Reports have suggested the courts will not decide on the M74 extension until June 2006.

The SNP Group on Glasgow City Council supports the motorway extension.   It should provide a vital link for poorer areas of the City, free up the M8, boost Glasgow airport, and provide better links for Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, and Ayrshire with the rest of Scotland.

However, the SNP believes there should be a lot more money spent on public transport at the same time.   John Mason said, “It is not either/or.   It should be both/and.   The green lobby is naïve to think it can avoid spending any money on roads; the public wants to use cars some of the time.   And after all we do live in a democracy!   But the Scottish Government has also got the balance wrong between roads and public transport.   When the M77 was built, the railway to Kilmarnock should have been made double track at the same time.   Similarly, when the M74 goes ahead there should be both a good quality airport rail link and the Crossrail scheme at the very minimum.

Whatever happens, a decision should be made speedily.   A long delay benefits no one.    It is a bit rich Labour councillors complaining about delays in the legal system.   Labour is in power in both Glasgow and Scotland and presumably they could speed up the legal process if they really wanted to.”