NEWS RELEASE

Thursday 11th May 2006

M8 road plans -
Objection lodged due to Transport Scotland failures to control traffic

TRANSform Scotland have today made available their objection to the Scottish Executive's plans for the M8 motorway between Baillieston and Newhouse. TRANSform Scotland have lodged a formal objection to the plans on the basis that the Executive's agency Transport Scotland have failed to include measures to prevent the reappearance of congestion on the new road.

Colin Howden, Director of TRANSform Scotland, said:

"Transport Scotland have decided to ignore the consultants' advice to lock in the benefits of the scheme by implementing measures to prevent the reappearance of congestion on the motorway.

"When the Scottish Ministers gave the go-ahead for this project in 2003 they said that measures, such as ramp metering or high-occupancy vehicle lanes, would be put in place to stop congestion re-appearing on the M8. Transport Scotland, who have now taken over promoting the project, have decided to remove these measures and press ahead with a project which features no measures to manage traffic."

TRANSform Scotland have also objected on the grounds that providing for uncontrolled expansion in road capacity on the route places the project in direct conflict with the Scottish Executive's commitments to reduce climate change emissions from the transport sector, as set out in March's Climate Change Programme.

The objection letter is available at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/docs/2006-05-10_M8_objection.pdf>

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] TRANSform Scotland

TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport campaign, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, consultancies and local transport groups - interested in transport, the environment and a sustainable Scotland.

We can be contacted at Lamb's House, Burgess Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6RD. Tel 0131 467 7714; fax 0131 554 8656; email <info@transformscotland.org.uk>; web <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk>.

[2] M8 Baillieston-Newhouse project

The Scottish Executive gave the go-ahead for the M8 Baillieston-Newhouse project in January 2003 in the Ministerial Decisions on the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies (CSTCS) - <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/01/2962>.

As part of this decision, and as a result of the recommendations of the CSTCS consultants' work, the Scottish Executive said that traffic management measures such as ramp metering and/or high-occupancy vehicle lanes would be included in the project. A decision has subsequently been taken to ignore this advice and proceed without the traffic management measures.

TRANSform Scotland was represented on the Steering Group of the CSTCS.

END OF NEWS RELEASE