GLASGOW's £40million Fastlink project has hit its first opposition.

The dedicated bus route from the city centre to the Southern General hospital has broad political support.

However, the Govan Tenants' and Residents' Association has protested against the scheme – arguing it will hurt business in their neighbourhood.

The association has called for the new route – funded by the SNP Scottish Government and backed by the Labour-controlled city council and SPT – to be switched north of the river to the Expressway.

Right now it is planned to go straight through Govan's historic centre.

Association Secretary Greg Hine said: "The Expressway is physically and structurally more suitable to carrying high volumes of traffic than Govan Road.

"The project could impact on local businesses if customers are no longer able to set-down/pick-up or park for any period of time due to local restrictions."

The association is also worried about "fast" buses causing safety concerns – although the vehicles will not be travelling any more quickly than normal buses.

Mr Hine and his colleagues have no power to object to the scheme, which already has approval.

But they could in theory, try to block any traffic orders required for it to go-ahead.

This, however, would have to be done on the basis of technical problems rather than broad concerns about the route.

The Fastlink will use specially designed buses on a segregated bus corridor – the buses travel at normal speeds but don't have the kind of delays caused by traffic lights and junctions.

Council officials deny the route is designed as a simple "quick" link between the Southern General and the city and insist that it is, in fact, designed to serve Govan too.

After hearing the residents' associations plan to reroute the Fastlink north of the river, an insider said: "Nobody could get on and off the bus on the Expressway.

"This isn't a high-speed shuttle, this is a service for the entire length of the route."

Mr Hine, a management consultant, said he believed the scheme was Glasgow's answer to Edinburgh's trams.

He said: "The South Side part of the Fastlink project is an unsafe, unwarranted development that provides poor value for money, no positive benefits for the local area and serious safety concerns for the people of Govan."

But council bosses believe Govan would be one of the big winners from the Fastlink scheme.

A business case prepared for Fastlink shows Govan as one of the "best-performing" parts of the project.

A council spokesman said: "Fastlink is not a shuttle service to the new hospital.

"It is intended to offer high-quality, affordable public transport and a credible alternative to the car."