Ice and the Queensferry Crossing: Closed 3 times in 5 years is not a ‘plague’
The 3rd of only 3 closures was branded in the Scotsman, by the Scottish Tories, as a ‘national disgrace’ in 2021. They need a holiday, by car and ferry, in Normandy if they want to see a national disgrace.
Anyhow, in the Herald today:
Scotland’s flagship road bridge is to be “cleaned” over the next three months in an effort to stop ice buildup from forcing it to close during the winter.
The £1.35bn Queensferry Crossing has shut three times since opening in 2017 due to accretions on the 288 metal cables supporting the structure.
The replacement for the Forth Road Bridge has been plagued by falling ice over the winter months.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/20354807.queensferry-crossing-cleaned-effort-prevent-winter-closures/
The scale of the actual inconvenience to drivers is made more clear by a freedom of information request in January 2022:
10 February 2020 closed 18:05 reopened 12 February 2020 11:35 (41 hours 30 mins)
04 December 2020 closed 04:16 reopened 08:48 (4 hours 32 minutes)
21 January 2021 closed 02:50 reopened 09:20 (6 hours 30 minutes)
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100262527/
So, a total of 52 hours over nearly 5 years?
What about wind? From the Road Haulage Association:
“The fact that the Queensferry Crossing has remained open to freight in conditions that would have previously closed the old Forth Road Bridge over 100 times is incredibly welcome to these communities and the businesses who quite literally move the Scottish economy.”
https://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/19987993.queensferry-crossing-wind-shields-prevent-100-bridge-closures/
Talking-up Scotland 
The fastest method of crossing the channel is to
SWIM and that my dear fellow is a fact
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But do you still have to queue up for 6 hours on both sides to get your passport stamped??
🙂
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Stewart
But you have chosen the fastest method of crossing
I have a strong piece of advise for the English education Minister
Divert 50 % of education monies to Advanced Swimming courses
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Equates to 0.12% of 43,800 hrs it’s been open.
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Golfnut
Tomorrows headlines
A Seabird has defecated upon the bridges deck and
Is now closed due to severe skid risk
Why on earth was this design ever allowed to be implemented
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Further good reason to never purchase The Herald or the Scotsman. If the Tories had ever funded the Crossing (fat chance)it would be hailed as a Wonder of the World. PS the present Dover shambles must surely be causing our Government to consider seriously the re-introduction of a ferry route from Rosyth to Europe.
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Well the SNP/SG funded it and guess what? The world was somewhat impressed by the project and the finished article
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/what-america-can-learn-from-a-bridge-in-scotland/
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Queensferry Crossing magnificent. World famous. Beautiful sight and efficient.
AWPR amazing after waiting 40 years. Absolutely brilliant.
Border railway a wonderful construction.
Renewables, school and hospitals. The list is endless. Appreciated by the people that benefit.
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Here is the bridge that Nikla built, the public say hoo-ray.
On time tae start, it look the part, and its open every day.
Here is the bridge the Brit Nats built, from here tae bonnie Larne.
Boris and Jack, snigger and clack, seems it was only ever a yarn.
What you spend and what you receive,
depends a lot, on who you believe.
That southron lot, without a doubt,
Are spivs, but–we cannot vote them out.
No vote, no way, good-bye we say.
We’re off to live our own way.
2025, I’d guess, by the 1st o’ May.
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OT – The incontinent pigeon HMS James Cook has gurgled again over QEUH – More than 3 hours after I read it, “Five hospital wards run with one registered nurse each” remains less than 1 hour old https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-62276667 .
Expect to see demands for Jeanne Freeman’s resignation by tomorrow morning….. Desperate stuff from Pathetic Quay, not even an Analysis my Mzzzz Winters…
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I warrant there is nothing here that couldn’t be evidenced elsewhere in the the UK.
So if opposition politicians and the clever media in Scotland have a ‘solution’ that is being deliberately ignored by the Scottish Government why is their advice on the ‘solution’ not being listened to and implemented now, with instant impact, in England, Wales or NI?
If health and social care is under resourced then yes the Scottish Government can tweak its budget in one of two ways – NEITHER IS A QUICK FIX! It can rise one or more of the few taxes it controls – howls of protest from the main opposition party in Holyrood and an oppositional media. Or it can cut funding from somewhere else – howls of protest from the main opposition party in Holyrood and an oppositional media.
It cannot solve in any substantial way under resourcing with its limited borrowing, narrow fiscal and zero monetary powers.
Given similar issues occur in England – whose government HAS ALL borrowing, fiscal and monetary powers of any nation-state and whose decisions on public spending in England control much of what the Scottish Government can do through the scale of the ‘block grant’ – the NHS crisis of resourcing cannot be solved in the short term and not by a hog-tied Scottish Government!
Finally, if part of the NHS Scotland problem is due to Covid infection levels and staff absences – reflecting levels of infection in the community in Scotland, replicated across the UK – are people prepared now to adhere to basic public health measures, voluntarily or imposed, to reduce the spread of infection quickly?
The Tories and their media allies have done their level best to make public acceptance of common sense measures to tackle Covid very difficult to achieve again.
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Team,
Please do not renew our policy for this year.
Thank you for your support.
Regards.
Andrew Patterson
69 Lawson Way Tranent East Lothian EH33 2QJ
Scotland
Mobile: 0785 221 6671 Email: andrew.patterson1965@outlook.comandrew.patterson2@talktalk.net
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