Ways through the impasse

When the Government announced it was suspending major road projects in June of last year, it promised a White Paper on an integrated transport policy alongside a strategic review of the trunk roads system, both of which would be published early in 1998. The White Paper is now expected sometime in June - although the dates are said to be flexible and the Scottish version is likely to come out two days later than the UK document.

The roads review, meanwhile, has been pushed back to the end of the year, a decision which has angered business leaders and safety campaigners alike, who say we can ill afford further delays on projects vital to the Scottish economy as well as the safety and sanity of the motorist. Environmentalists say a further delay makes sense because the White Paper will be the first blueprint for a Scottish transport system for two decades and must be studied carefully before anyone can figure out what part trunk routes will play in a greener, cleaner infrastructure.

The White Paper, which will lay out the route that the roads review must follow, has been the subject of fevered speculation. It will establish the Labour Government's much-vaunted environmental credentials, and the launch date has been pushed back allegedly because of inter-departmental disputes at Cabinet level. Too green. Too anti-car. Too many levies.

In a statement released coincidentally on the day of the A80 snarl-up, Scottish Transport Minister Henry McLeish said the Government was not anti-car and believed a well-maintained trunk road network was vital to the Scottish economy. But he added: ''Hard choices will be required - we must be pragmatic.''

That leaves campaigners fighting to prove that their link is the one that deserves the nod of approval and the cash to see it through.

The key projects put on hold in Scotland include the upgrading of the A80 at Cumbernauld; the ''dualling'' of the A1 between Haddington and Dunbar; the M77 extension between Fenwick and Floak; the Doune bypass; and the Ardrossan bypass. Plans for a replacement to the Kincardine Bridge and the closing of the M8 gap between Baillieston and Shotts are being studied as part of an ''accelerated review''.

The M74 extension, what some have called the most important piece of unfinished road in Scotland, has theoretically not been included as part of the trunk road moratorium, but the Scottish Office says it will become part of the overall review when it comes before them this summer.

Few would argue that there has not been a need for a thorough examination of Scotland's transport infrastructure. In the past few days traffic-induced air pollution has reached its highest levels so far this year, and recent figures show car use has almost trebled across Scotland in the past decade, with the number of vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge alone up 60% since the late 1980s. What people are questioning, however, is the time it has taken to address the problem properly, and the continuing delay in dealing with the crucial roads issue.

''We are waiting with bated breath for the actual announcement,'' says Neil Greig of the AA. ''We have had commissions and conferences and talk, talk, talk for so many years. We went through it with the Conservative Government and now we just need to get some action points down and get going. We need action to come out of this. We have a chaotic transport system every day in Scotland.''

Greig says the size of the tailback on the A80 was unusual for a Scottish road but it highlighted the effect of inaction, lack of communication, and lack

of investment. He warns that even if the

need for the road is established by the

Government it may fall at the hurdle of the Comprehensive Spending Review, which is due to report at the same time as the transport White Paper. ''The Government may

say the roads are all necessary and it would like to build them but the Comprehensive Spending Review won't allow it to go ahead,'' he says. '' Our main fear is that the spending review is going to make implementation a problem.''

It was the Road Haulage Association that designated the A80 one of the worst routes for traffic jams in the UK, and spokesman Dan Hodges says the problems on the road are typical of the neglected infrastructure across Scotland as a whole.

''We desperately want to see some positive action taken by the Scottish Office to start

to address the very real problems facing

our members and the Scottish transport system. We are concerned some of the hard choices that have to be made on transport will be fudged. But we have absolutely had enough analysis.''

Across on the other side of the country, campaigners for an upgrade to the A1 hope they have convinced the Government of the importance of the scheme. Labour MP John Home Robertson, who attacked his own Government recently for including the route in their review, says he is quietly confident that the project will be seen to be vital.

''There is a political debate, an environmental debate, and controversy about these things. But everyone acknowledges that there is a need for a proper national highway network and where we have missing links such as the A1 that has got to go ahead. I'm quietly confident that that is going to be the reply.''

Those campaigning for the extension to the M74, however, are less confident of the outcome. They believe the road to be absolutely crucial to Glasgow and the wider Scottish economy but say privately that the indications from the Scottish Office suggest it may not be considered a top priority

''We have decided the M74 is the top priority,'' says Iain Duff, an economist with the Scottish Council Development and Industry, which is part of a consortium pushing for the extension to go ahead. ''No other road comes close to that one . . . but I just got the feeling that they didn't think that maybe it was not the most important. They pointed to other areas, other roads that they regarded as higher up the list. In terms of attracting investment it won't help if there is this problem right to the centre of Glasgow. It is not just a West Coast problem. It's about developing the whole of the Scottish economy. It is such an important link down south and up north.''

Geoffrey Johnston, chairman of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, says businesses are becoming increasingly concerned at the delay in getting started on the M74 route. ''We are looking at a time frame of eight years from the day they say let's go for it through the public inquiry and construction right up to cutting the tape. It is an all-of-Scotland problem and it is going to get worse. If it takes 18 months for this review to be completed we would view that with horror, with deep concern.''

For environmentalists, however, the delay offers welcome breathing space to consider how best to apply the new integrated transport policy. ''It does seem it's going to take quite a bit longer and I suppose that's quite logical,'' says Friends of the Earth spokesman Dr Richard Dixon. ''We will have to look at the implications of what's in the White Paper then work that through into the roads. In Scotland we have not really had a transport policy for the last 20 years. It is worth waiting for.''

n A80/M80 Stepps to Haggs: One of the most controversial projects. While the previous Government approved a #150m scheme along the existing route at Cumbernauld instead of a brand new route through the scenic Kelvin Valley, it's understood the latter option has not been ruled out. Scene of a nine-mile traffic jam this week and recognised as one of the most congested routes in the UK.

n M74 Extension. Not technically part of the Government's roads review and building moratorium, but will come under the general review when it is put before the Scottish Office this summer. First proposed in 1965. Suggested cost rose to around #250m. The latest #176m scaled-down proposal drops a direct link with the Kingston Bridge and creates a new junction south of the bridge where the M74 will join the M8.

n A1 Haddington to Dunbar: A 13.7km-long accident blackspot which has been earmarked for upgrading to dual carriageway status. Costed at #38m in 1994. Campaigners say lives are being lost because of delays in implementing the new road.

n M77 extension: Scottish Office officials have been asked to prepare drawings for upgrading to motorway status between Malletsheugh and Fenwick and to look at road safety at the Galston and Fenwick junctions. East Ayrshire Council officials say they have won the economic and road safety arguments for the route.