government will have to spend money on them?
30 years! 30 years!!!
If these works (M8, M74, M73) as well as the Queensferry Crossing, the A9 and the A96 dualling are being paid for for 30 years, well that commits us to paying for them for, well, 30 years.
So for 30 years, they'll be "no money" for active travel, as we'll be still be paying for these behemoths. For 30 years.
So these terrible decisions have committed us down the motor dependency path for 30 years...
Did I say thirty (30) years?
30 years! 30 years!!!
I expect Scotland will have motorways for more than 30 years, and they will all need to be maintained in that time. Would be nice if cycle routes were maintained as well, but I suspect the cost for that is largely left to be picked up by charities or councils' parks and gardens budgets.
I was in Glasgow at the weekend, sadly not at POP, but due to a convoluted set of transport issues, I had to pick my dad up at Queen Street Station and drive from the city centre to the Southside on Saturday morning.
I remember commenting to my dad that I wouldn't like to cycle in Glasgow, it feels very fast - even on the 20mph roads in the centre.
Get out of the centre and it feels worse - not quite as bad as outer London but not far away.
There are a fair number of On Road segregated cycle lanes going south in Glasgow (segregated by those large rubber / concrete bumper things).
However I saw no cyclists on those lanes - none at all !!
"I suspect the cost for that is largely left to be picked up by charities or councils' parks and gardens budgets."
As indeed are the costs for the much vaunted segregated cycle routes, largely.
"Or does he admit the Scottish government will have to spend money on them?"
Hahahahaha! Aye right.
"I wouldn't like to cycle in Glasgow"
Me neither, iy treacly is motor city. Did cycle in Glasgow a while back, but it was on the weekend and largely on the canal towpath or off-road paths. Wouldn't fancy braving the main roads in the city much...
@PS
I expect Scotland will have motorways for more than 30 years, and they will all need to be maintained in that time
I wasn't talking about the maintenance (which is of course needed), I was talking about the financing of the original construction.
£500m for the M8/M74/M73 is becoming £1.39bn over 30 years. How much of that is financing costs? My bet is the maintenance isn't more than £10m p.a. or £0.3bn over 30 years. So that leaves £590m going to investorsfat cats...
Same for the £1.7bn + £3bn + £3bn for the other projects I mention?
@Neddie Or £450m if it includes inflation (I'd guess it probably does). So in a very basic analysis they'd just about double their money in 30 years, which is a pretty poor return compared to the stock market. So they'll probably sell the investment on to a pension fund, and then all of us with pensions are complicit.
Leaving aside the question of whether motorways are a Good Thing or not does anyone know what other avenues the Scottish Government had for financing this other than this lease-lend/PFI/SFT model?
The 2012 Act and HM Treasury rules limited them to borrowing;
10 per cent of the capital budget. This gives a maximum borrowing limit of £306 million in 2015-16 and of £316 million in 2016-17. The Scottish Government continues to maximise investment within the capital limits imposed by HM Treasury.
Which I guess isn't enough for this.
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