Since the Forth Road Bridge was closed to traffic on 4th December 2015, it has cost the haulage industry upwards of £37million, the RHA has said.
“Since the closure of this vital crossing on 4 December 2015, the financial impact on the thousands of hauliers who are either based in, or making regular journeys to Scotland has been massive,” said RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett. “The Scottish government must find the funds to compensate those operators who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves out of pocket for several months.”
Operators of the bridge were due to trial the reintroduction of HGVs between 11pm on Thursday 4th February and 4am on 5th February.
The RHA has said that it is vital that the trials ‘bring a swift conclusion to the repair work that has been undertaken’ and that the ‘bridge is restored to full capacity as a matter of extreme urgency’.
“We understand the reason for the trials but remain concerned that only a limited number of HGVs will be able to cross and for a very short time period,” said Burnett.
Scottish transport minister Derek Mackay said: “This is a phased reintroduction of HGVs to the Forth Road Bridge which aims to provide access to the Bridge at the earliest available opportunity. Allowing limited access to the bridge when traffic is lighter will hopefully provide some relief to local hauliers while repair work continues.”
