9 March 2010
CBR response to attack on Borders Railway
Letter from Richard Crockett, Chair of Campaign for Borders Rail, in response to opinion piece in The Scotsman by Brian Monteith:Brian Monteith’s use of the Borders Railway as a stick to beat the whole climate of public investment in Scotland is disingenuous. Irrespective of what has to be done to meet the problems of the latter, cancellation of the former will not contribute to any solution and, in so far as it affects the economic well-being of the Scottish Borders, will be positively harmful. When the old line was closed in 1969, widespread opposition to the chicanery that brought this about was never matched by contrary opinion that the region would embark on a golden era now that it was freed from the chains of its rail network.
Mr Monteith argues his own case from the comfortable standpoint of a car owner who, it seems, is relaxed about the continually rising cost of its use in real terms to his own pocket and the growing road congestion on the southern approaches to Edinburgh. He has nothing to say for the nearly 40 percent of households in towns like Galashiels and Hawick who do not own a car. He is completely misleading on the subject of integration of public transport. He is correct in observing that the station of Galashiels will not have car parking within a few tens of yards – this is perhaps because it will be located in the town centre right next door to the bus station. However, two miles away the large park-and-ride at Tweedbank will appeal to sensible motorists from places further south. Moreover, if I was a non-car driver from Melrose (141 minutes to Edinburgh by through bus) or Jedburgh (112 minutes) or Hawick (119 minutes) the substitution of part of my journey in a cramped and noisy bus to 50 minutes (Galashiels to Waverley) on a modern multiple unit would be welcome.
It seems that Mr Monteith belongs to that vocal group who never use local public transport themselves and have little conception of the third world conditions that are presently offered; we would be glad to be corrected on this point.