'Folly,' says St Andrean

D.B. Clark of St Andrews berates the St Andrews Partnership and the Community Council for calling for a professional evaluation, saying that one ‘would think that members of these organisations should have more sense.’

D.B. Clark goes on to assert that ‘given the convenience of the car and the excellent bus and taxi services’ that a train would have no more than ‘a minimal effect on road use’ and then claims that ‘the construction and running of such a line would cause maximum inconvenience to most of us, while being a constant drain on the public purse’ and ends with the clarion call, ‘It is absolutely essential that no public money is spent on this folly.’

Interestingly, a letter in the
St Andrews Citizen the same day was complaining about the inadequate car-parking at Leuchars Station, with those parking on double yellow lines incurring fines. That suggests that the buses and taxis are not excellent enough to attract car-drivers to use them. D.B. Clark may be perfectly satisfied with the present arrangements, and things being as they are it is true that most St Andreans do manage to cope without a railway station, but this viewpoint completely ignores the many more people who are coming into the town, whether for work, education or leisure, and what would facilitate their visits without clogging up the town with cars and emitting greenhouse gases.

The full text of D.B. Clark’s letter can be found (second letter down) at:

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/opinion/readers-letters/he-ll-be-glad-to-settle-for-increased-powers-1.154394