Since its formation, CRAG's main objective has been to promote the development of an integrated transport strategy for the Edinburgh travel to work area. To achieve this, we have organised several campaigns to highlight the lack of a 'master plan' for the area and the imbalance between the huge sums spent on road building compared to other transport modes.
Significant achievements have been:- The 1999 launch at the Scottish Parliament of our Capital Rail proposals for an integrated transport system for the area
- Our "audacious" bid for £250 million from the Scottish Executive Public Transport Fund for five rail developments - "Five rail developments for the price of 5 miles of motorway"
- The production, in collaboration with other sustainable transport groups in the area, of the Transforming Edinburgh leaflet (early 2003)
- The launch of new proposals for reopening the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway: Crossrail 2 (August 2003)
More recently, we've published the following:
- CRAG response to Network Rail consultation on its draft Route Utilisation Strategy (November 2006) - written response [94 KB]
- CRAG response to Scottish Executive rail consultation (December 2005) - written response [87 KB] & map [141 KB]
- CRAG response to Scottish Executive National Transport Strategy consultation (13th July 2006) - written response [PDF 70 KB]
- Former CRAG Chair Paul Tetlaw's commentary on proposals to give up on the redevelopment of Edinburgh's Waverley Station (23rd August 2006).
What have we achieved?
Prior to 1999, there was a distinct lack of a transport vision within the City of Edinburgh Council and all the ideas for rail and tram developments were coming from pressure groups like CRAG.
Contrast this with the situation in 2006, with £375m to be spent by the Scottish Executive on the first two tram lines for Edinburgh and as much as £500m towards the development of a rail link to Edinburgh Airport. The first two new stations have opened as part of the Crossrail development, first proposed by CRAG a decade ago.
The landscape has transformed, with the City of Edinburgh Council now committed to a visionary transport strategy that includes provisions for road charging as a means of reducing congestion.
Can CRAG claim the credit? - well perhaps not all but we may have helped shape the new thinking on the transport policy front.
A lot still remains to be achieved: see CRAG's Vision for Rail for some of the challenges that still lie ahead.
How can YOU help?
Why not become a member of CRAG and participate by coming along to our meetings and contributing to ensuring that Edinburgh gets better and more sustainable transport suited to a capital city.
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