Survey shows clear support for rail campaign
03, 09 09 00:02
In The Courier it was reported that, out of the 174 people questioned, 71% said they would use a railway including 70% of the non-residents. Of the 96% who had travelled to St Andrews by car, 70% aid they would use a rail service. This demonstrates the potential for achieving 'modal shift', the end desired by both the Scottish Government and Fife Council.
Convenor Jane Ann Liston said that members of the public had been interested in the campaign's exhibition in the tented village which included a statement of the campaign's aims, supportive quotes from celebrities and other supporters, and photographs of the former station. Visitors had paid particular attention to maps showing possible routes for the line. She added, 'Supporters of the campaign might like to contact Fife Council during the forthcoming St Andrews & East Fife Local Plan consultation, demanding that strategic areas of land which are likely to form part of any new route, for example beside the North Haugh, be safeguarded from any future development.'
Not only would a railway to St Andrews reduce the ever-rising levels of traffic to and from the town, it would also cut the increasing amount of through-traffic 10 miles away in Cupar. The former county-town is near to gridlock and its business community claims that the traffic hold-ups are 'killing' the town centre shopping area.
Half the traffic in Cupar is through-traffic, and much of that is indeed going to and from St Andrews. Even assuming only half of it is St Andrews originated/bound, if the transfer rate of 40% from car to train found in a German corridor study were to be replicated, that would remove 10% of cars in Cupar, which is a significant percentage.
Convenor Jane Ann Liston said that members of the public had been interested in the campaign's exhibition in the tented village which included a statement of the campaign's aims, supportive quotes from celebrities and other supporters, and photographs of the former station. Visitors had paid particular attention to maps showing possible routes for the line. She added, 'Supporters of the campaign might like to contact Fife Council during the forthcoming St Andrews & East Fife Local Plan consultation, demanding that strategic areas of land which are likely to form part of any new route, for example beside the North Haugh, be safeguarded from any future development.'
Not only would a railway to St Andrews reduce the ever-rising levels of traffic to and from the town, it would also cut the increasing amount of through-traffic 10 miles away in Cupar. The former county-town is near to gridlock and its business community claims that the traffic hold-ups are 'killing' the town centre shopping area.
Half the traffic in Cupar is through-traffic, and much of that is indeed going to and from St Andrews. Even assuming only half of it is St Andrews originated/bound, if the transfer rate of 40% from car to train found in a German corridor study were to be replicated, that would remove 10% of cars in Cupar, which is a significant percentage.