Tory MSP and St Andrews resident cites St Andrews transport shortcomings
07, 08 09 21:49
In The Courier Mr Brocklebank draws attention to St Andrews’ rare status as a university town without a railway station and describes Leuchars, the nearest station to St Andrews, as ‘woefully badly served when it comes to service and reliability.’ He goes on to say that for the university, RAF Leuchars and commuters to Edinburgh, rail should be the first choice but it is inadequate. Furthermore the timetables of the trains and buses seem to be constructed with the convenience of the operators rather than the passengers in mind.
In the same paper Mr Middleton cites the campaign to have the town reconnected to the rail network and notes that, although Fife Council’s structure and transport plans agree the desirability of such a link, apart from a proposal to safeguard a link between Leuchars and St Andrews, no process to achieve it is specified. He goes on to say that merely improving the bus service ‘will not encourage commuters away from their cars’ . ‘There is a lack of lateral thinking, ‘concludes Mr Middleton, in looking for innovative solutions to reduce dependence on the internal combustion engine, still the only way for 7000 students, a 14000 population and thousands of golfers and holidaymakers to travel to St Andrews.’
In the same paper Mr Middleton cites the campaign to have the town reconnected to the rail network and notes that, although Fife Council’s structure and transport plans agree the desirability of such a link, apart from a proposal to safeguard a link between Leuchars and St Andrews, no process to achieve it is specified. He goes on to say that merely improving the bus service ‘will not encourage commuters away from their cars’ . ‘There is a lack of lateral thinking, ‘concludes Mr Middleton, in looking for innovative solutions to reduce dependence on the internal combustion engine, still the only way for 7000 students, a 14000 population and thousands of golfers and holidaymakers to travel to St Andrews.’