A futuristic house jutting out into the River Tay

Kingoodie anger at plan for pier
Evening Telegraph – Feb 22, 2008
Plans for a futuristic house jutting out into the River Tay have angered residents of the village of Kingoodie near Dundee and over 40 letters of objection

Tolls on Road Bridgs end

The SNP does something:

Tolls removed from Scots bridges
BBC News – Feb 11, 2008

Tolls have been officially abolished on the Forth and Tay road bridges after years of campaigning by drivers.

The final fee-paying motorists crossed the bridges at midnight before the charges, of £1 on the Forth Bridge and 80p on the Tay Bridge, were lifted.

Scrapping of the tolls was a major manifesto commitment by the SNP during the 2007 Scottish elections.

Legislation to remove the fee was given royal assent last month. It means Scotland now has no chargeable roads.

Funding for both bridges will now be provided entirely by the Scottish Government.

Supermarket worker Lorraine Cleverley was the first driver to cross the Forth Road Bridge after the tolls were abolished.

She said: “The guy came up and said I was the first person to cross. I thought ‘wow, it makes it well worth going into work today’.”

A few minutes before midnight, student Ashley Gregor was the last driver to pay on the Tay bridge.

She said: “It’s brilliant because sometimes I can pay two or three times a day just going back and forward to university, so I think it’s great”.

Gordon Struthers was the first motorist to drive without paying on the Tay bridge.

He said: “It’s the end of an era really. I’ve been paying 80p to go across the bridge for 10 years now, two or three times a day, so it feels amazing to get across for free.”

Heavy Winds on Tay Bridge

The stormy weather has caused travel disruption across Scotland.

Restrictions were in place on the Tay and Erskine bridges, and further north there were also warnings on the Skye and Kessock bridges. Central Scotland Police are advising people to avoid the area. …

Travellers have been advised to check with individual companies before they start their journey.

Winds reached 80mph on the Tay Bridge on Thursday morning and 70mph gusts are forecast for the west coast and the Northern Isles.

Severe gales, storm-force northerly winds and snow showers are expected later, especially in north and west Scotland.

High winds cause travel problems
BBC News – Jan 31, 2008