Bridges are going everywhere.
- Thread starter dgadee
- Start date
awol
Well-known member
Well, her track record on ferries is not so good but the one bridge she built came in on time and under budget.N I C O L A
LittleSister
Well-known member
The idea that simply connecting somewhere relatively remote boosts its economy is a myth. It's much more complicated than that.
E.g. the first Severn Bridge was supposed to boost the S Wales economy, but instead of giving the anticipated boost to S Wales firms, they tended to get swept away as the area became accessible to national and regional giants operating from England.
E.g. the first Severn Bridge was supposed to boost the S Wales economy, but instead of giving the anticipated boost to S Wales firms, they tended to get swept away as the area became accessible to national and regional giants operating from England.
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ProDave
Well-known member
There is already a ferry link from the mainland to South Ronaldsay, so job done?
So is dualling the A9 north of Inverness the next plan? Dualling the southern part is not exactly going very quick and seems to be stalling.
penfold
Well-known member
Ah, y'see that's where a hefty toll for tourist traffic comes in; two bites at the cherry.
dgadee
Well-known member
Ah, you got your bridge and now you want to haul up the ladder behind you!
But agree that the A9 should never have been single carriage. It's never a good idea to scrimp on communications.
Blueboatman
Well-known member
Look at all the bridge widening dilemma on the M25
awol
Well-known member
Yet another "levelling-up" project?
dgadee
Well-known member
Too many entry/exit points on the M25 - it's mostly people going on and coming off short distances because there's no room in London for cars. Get them onto public transport - after all we've sent a fortune down to you to build up the services.
dgadee
Well-known member
You are voting for keeping rural/provincial areas isolated?
The Q
Well-known member
The A9 somewhat precedes the invention of Dual carriage ways.
South of Dunkeld the A9 was an amalgam of existing roads , north of Dunkeld to Inverness it was one of General Wades roads built between 1727 and 1733.. Though we today would rate that road, as not much more than a farm track.
Some sections were improved in the 1800's by Telford.
The big improvements started in the 1970's such as Kessock Ferry bridge which started construction just after I stopped living in Inverness... The improvements have been otherwise piecemeal such as dual carriage ways up steep bits..
Current estimates are the costs of a full dualing to Inverness are larger than the money improvements would bring.
The A9 was never a fully planned road after General Wade and in 1727 he couldn't have predicted todays traffic..
Stemar
Well-known member
There's a lesson there for planners. It was supposed to take traffic out of London, but instead, it generated a whole new load of traffic that spilled over everywhere. The same thing happens with most expansion of road capacity.
Long term, I can't see everyone in their own car being sustainable. A self-driving Uber-type service within towns and good coach/rail network seems to me to be a lot greener. Plus, simply not travelling as much. Do you really need to go to the other side of the world for a holiday? Drive to the other end of the country for a meeting? Commute to an already overcrowded city every day?
I think the world will be a very different place in 100 years. If it isn't, it'll be even more different, but not in a way that's good for us.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
What about a chain ferry. From what I read on this forum they are leaders in cock ups in that technology so it should fit in well with everything else. After all who would want a light railway where they might have to bus in one Sadiq K to operate it for them
Blueboatman
Well-known member
It is extraordinary how busy or convenient the M25 is.
( and it wears out too!)
And how even when built it was just too controversial to admit ( how many knew really ?) that the country could require an 8 lane ring road even then !
Which would actually have been better value ( of course ) using tarmac not concrete slabs ( of course )..
And without variable speed control ..or smart controls or loss of verges and breakdown lanes
And with future expansion factored in from the get go ( and W I D E R ) bridges factored in to allow extra lanes underneath..duh
If you give the public the true cost and impact of a new motorway , cross rail , bridge, airport , sewage super sewer, network of water supplies , they would go all ‘ sticker shock’ and jib at the price ?
Boil ‘em crabs slowly!
turn up the bills s l o w l y ?
LittleSister
Well-known member
No. Why would you think that?
capnsensible
Well-known member
ylop
Well-known member
Coming back to the title of the thread...
Not everywhere Drivers rescued after Norway bridge collapse
Not everywhere Drivers rescued after Norway bridge collapse
dgadee
Well-known member
I don't know. You might be able to tell me,
PeterWright
Well-known member
It seems you have a great misconception of money flow in the UK. Far more tax per head of population is collected in England than in Scotland whereas far more government expenditure is paid out in Scotland than in England, largely due to the outdated Barnet formula. So the net flow of cash is from English people's pockets to Scottish people's pockets - the fortune has consistently passed northwards from England to Scotland, enabled by the greater productivity found in England.
In these circumstances, it's hard to understand the enthusiasm for Scottish independence, except among those whose jobs have been created by the establishment of the Scottish Parliament.
Peter.
Stemar
Well-known member
Ah, but we Brits are going to pay for all the N Sea oil we stole from Scotland.
Allegedly.
