Government could replace entire ferry fleet
The Scottish Government could replace Scotland’s entire public ferry fleet by cancelling the climate busting road building projects according to the Scottish Greens Transport Spokesperson John Finnie MSP.
The Islands Minister made a statement to parliament this afternoon in relation to the publication of the government's National Islands Plan, which bizarrely included reference to the Scottish Government’s commitment to dual the A9 on page 24.
In response Mr Finnie called for the government to scrap climate busting projects and instead use the money to replace Scotland’s crumbling public ferry fleet.
John Finnie MSP said:
“The Scottish Government has declared a climate emergency, but it seeks to carry on with business as usual. Its plans for major road expansion are incompatible with claims of climate leadership, and the inclusion of this in the islands plan is just bizarre. The Minister’s claims that dualling roads will improve transport time for goods from the northern isles is strange, given his government shows no interest in dualling rail lines in the Highlands, which would of course allow goods to be transported even quicker. If the Scottish Government really wished to make an investment in transport that would benefit island communities, then it should use the money earmarked for these climate busting road projects, and instead invest it in renewing Scotland’s crumbling ferry fleet, including the internal ferry fleets in Orkney and Shetland.”