Roads across the Scottish Borders are breaking up faster than the council can repair them, and rural communities are paying the price. This isn’t just bad news for private motorists; it’s a problem for our bus network, too, and costly for anyone who uses public transport.
What’s happening
- There’s a huge backlog of repairs. It’s estimated that to fully repair our roads would cost £123 million, against around £5 million available.
- Heavy vehicles are part of the problem. Timber lorries are damaging rural roads, such as the Dawyck Road and the B709 north of Innerleithen, and lorries on narrow streets are a safety worry near schools like Kingsland Primary in Peebles.
- Bridges are also at risk. The council says the Leithen Water footbridge in Innerleithen will no longer be repaired, and the town’s pedestrian bridge over the Tweed took years to repair.
- Parking charges need reform. Hourly parking charges in Peebles have risen to £1, but the income is pooled across the Borders rather than spent where it is raised.
Our position
- Repair first. We need a properly funded programme of road and pavement repairs, prioritising bus routes, routes to schools, and rural links.
- Make those who cause the damage pay. Large forestry and energy developments should fund repairs to the roads their lorries wear out.
- Devise a fairer funding formula. We need a Scotland-wide funding formula that recognises the Borders’ long rural road network, and in the longer-term we need devolved road taxation so Scotland can invest properly.
- Spend parking income locally on the roads and pavements of the town where it was raised.
- Push for safer streets. The Scottish Greens have campaigned successfully for speed limits of 20mph in towns and villages and 40mph on rural roads.