Fife Chamber of Commerce has bemoaned the “considerable disruption and higher operating costs” brought about as a result of the Forth Road Bridge closure.
The business group said members had been assessing the impact on their businesses and confirmed the emergency shut-down has had a “significant effect on a number of fronts”.
Travel to and from work has not only been “problematic and time-consuming but also costly”, Fife Chamber said, while members also expressed a desire for train companies to rise to the occasion, both in terms of providing additional services, additional carriages/capacity and reducing ticket prices.
The group also said the costs of businesses offering flexible working arrangements and, in some cases, funded transport need to be recognised, while it suggested links to Edinburgh by rail and bus should be reviewed, and current road travel plan arrangements need to continue to be “actively monitored and policed”.
The chamber also highlighted the additional operating costs to transport companies in particular, and called for a compensation scheme to be set up to help affected businesses.
A spokesman said: “In terms of wider considerations and lessons to be learned from this situation, there were comments on the effectiveness of the inspection regime on the bridge.
“Surprise was expressed at the apparent lack of an emergency/contingency plan to be put in place in the event of any extended bridge closure.
“While the length of this closure might not have been anticipated, it has been suggested that more contingency planning work could have been carried out so that alternative travel arrangements could have been put in place in a more planned manner, and so that more information could have been provided to businesses in the area.
“Lessons must be learned and applied to the existing and future Forth crossings, as well as to key infrastructure routes elsewhere in the country.”