2013_09_04 Forth Road Bridge

 

Forth Road Bridge is (almost) 50 – Forth Bridges Festival – Responsible Parking – Cold in July – Climate Challenge Fund

HM The Queen is today going out to visit the spot where she declared the Forth Road Bridge open 50 years ago on 4 September 1964. Work goes on to keep the bridge open to traffic while the Queensferry Crossing is built, which is hoped will take at least some of the cars away in two years time when it should open.  The Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP is always keen to explain that the contract to build the new bridge is both on time and actually a little under budget.

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Artist_s_impression_of_three_bridges_edit-1

In September when the fiftieth anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge is really going to be celebrated with the Forth Bridges Festival, there are many events planned including the World’s Biggest Sit Down Lunch on 6 September 2014. You can buy tickets for this event for £13 per adult. More details here.

Nick Nairn has devised the menu for the lunch but there is also a food and drink festival taking place over the weekend. 

You may also be interested in volunteering during the week. Full details are on the Forth Bridges Festival website here.

 

Would You Like To Get Involved In The Forth Bridges Festival?

There will be exciting opportunities for enthusiastic volunteers to have fun, learn new skills and play an active role in helping to ensure the Festival is a safe and successful event.

By contributing your time and efforts, you will be part of the Festival’s legacy.  Similar to the London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics and Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games, volunteers will benefit from involving themselves in a diverse range of roles, while contributing to the success of the Festival.

We note that the organisers of the Festival are also encouraging those romantics among you to buy a lovelock and attach it to the bridge. This may of course have its own unintended consequences.

TER Paris Love Locks 104

Watch this video from The Guardian about the lovelocks on the Paris Pont des Arts and learn how bits of it are falling off due to the increased weight….. There is also an article written about the problems these locks cause here.

TER Paris Love Locks 103

In Dublin the City Council was asked in September last year what they were doing about the similar locks attached to the Ha’penny Bridge on the River Liffey. Councillor Flynn said:-“The activity has resulted in damage to the paintwork and also rusting of the structure.” The council explained that they had been removing them from the bridge since March 2013 which had cost them around €1000. The visits to remove the locks had taken place when the area was quiet (presumably late at night or early in the morning). The council are however going to consider some other way of using this practice perhaps in the Temple Bar area where a structure could be set up specifically for that purpose.

It appears that such locks have not been a resounding success in other cities and it is perhaps a little surprising that the Forth Road Bridge are actively encouraging the practice.


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In the House of Commons earlier in the week, Mark Lazarowicz MP presented his Private Members’ Bill on responsible parking in Scotland and the date was set for its Second Reading – Friday 5 September 2014. It will be the second Bill debated that day and if it is approved it will proceed to the Committee stage for it to be examined in detail.

Mark’s Bill aims to make clear that the Scottish Parliament has powers to pass laws on this issue. A Members’ bill introduced in The Scottish Parliament on this subject has been delayed as a result of conflicting legal advice as to whether it was within the current powers of the Scottish Parliament for it to become law.

Mark is now writing to the UK and Scottish Governments to ask for their support.

He said:-“My Bill is a simple measure which has broad cross-party support but I hope it will make an important difference to our streets.

“The thoughtlessness of people who park irresponsibly can pose not just a public nuisance but real problems, in particular for people with a disability. It also helps to cause delays for other motorists as roads become more congested as a result.

“I will be doing to my very best to make sure it makes progress.”

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The new Don Johnson film is out. Called Cold in July we hope it does not affect the weather today. Details of the times and how to get tickets at the Cameo are here.

Here is a taster.

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The Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund has just made £2.2m of grants to local community groups which plan to take action on climate change including several projects in and around Edinburgh. Here are some of those which are going to benefit from the monies made available:-

St Columba’s RC Parish Church, Edinburgh, will install energy efficient measures such as insulation, draught proofing and secondary glazing in the three church halls as part of its Energy Efficiency and Community Project 2014. These improvements will reduce carbon emissions and running costs and be used as an example to the community of measures that can be taken to improve energy efficiency in the home. Presentations and workshops will further support the local community to reduce energy use, fuel poverty and carbon emissions as well as raising awareness of climate change. £53,140

Jack Kane Community Centre, Edinburgh, will bring the local community together in Craigmillar to transform an area of derelict land into a community growing space through its Garden Globe Community Growing Project. In addition to reducing carbon emissions through production and consumption of local food the project will share food-growing knowledge and help to improve diets. It will also encourage residents to grow local, think global – choosing lower carbon foods and understanding their role in reducing local and global carbon emissions. £102,963

U Power is a project managed by a youth panel and supported by Rural and Urban Training Scheme Ltd (RUTS)which will work with secondary schools, youth groups and community groups in Midlothian to promote lower carbon behaviour such as cycling instead of car use and consumption of local food. The project will include activities such as bike skills training and bike maintenance sessions, plus the creation a local food map of Midlothian. As well as helping to tackle climate change through reducing local carbon emissions the project will help provide health benefits as people cycle more and increase their consumption of fresh, local produce. £221,558

Since it was launched in June 2008, the CCF has awarded over £59 million to 676 projects in almost 500 communities across Scotland. All applications are assessed by an Independent Grants Panel.

The CCF Ideas Bank enables community groups to access potential project ideas that have been proposed by other organisations who will be able to work in partnership with the community. View details on all successful applicants to the Climate Challenge Fund this round.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.