FRIENDS OF the Earth Scotland has challenged Scottish ministers to come up with the proof to show that the Forth Road Bridge cannot be repaired.

The environmental pressure group has insisted the construction of a new crossing must be justified. They said following yesterday’s decision:

* Evidence that the current bridge cannot be repaired has yet to be made public, therefore any decision to press ahead with a new crossing is premature.

* Simply providing new capacity for car commuting would be unsustainable and counter Executive pledges to cut climate emissions.

* Any new crossing must lead to reduced capacity for private vehicles, but enhanced capacity for public transport.

* If this is really to be a replacement, then ministers should pledge now that the existing bridge would be permanently closed to vehicular traffic.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s chief executive, Duncan McLaren, said, “We would not dispute action to provide a crossing to replace the Forth Road Bridge if such a replacement is demonstrably required.

“However, the evidence that a replacement is required is not yet proven, making any decision to press ahead with a new crossing premature.

“Will ministers commit to ensuring any new crossing would have smaller capacity for private vehicles, but enhanced capacity for public transport?

“If this announcement ends up leading to nothing more than increased capacity for car commuting then it will simply generate more traffic, increase congestion in Fife and Edinburgh and deprive other vital public transport projects of resources.

“It would also be incompatible with government policies to reduce climate pollution and stabilise traffic levels.”

Earlier yesterday the ForthRight Alliance (of which Friends of the Earth is a member) published a new briefing document “The case against the Second Forth Road Bridge,” which sets out a range of sustainable alternatives to a new road bridge.