Boris Bridge

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The problem with any bridge suggestion that I've seen so far, ignoring the engineering challenges, is that it takes you from Northern Ireland and you arrive in the most remote and inaccessible part of Scotland and it is then many hours drive to get to anywhere.

So before we mess about with some fantasy bridge let's look at the current problem which could be solved by a fast ferry fleet and a good port that was actually located close to the motorway network rather than at the end of a dirt track where you end up getting stuck for hours behind a group of oxen pulling a trebuchet.
 
caorach said:
The problem with any bridge suggestion that I've seen so far, ignoring the engineering challenges, is that it takes you from Northern Ireland and you arrive in the most remote and inaccessible part of Scotland and it is then many hours drive to get to anywhere.

So before we mess about with some fantasy bridge let's look at the current problem which could be solved by a fast ferry fleet and a good port that was actually located close to the motorway network rather than at the end of a dirt track where you end up getting stuck for hours behind a group of oxen pulling a trebuchet.
Click to expand...
ooh the wee wicked witch of the north wouldnt like that bs
 
caorach said:
The problem with any bridge suggestion that I've seen so far, ignoring the engineering challenges, is that it takes you from Northern Ireland and you arrive in the most remote and inaccessible part of Scotland and it is then many hours drive to get to anywhere.

So before we mess about with some fantasy bridge let's look at the current problem which could be solved by a fast ferry fleet and a good port that was actually located close to the motorway network rather than at the end of a dirt track where you end up getting stuck for hours behind a group of oxen pulling a trebuchet.
Click to expand...

I certainly see your point. We were in Stranraer recently for a few nights whilst we toured the local area. On our way there from Glasgow (in terrible weather) the road was open and clear, but the traffic in the opposite direction heading towards Glasgow was appalling. And very very slow moving. We realised it was ferry traffic from the numberplates. That's journey on a regular basis would drive me bonkers.

It can't be far off a two hour journey from Stranraer to the M6 I would've thought. We didn't go that way instead we headed up through Galloway, which by the way was absolutely gorgeous.
 
dodgyknees said:
That's journey on a regular basis would drive me bonkers.
It can't be far off a two hour journey from Stranraer to the M6 I would've thought. We didn't go that way instead we headed up through Galloway, which by the way was absolutely gorgeous.
Click to expand...

It is a complete nightmare if you have "somewhere to go." I'm always going north to Glasgow and although it is only 70ish miles it often takes 3 hours or more to Glasgow Airport. It can also be very slow in both directions, so you need to allow 3 hours in either direction, and if there is an accident and it is closed then it is game over. This part of Scotland has always, even by Scottish standards, been extremely economically disadvantaged so I believe that leaving the ferry ports in the area was a political decision to provide income and employment in the run up to an election some years back. However it is the equivalent of putting all the Dover ferry traffic through a selection of quaint little villages in the Cotswolds for 3 hours before they can get onto the motorway.

In the past there was a ferry into Troon, the time on the ferry was 2 hours so the same duration as to Cairnryan, but when you get off the ferry in Troon you are only a few minutes from the end of the dual carriageway and you are in Glasgow in 20 - 30 minutes. This cut at least 5 hours off return journey times to Scotland, no small amount if you are meeting other connections or doing it often.

I never go south but I suspect that even if you were going south landing in Troon and joining the motorway for Carlisle just south of Glasgow might be a much faster and nicer journey even if it would be a lot longer.

The plans for the bridge all, basically, centre around Portpatrick and it would have exactly the same problems unless a huge motorway building scheme was part of the project. With the current calls for Scottish independence the UK would be completely mad to put any cash into infrastructure projects in Scotland.
 
Would rather they built a bridge from Blackpool across to Liverpool cutting out the ludicrous drive. Would only be about 5 miles worth and could open up a whole plethora of jobs and opportunities.
 
Rasputin said:
Would rather they built a bridge from Blackpool across to Liverpool cutting out the ludicrous drive. Would only be about 5 miles worth and could open up a whole plethora of jobs and opportunities.
Click to expand...

That would be of much more value to the country in terms of "most benefit for most people." In the end the only people who would benefit from a bridge from Portpatrick to NI would be residents of Portpatrick who could nip across to do some shopping, indeed it might even be faster for them to access NI hospitals etc. if there was an emergency. But your basic point - there's lots better ways to spend money - is absolutely correct especially as there is a simple and relatively low cost solution to this problem by simply moving the location of the ferry port to Troon, which already has a port that Irish Sea ferries used in the past.
 
caorach said:
That would be of much more value to the country in terms of "most benefit for most people." In the end the only people who would benefit from a bridge from Portpatrick to NI would be residents of Portpatrick who could nip across to do some shopping, indeed it might even be faster for them to access NI hospitals etc. if there was an emergency. But your basic point - there's lots better ways to spend money - is absolutely correct especially as there is a simple and relatively low cost solution to this problem by simply moving the location of the ferry port to Troon, which already has a port that Irish Sea ferries used in the past.
Click to expand...

Correct in one would save me about 80 miles on my commute to work. Plenty of better things to spend money on rather than a bridge to ireland.

That being said I can only imagine the outrage from the ecomentalists when they even hear about a bridge across a marsh. The fracking loonies were bad enough round here.
 
dodgyknees said:
I certainly see your point. We were in Stranraer recently for a few nights whilst we toured the local area. On our way there from Glasgow (in terrible weather) the road was open and clear, but the traffic in the opposite direction heading towards Glasgow was appalling. And very very slow moving. We realised it was ferry traffic from the numberplates. That's journey on a regular basis would drive me bonkers.
It can't be far off a two hour journey from Stranraer to the M6 I would've thought. We didn't go that way instead we headed up through Galloway, which by the way was absolutely gorgeous.
Click to expand...

DK, I was speaking to a fellow here on the east coast Scotland, he had a Warwickshire accent. He said he now lived over on the west coast of Scotland,about 80 miles, and traveled by car to work here every day. I said thats a long journey and it's just about where I go for my hols sometimes,lol.
He said when he lived down south he spent as much time in traffic congestion on two motorways going to work ,as it took him to drive to work up here.
In adverse weather and back shift he stayed over with a pal. I cut him some slack and didn't ask about the midges..
 
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