Hansard

I am delighted to take part in the debate on Mike Pringle's motion. In October 2003, he secured time to debate transport in the south of Edinburgh. In that debate, he stressed the importance for his constituents of strategic co-ordination of transport. I spoke in that debate about my constituents in the Borders and in Midlothian, who commute to or visit Edinburgh frequently. They require improved services, as do Mike Pringle's constituents.

David McLetchie highlighted the money that was wasted a few years ago by the City of Edinburgh Council on an aborted scheme. He said that part of the money was wasted on consulting people in the Borders, Midlothian and Edinburgh, but the council did not consult my constituents. We have fought and striven hard to ensure that my constituents in the Borders and in Penicuik and Midlothian have a voice so that if transport schemes are proposed, the city council co-ordinates fully with the other local authorities in the area.

Mike Pringle's comments highlighted areas in which that has not been successful with the Labour-controlled councils in Edinburgh and in Midlothian, and he highlighted two projects that have direct impacts on my constituents: Straiton and Sheriffhall. The schemes, which are good schemes, have been badly delayed, which of course has an impact on the wider transport considerations of my constituents.

In the 2003 debate on the matter, I said:

"In my view, the best way of easing the burden on the roads from Peeblesshire, through Penicuik, to the bypass and beyond or to a park-and-ride facility at Straiton is rail infrastructure serving the town of Penicuik."—[Official Report, 1 October 2003; c 2263.]

I hold to that view and have been consistent in holding it.

I therefore want to touch on the development of rail services not only for the Borders but for west Midlothian. I also want to quote from the outline business case for the Borders railway, which was put together in 2002, because I think that it is relevant in this debate about park and ride. It states:

"Whilst the Scottish Borders does not experience serious traffic congestion, the area does have an image of isolation. It is this perception that the Waverley Line project aims to address".

It continues:

"Park and Ride and integrated bus links will deliver similar reductions in journey time for other parts of the Scottish Borders and Midlothian. The project also seems to provide a safe sustainable mode of public transport which will attract drivers from their cars and create the conditions that allow business to thrive."

The rail projects were designed to work hand in hand with park and ride services and co-ordinated bus services so that they would be part of what Mr McLetchie hopes for—a fully co-ordinated and strategic approach to transport.

The bus route development grant that the Executive has given to services in the Borders has ensured that there are now half-hourly services on the X95 route, up the A7; that is making a considerable difference to my constituents. There have also been improvements to rail, including the hugely influential decision of Nicol Stephen, when he was the Minister for Transport, to fund the Borders railway.

After my intervention, Mr MacAskill was keen to record the SNP's lack of consistency with regard to the tramline schemes. I respect his sincerity in wanting to have that on the record. It is clear that he would oppose any further scheme, which is disappointing if we are considering future development. As I said a moment ago, I would prefer a scheme to serve the A701 corridor to Penicuik. I remind Mr MacAskill of the comments that he made in the 2003 debate, when he was the SNP's transport spokesman. When I asked him about the SNP's lack of support for the Borders railway in its manifesto for the 2003 election, he said:

"whether it is our number 1 priority is debatable".

He also said that

"we have never got into the argument about one improvement against another."—[Official Report, 1 October 2003; c 2255.]

That approach has been changed quite radically by his successor, especially in the context of the debates about trams and the Edinburgh airport rail link.

In supporting park and ride schemes in this debate, I have been consistent in supporting further rail services for Penicuik and the A701, and will continue to support bus services that will be linked to those. I am afraid that the unacceptable delays to the park and ride services in south Edinburgh are damaging the co-ordination of strategic transport schemes. We cannot allow Liberal Democrat progress in providing funding for the Borders railway, new bus services and other road schemes that connect with south Edinburgh, such as the Dalkeith bypass, to be put at risk by the Labour-controlled local authorities in Edinburgh and Midlothian.