IT took astronaut Tim Peake eight minutes and 48 seconds to leave Earth, and six hours to reach the International Space Station more than 200 miles away, going at 17,100mph – five miles every second.
Yet, right now, anywhere in a 20-mile radius of the Forth Road Bridge, it takes six hours to do just one mile.
For those poor white van men, haulage firms and so many businesses hugely affected by the closure and left with a giant financial headache, I've got a plan to solve all the problems in one fell swoop.
Get all the workers from the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan – they've now got nothing to do for six months – and fly them into Edinburgh armed with welding gear. Job done.
In the meantime, those stuck in the queues caused by the cracked FRB can only dream of the Terrafugia TF-X.
That isn't the latest strain of swine flu. It's actually a flying car and this week the company passed a "significant milestone" in it becoming a reality.
Apparently, the US Federal Aviation Administation have given Terrafugia special allowance to fly an unmanned flight of a scaled-down drone version of their car.
That now means that Terrafugia can fast-track research and development of the TF-X.
When it finally arrives, the TF-X will be a "four-seat, hybrid electric, semi-autonomous, vertical take-off and landing flying car".
Disappointingly, no mention of fog lights or furry dice in the kit list, though. But is this for real or meant for a futuristic Xbox game? Terrafugia are deadly serious.
If you fold in the wings, a bit like you can do with your door mirrors, it will narrowly fit into a single garage.
It's powered by a plug-in hybrid arrangement, a pair of electric motors combining with a 300PS petrol engine and vertical aerial thrust provided by a fan at the rear plus propeller at the end of each wing.
There's no word on how fast the TF-X will go on Tarmac but, once in the air, it will roar to 200mph for up to 500 miles – perfect for an afternoon trip down to the Isle of Wight.
Obviously, there's a few hurdles Terrafugia have to get past, like legislation. Those health and safety nerds always try to spoil everything.
Terrafugia reckon the TF-X "should be statistically safer than driving a modern automobile", and say training to fly it will take just five hours.
Yeah, but will my other half be able to park it? The firm have even thought of that.
The TF-X will effectively fly itself – though the driver can override the controls – and land automatically, without human input. In the event of engine failure, the TF-X can deploy its full-vehicle parachute, hopefully so the flying car can land back safely down to Earth.
There's no AA man for the sky just yet. There's also no hint of cost just yet but Terrafugia say it "could be on par with the very high-end luxury cars of today". Who would want a Ferrari when you could fly?
It would be worth every penny right now to fly over the jams in Edinburgh and Fife.
But don't bother nipping into the new Arnold Clark showroom in Hillington and asking for a test drive in the new Terrafugia TF-X – they will give you funny looks.
The bad news is that Terrafugia believe it will take "eight to 12 years" to get this on the road and in the air.
Although they say the Bridge will be back open on January 4, don't count on it. If all else fails, get a deposit down on a TF-X for 2025.
Source: Phil Lanning: GOOD NEWS: Flying car on the way...BAD NEWS: Not here until 2025
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