NEWS RELEASE - Thursday 14th November 2002

Public Transport Fund announcement: still a long way to go in delivering high quality public transport

Responding to today's Public Transport Fund announcement [1], TRANSform Scotland welcomed the awards - but contrasted the amounts made available for new public transport services with the amounts devoted to the Executive's environmentally-destructive road-building programme. [2]

Colin Howden, TRANSform Scotland Campaign Manager, said:
"These Public Transport Fund awards are welcome. However there is still a long way to go if the Executive is to fulfil Scottish aspirations for high quality public transport services."

"Since 1999, the Scottish Executive has committed twice as much to new road-building than it has to new public transport. The Scottish Executive's £520 million road-building programme dwarves the £235 million the Executive has committed to new public transport services since 1998. One must doubt the Executive's real commitment to improving public transport when one road project - the £250 million urban M74 - is thought worthy of more investment than the whole of public transport in Scotland."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

[1] SE press release SEET181/2002: 'Final Awards from Public Transport Fund.'

[2] Committed spend on new road-building since 1999:
M77 Fenwick-Malletsheugh - £60 million
A1 Haddington-Dunbar - £40 million
A78 Bypass of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston - £33.1 million
A830 Arisaig - Kinsadel - £10.8 million
A96 Fochabers - Mosstodloch - £17.3 million
M74 Northern Extension - £250 million
A1 additions south of Dunbar - £11.4 million
A876 Kincardine Bridge - £60 million
Glasgow Southern Orbital road - £40 million

The total cost of these projects is £522.6 million. (References available on request.)