Truckers' threat to capital

THOUSANDS of commuters will face long delays when the truckers' dispute hits Edinburgh tomorrow as part of a nationwide protest.

City centre chaos is expected during rush hour as people make their way into work with police warning of lengthy hold-ups.

More than 100 lorries will be taking to the road in a demonstration against the Government's increase in road tax and diesel costs. Edinburgh is one of eight cities to be hit by the truckers' protest, which also includes London, Manchester and Newcastle. Campaign group Transaction, who last month organised similar demos in London, bringing the city to a standstill, said it hopes this will force the Government to listen to its concerns. Spokesman Frank Stears said: "This will be our main day of action across the country and we hope that the Government will sit down and talk with us after that. "All we are trying to do is ensure that the haulage industry is saved and that hundreds of jobs are not lost which is what we fear could happen with the tax increases. "We have had a tremendous amount of support from north and south of the border during this campaign and the Government will now have to sit up and take note." Perthshire haulage boss Matthew Aitken, a partner in Matthew C Aitken, of Auchterarder, will be leading the Edinburgh convoy tomorrow. He said: "We all feel very strongly about what is happening in our industry and feel we are getting a raw deal. This is why we have had to take part in these demonstrations. "We also took part in the massive demo in London a few weeks ago and have now gathered support in the industry in Scotland." Campaigners have pledged they will keep the protest to a minimum level of disruption. The truckers' campaign was further strengthened when they received the backing of the Road Haulage Association. Mr Stears added: "We now have the backing of 80 per cent of the industry which is a major break-through." Tomorrow's convoy will leave from Portobello, travelling through the east end of Edinburgh to the Scottish Office. It will leave via Haymarket and the west end. A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "The progress of the convoy will be monitored but it is possible that with the number of vehicles involved there may be an effect on traffic. Motorists are advised to avoid the east end of the city centre, especially Was Place and Regents Road." Transaction hopes the demo will bring the government to the negotiating table, but has threatened to take further action if a solution is not found soon.

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.