Letters / Awaiting SIC response
My thanks to James Mackenzie (Reduce oil-based road traffic; SN 22/7/12) for replying to my letter (Ferries: less effective and more expensive; SN 20/7/12) pointing out the waste of opportunity and indeed money involved in the Shetland Island Council’s rejection of inexpensive tunnels in favour of expensive ferries.
What a pity the SIC itself has, so far, felt unable to reply.
His criticisms are:
1 – that Shetland may be made of softer sort of rock than any part of Norway, whose successful programme I said could be emulated;
2 – that tunnels require maintenance;
3 – that the cost of tunnels should not be justified;
4 – that, for philosophical reasons, SIC should be trying to reduce road transport.
In reply:
1 – while Shetland’s geology is surprisingly complex it does not consist of friable rocks and indeed there is much granite, which is almost ideal;
2 – everything requires some maintenance, but tunnels require far less than ferries, jetties, bridges and the like;
3 – as I pointed out the full cost of two ferries up to 2032 is going to be in excess of £300 million. Five tunnels between Mainland, Whalsay, Yell, Unst, Bressay and Fetlar would be under £80 million if done at the prices they have cost in Norway;
4 – whatever the philosophical arguments against roads across Scotland, where there are trains and most people live in cities, surely Orkney simply could not survive without such transport. There are no railways and having ferries to everywhere would be ludicrous.
Since one reason I gave for supporting tunnels is that this infrastructure has helped make Norway the world’s second richest country I obviously do not share the “green” philosophical aversion.
Indeed I am a member of UKIP because they are the only party seriously committed to such technological progress.
If SIC are philosophically opposed to road traffic links they have a duty to honestly tell their constituents this so that voters can show their agreement or otherwise. If they have any other criticism of my tunnel proposals they should also make it public.
Neil Craig
200 Woodlands Rd
Glasgow
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