Transport Agency

Everyday experience tells us that our transport infrastructure is poor. Compared to the price and frequency of buses and trains in the central belt, our area does very badly.

And our roads are slow and often dangerous.

The Scottish Government, the Executive, are planning to establish a Transport Agency. Although we have yet to see their detailed plans, it seems likely that it will establish transport “executives” across Scotland.

If that means a co-ordinated approach, that will be fine.

But how much more focussed would they be on rural transport issues if they lived and worked in a rural area and experienced the difficulties at first hand.

Would they be astonished at the twists and turns on our “main” roads? Would they miss dual carriageways? Would they fume at Aberdeen station at the interminable wait there is for the connecting train to Inverurie or Huntly?

And the Transport Agency is not another “Scottish Natural Heritage”. SNH staff, about 200 of them, are being forced to consider moving with their employer to Inverness. Not something I personally would resist if trapped in Edinburgh but immensely disruptive for those with working partners or children at local schools.
No, we are looking at a new agency here. It would be a signal that rural transport issues are being taken seriously if the agency was established in a rural area.

Special Constables

When I went out on night patrol for five hours with Fraserburgh Police some time ago, the duty Inspector had been hoping that he might have some support from Special Constables.

I confess that at that time I had little knowledge of the important role played by these unpaid volunteers. This despite my having had one work for me in my previous career before becoming an MSP.

Paul was 6 foot 8 inches tall – a real gentle giant. But when he was in his Police uniform and on patrol at “events”, not many felt the need to “noise him up”.

Like about 1,100 others across Scotland, he was a volunteer working with the police on the front line because he believed it was a worthwhile community activity.

But a Parliamentary answer I have obtained shows that numbers of “Specials” in Grampian have dropped dramatically in recent years. This mirrors the situation in England where more than a quarter have stood down since Labour came to power.

In Tayside they are conducting an experiment whereby they pay Special Constables. While I am personally as dubious about this as I am about suggestions that we pay blood donors, I am prepared to wait and see.

I am not in favour of “policing on the cheap”. But having volunteers working with our police strikes me as a useful way of building links back into our communities. Because the police cannot solve many of our problems alone.

An increase in the numbers of Special Constables would be very welcome in the next few years. Along with more full-time cops on our streets.

Longside Airfield

The many North-East folk who work offshore will be among those who will welcome the results of research undertaken at Longside Airfield.

Night landings on oil rigs and production platforms have long been – in pilot’s jargon – “interesting”. The confusing mixture of platform lights and landing lights has made the task of setting the helicopter down safely one of their more challenging activities.

But experiments with a circle of blue lights laid on the runway at Longside has shown that improvements can be made. Longside also makes a contribution to offshore activity as a “diversion” airfield. What is missing is the regular activity that would provide local employment and income.

After all, many of the helicopters inbound to Aberdeen fly straight and low over our local airfield so we experience much of the noise already.

It would save oil companies money to make use of Longside. We have more to contribute than simply as an experimental base.

Granada TV

In a few weeks time I shall be down at Granada TV’s studios in Manchester. Not for one of their political programs. No – I am instead following Westminster MPs into a lion’s den. The Scottish Parliament will have a team in the next series of Granada’s University Challenge, The Professionals.

Our aims as a team are modest. We wish to do better than the MPs did last time. They achieved an all-time record low score of 25 points. If we get 30 plus we “beat” them.

But worst of all for the MPs, they were beaten by a team of journalists.