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Original poster

The Forth Road Bridge is totally closed...

228 replies

cashewnutty · 04/12/2015 07:23

...what a nightmare that is going to be.

I live in Fife and DH works in Edinburgh. He gets the train but now they will be mobbed. Not good for businesses as a whole. The Kincardine Bridge will be mobbed and the roads around there are not great.

I hope they fix it soon.

OP posts:
Piffpaffpoff · 04/12/2015 18:47

I'm quite impressed - just got a text from our school to say that the before/after school care has been temporarily extended while the bridge is shut - start at 7am and end at 7pm to help parents who now have a longer commute. That's pretty good to have got that in place so quickly.

AyeAmarok · 04/12/2015 18:48

It's shit that this has happened, but there really is no other option.

Some things you just can't take a risk with.

Iggi999 · 04/12/2015 19:42

Wow Piffpaff, that's a big help from your school! If I had that it would solve all the problems!

AnotherDame · 04/12/2015 19:50

Trying to decide if I should go through to Edinburgh on the weekend. Think trains will still be bad?

SantanaLopez · 04/12/2015 19:52

Think trains will still be bad?

Fucking horrendous, I would say.

HTH.

Piffpaffpoff · 04/12/2015 19:53

Iggi, it's a council school so I'm sure it won't be the only one doing it. I'm just really impressed they've managed to get it sorted and communicated to us so quickly.

I can just imagine the contingency planning meetings that will be going on long into the night at Scotrail, the council, Holyrood, Stagecoach etc trying to get better plans into place for Monday.

MorrisZapp · 04/12/2015 19:57

Yikes. Mil can't get down from Perth for childcare next week. Not a big problem but I feel so sorry for commuters.

Apparently they will still allow ambulances across.

trixymalixy · 04/12/2015 19:58

I really feel for all of you that will be affected by this. What a nightmare!!

stealtheatingtunnocks · 04/12/2015 20:04

My uncle's one of the engineers who shut it. Honest Guv.

He says it's going to be shut until at least New Year and then muttered darkly about told them so's and weather and stress concentrations, and, how realistically it's shut for the foreseeable

It's going to be horrific - we take the FRB completely for granted. I know a whole NHS Fife service which relies on staff on the Edinburgh side.

Eigg · 04/12/2015 20:06

BrewCake for your Uncle Stealth can't imagine he's had a great day.

A pretty stressful Christmas for him and his colleagues all round.

SantanaLopez · 04/12/2015 20:07

YY, in all seriousness, it's going to be awful.

nannynick · 04/12/2015 20:20

Even Radio 4 had someone on this evening explaining about the damage and repairs. BBC Iplayer Radio - starts about 19mins in.

Piff - great that the school/afterschool club are extending their hours. Doubt that is free but it may at least help some parents.

As a southerner who travels to Scotland a few times a year, I will be coming up through Stirling later this month so I tend to avoid Edinburgh but looking at the map some traffic may decide to divert to Stirling. Is that likely? Could that have a knock on affect on to M80?

It must be real pain for those who frequently travel from one side to the other. Long detour with lots of traffic is not nice, especially this time of year.

dementedma · 04/12/2015 20:27

I live in Fife and work in Stirling, with regular meetings in Edinburgh. All roads to Kincardine and Clax bridges choked solid today, Stirling busy but manageable. Knock on effect for businesses is grim but what can be done?
What pisses me off is Govt officials talking about "working on" a travel plan.There should be one already drawn up in the event of the bridge having to close for whatever reason.

PennyHasNoSurname · 04/12/2015 20:28

Good that they allow ambulances over!

If it looks more long term do you think Amazon will start throwing money at it?

stealtheatingtunnocks · 04/12/2015 20:35

Well, that's really nice of you, Eigg.

But, he's not that far off retirement, and has a glint in his eye as the drama unfolds. He has 40 years of expertise, and, went independent a while ago.

Most of his work has been on bridges, and he's really chuffed that they called him sharpish. He's also a really nice bloke, and seriously, it's in good hands. He's got good insight into more than girders. I luffs him.

Annoyingly, he won't give details, just that "it could be a while, eh?"

But, I suspect that under that Gruff Scottish Bloke exterior he's thinking "as far as swan songs go, this is quite good"

Cheesypop · 04/12/2015 20:40

I'm a fifer working in Leith and feeling a bit worried about it all as I'm also 7 months pregnant! I'm huge but I had to stand all the way on the train today as it was so busy. Sad I am going to have to pluck up the nerve to start asking people for seats as I did not enjoy standing for an hour after walking to the station. I also have to get down from Waverley to my work in Leith which is fine but is a bus journey/trudge I could do without.

We are starting to think through the things that will be affected - Christmas nights out is one of them (for DH) but we also had tickets booked to the drive in movie at Ingliston... That's £26 down the drain unless we brave Kincardine at rush hour. I think deliveries and mail will be badly affected as well.

I have been thanking my lucky stars that it wasn't in February or May when we were having our IVF at Little France though - you go almost every day and have to be there at very specific times. We would probably have had to cancel our cycle. There must be people who are trying to get the hospital or to the airport or any manner of really important appointments. Very stressful.

Never mind, everyone is safe and that's the main thing. We'll just need to get used to it. Brew

RumAppleGinger · 04/12/2015 20:42

I live in Fife and work in Edinburgh. I went to get my usual train armed with a flask of coffee and a fully loaded kindle prepared to wait it out. I was amazed when a half empty train arrived on time and everyone at every stop was able to comfortably board. Also had no bother getting home.

However, scotrail had advised people not to travel and I think a lot of people thinking it would just be one day stayed off or worked from home. I don't think we'll know the full extent of how chaotic the trains are going to be until next week.

I'm going to have to beg my work to allow me to use 2 days of next year's holiday allocation for childcare I just can't get cover for. Hoping they will be understanding.

Perihelion · 04/12/2015 20:49

Well the Govt plan was a new bridge. Just not soon enough. Although the speed of construction of the new one has been impressive.
If the bridge is fucked I think Amazon will be throwing money at an alternative distribution centre.
Have to go to St Andrews tomorrow from Edinburgh......

Eigg · 04/12/2015 20:56

stealth Grin

Redglitter · 04/12/2015 20:56

If this horrendous weather keeps up I can see that 3 weeks estimate being an awful lot longer

RumAppleGinger · 04/12/2015 20:58

Yeah more likely, can't see them funding infrastructure when they don't even pay tax.

pictish · 04/12/2015 21:36

My cousin (in Fife) has just posted this.

The Forth Road Bridge is totally closed...
StoorieHoose · 04/12/2015 22:20

Stirling was gridlocked today at rush hour - I'm sure the Cooncil will have some roadworks up their sleeves in their usual incompetent way just too make everyone even more pissed off

MrsJayy · 04/12/2015 22:29

Stirling council have just got money to redo the town centre roads apparently stoorie so that wont be disruptive or anything Hmm stirling was mobbed tonight

Eigg · 04/12/2015 22:32

Pictish simultaneously hilarious and terrifying.