An engineer has told of his frustration at being stuck in traffic due to the closure of the Queensferry Crossing.
Kieran was driving from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy for work.
The 28-mile journey usually takes 45 minutes but due to the closure of the Queensferry Crossing today he has had to take a 28-mile detour via the M9 and Kincardine Bridge.
Kieran, who is unable to use public transport due to the nature of his job, left at 8.30am today and in three hours had travelled just 26 miles – coming to a near standstill near the Bowtrees roundabout, two miles shy of the Kincardine Bridge.
He said: “This is a massive inconvenience for my customers who’ve had to book days off work for their appointments today.”
Video of the Met Office’s weather forecast for today is above this article
With the Queensferry Crossing set to be shut for the rest of the day, Kieran believes the Forth Road Bridge should be reopened fully. Currently, only taxi and bus services are permitted to use this crossing.
He said: “If they would just open the Forth Road Bridge to the public then it could have saved all this hassle.”
Shannon Blair, 18, from Inverkeithing, says she is going to lose £100 because she can’t make it into work at Bar Burrito in Edinburgh Airport because of congestion.
She is also a student at Stirling University. She said: “I can’t even go into university to study today because I don’t want to take country roads as it is risky due to the bad weather.”
Dunfermline resident Fraser Beeby, 20, said: “I didn’t get as much work done today as I spent so long driving to and from work.”
The electronics engineer says when he left Dunfermline to go to Edinburgh for work today the sat nav told him it was going to take three hours to get there.
Usually, he said, “it would only take 45 minutes to an hour.”
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has defended the Scottish Government’s actions after opponents pointed out similar ice problems were reported last winter.
Operator Amey said the key route would be closed until further notice as a safety precaution due to ice falling from the cables.
LIVE UPDATES: Transport secretary on defensive after Queensferry Crossing is closed by falling ice
