Queensferry Crossing: Why can’t £1.35bn bridge cope with a few snowflakes? – John McLellan

Queensferry Crossing should be able to cope with a bit of snow; Edinburgh council has a stake in tartan tat; who says Edinburgh doesn’t have a beach; and there’s a character-building job going spare, writes John McLellan.

The Queensferry Crossing bridge was closed after falling ice damaged cars (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

It’s been a bit nippy this week; hardly Siberian and nothing untoward for a country towards the top of the Northern Hemisphere, so it’s quite an achievement for the new Queensferry Crosssing to be closed for two days because of ice.

Apparently a “unique set of weather conditions” was responsible, the combination of strong westerly winds, snow and low temperatures. But a glance at how the trees bend on the Meadows shows the prevailing wind is westerly and, guess what, we get snow from time to time.

For £1.35bn, was it too much to expect a supposedly weather-proof bridge to cope with a few snowflakes?

In this week of all weeks, with two unfinished government ferry boats costing £200m, if I was the First Minister I’d pipe down about other people’s transport plans.

Council profits from cut-price cashmere

We hear a lot from administration councillors about the right kind of tourism and all that sort of thing, but all the recent controversies about its Christmas Market aside, how many readers realise the Council is a beneficiary from mass-market tourism all year?

As well as obvious places like the museums and the City Chambers, the authority leases other High Street properties, most recently agreeing a 25-year deal for the Heritage Clearance Store for £33,600 a year.

You have to shift a lot of cut-price cashmere and kilt pins to cover that, so listen out for the next time a councillor complains about tartan tat.

Edinburgh doesn’t have a beach?!

A survey for an online dog food company crowned Edinburgh the UK’s most dog-friendly city break, citing the number of pet-friendly bars and pubs, Airbnbs and green spaces. “The only thing this Scottish city break lacks is a beach,” said the release.

The extensive length of sand you have to cross at Seafield and Portobello to get to the Firth of Forth, apparently doesn’t count because it’s not within 20 minutes’ walk of Waverley. Barking up the wrong tree….

Anyone for a character-building job?

The great thing about full employment is job hunters have a choice. What about a business manager for the Newhaven Tram completion project, a post created to liaise with businesses affected by the work? Who’d have thought no-one wanted the character-building experience of spending every day for the next three years speaking to desperate traders whose livelihoods are under threat?

John McLellan is the Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston