Kingask traffic report questioned

Gordon Berry, The Courier, 13 July 1999

Questions have been raised over the validity of traffic figures in a report used by Fife Council as a crucial element in the decision to approve the £50 million golf and leisure development at Kingask.

The planning convener of St Andrews Community Council, statistician Ian Goudie, has highlighted a discrepancy of over 3000 vehicles at a spot in St Andrews where a firm of independent consultants was gathering figures.

The criticism from Dr Goudie has come in the wake of comments made by East Neuk councillor Elizabeth Riches, who said she had watched young people involved in gathering figures nearby and had not been impressed by their professionalism.

She told councillors the youngsters she had observed had “been sitting with their feet on the dashboard having a good jokey time” and it was worrying that emphasis was being placed on some statements made.

Dr Goudie said yesterday that the number of errors and inconsistencies that be had found in the report produced as a result of the exercise gave rise to “serious concerns.”

The standard of workmanship, he said, appeared to fall well short of what might reasonably be expected.

Dr Goudie said that a discrepancy of 3193 vehicles related to a short section of city road, where 4732 vehicles were shown entering but 7925 were apparently in evidence a short time later.

The length of the road, he said, was only a matter of a few metres and adjoining properties could not generate traffic on this scale.

“The quality of this report raises serious problems about the validity of the decision Fife Council took. The danger of traffic chaos caused by the Kingask development was the strongest objection coming from the people of St Andrews against the application.

“You can only draw valid conclusions from a statistical analysis if it is based on sound data. Otherwise it is worth less than the paper on which it is written,” he added.

Yesterday Fife Council transportation policy and planning manager Stuart Knowles said that the traffic impact study had been the subject of full debate at the strategic development committee. He said there was one traffic flow figure which overstated traffic flow at the Bridge Street/Argyle Street junction.

Mr Knowles added that it was not considered that the routing of traffic from Kingask would have a measurable impact on this junction.