A Congested High Street

In 1975, there were 1.3 million vehicles licensed in Scotland. That figure doubled to over 3 million vehicles by 2019. The Govt are determined to reduce this figure. Perhaps a train station would help reduce traffic on our increasingly congested main road.

The car is king

12 years ago, the Scottish Government's Social Research unit examined why many car drivers in rural areas do not use buses. Unreliability, safety and poor reach were some of the reasons given. A decade later and here in NE Fife, nothing much has changed. Why trust the bus when a service can be rerouted or cancelled? Car journeys are certainly not coming down and the number of bus journeys will not increase without significant investment.

The car is a must when living in rural towns like Newburgh

"Always having to use our car as there is no other option in this place. No train station and the buses do not run late enough to use them on a night out".

"Without a car, it's really difficult to get from Newburgh to anywhere else. e.g., Saturday night out, if you needed to go to Perth by public transport".

Newburgh residents

Government ambition to reduce car journeys

In Scotland, Cars are the biggest contributor to the climate crisis. They produce 40% of all emissions of all greenhouse gases from transport.

In the National Transport Strategy (NTS2), published in 2024, the issue is address together with priorities and delivery of outcomes supporting all forms of travel across all of Scotland. The report considers four areas -

Reduces inequalities
Tackles the Climate Crisis
Delivers Inclusive Economic Growth
Improves Health and Wellbeing

Positive action in all areas

It focuses on behavioural changes, with people travelling less by doing more online shopping services and digitally onnections and people switching modes of travel - doing more walking, cycling and wheeling. This is laudable, but how will this come about? A core element to achieving this is radically improving public transport, particularly for the 17% of Scots who live in rural communities. But does the political exist to finances, where is the funding going to come from? Car drivers are not willing to swap their car for public transport as it stands.For Newburgh to keep on the route map to a more sustainable, cleaner future, the Government must reopen the town's station.

An all too common aggregate lorry returning to nearby Clatchard Quarry

Is there another viable route?

Like the A913 Newburgh Road, the upgraded A92, runs east to west, four miles south of Newburgh. It too goes through a pinch point in the town of Auchtermuchty. However, heavy vehicles do not have to mount pavements to get past each other as happened in Newburgh. Nevertheless, despite regular congestion on Newburgh's High Street, many heavy goods vehicles, choose to take the A913 rather than the A92 - shaving some time off their east to west journeys.In response to a query about heavy traffic, an office from Fife Council's Planning department said, 'Well, it is an A road!.' Who knew?"Traffic tailbacks and accidents""Periodically busy roads, parking, find driving a lot very tiring""Traffic is bad, long queues Train would be so much easierfrom Newburgh"Newburgh residents

Evidence shows that a greater share of people in remote rural and accessible rural areas find accessing services less convenient43. There are urban and rural locations within Scotland where the current level of public transport provision, including accessible transport, and connectivity issues can act as barriers to accessing healthcare, employment, education or training opportunities. Satisfaction with public transport in large urban areas was 77%, compared to only 44% in accessible rural areas44 .

National Transport Strategy

Read

The tyranny of the truck

Car drivers coming through Newburgh and Abernethy are competing with the alarming growth in the number of large container trucks and the endless 'quarry lorry' traffic from nearby Clatchard Quarry.

Lorries have mounted the pavement to edge past an oncoming vehicle. A resident describes people standing at a Newburgh High Street bus stop having to step back to let a lorry edge past!

There is little doubt who is in charge of the High Street.

The increase in the number of heavy vehicles, often going beyond the speed limit, makes the likelihood of a serious accident more probable. They bring pollution, noise and an impact on mental health.

Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan, updated in 2020, includes what it describes as a 'world-leading' commitment to reducing car kilometres by 2030 (set against a 2019 baseline).

A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) examined transport infrastructure in rural Scotland. It states that car use has continued to grow, while bus miles have declined by 27 per cent since 2010.

The report claims, 'Communities across rural Scotland want fairer choices. And they want people, not cars, to be at the heart of making these a reality'.

Newburgh's non-contribution to net zero

The IPPR report goes on to state that the Scottish government is 'off track' to meet its net zero commitments. Car use in Scotland has continued to grow, while bus provision and patronage have declined.

Newburgh is no different. Like many communities throughout Scotland with poor public transport, the number of cars will not be going down anytime soon.

Transport poverty >>>

The A913 - in parts barely wide enough to be an A road Aside from two small B roads, Newburgh drivers use the increasingly congested A913, running from the A92 in the East through Newburgh to Abernethy and on to the A9 near the Bridge of Earn. The increase in traffic is causing a rise in air pollution as well as low grade but persistent damage to the integrity of Newburgh's historical buildings. Its High Street was never built to cope with large lorries carrying, in some cases, super-size loads. Constant noise from the ceaseless volume of cars and lorries causes stress and sleeplessness for some residents living on the High Street. The irony is that applications to Fife Council to install double glazing in property on the High Street can be onerous. Yet Fife Council's Road Planning Department has no issue with the volume and type of traffic passing through Newburgh

Transport is currently Scotland’s largest sectoral emitter, responsible for 37% of Scotland’s total greenhouse gases in 2017.

Government aims to reduce car journeys

Transport is Scotland’s biggest contributor to climate crisis. 38% of all emissions of greenhouse gases comes from the car.

Transport Scotland is addressing this. The National Transport Strategy (NTS2) outlines the future of Scottish travel in all forms. The strategy provides a route map for how to achieve a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2045.

This is laudable, but how will this come about?

A core element to achieving this is radically improving public transport, particularly for the 17% of Scots who live in rural communities. But does the political exist to finances, where is the funding going to come from? Car drivers are not willing to swap their car for public transport as it stands.For Newburgh to keep on the route map to a more sustainable, cleaner future, the Government must reopen the town's station.

A station will mean less car and less pollution