National Alliance Against Tolls - Scotland Messages to MSPs March 2007
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Messages to MSPs March 2007
Just before the dissolution at the beginning of April 2007, we sent this message to MSPs -
Dear MSP,
We are hoping that you will receive this before the dissolution. This message is intended for those who are standing in the
elections. If you are not standing, then best wishes on your retirement.
As you may know the National Alliance Against Tolls has been campaigning against tolls for some years and is also opposed to the
more recent suggestion for more widespread tolls, which the authorities usually call "congestion charging" or "road pricing".
As with the Dunfermline by-election, the NAAT will be trying to make sure that tolls are an issue in this election and that voters
know clearly what the position of each party is. We understand that there are some businesses that are strongly opposed to the
existing and proposed tolls and that they will also be drawing voters attention to the tolls issue.
The current position is of course that the Executive has strenuously argued for the retention of the two tolls. The amount of income
from the two tolls (£16 million before deducting the cost of collection) is trivial when compared with the total Executive budget of
over £26 billion, so one wonders why. One possible explanation is that the two bridge tolls are a base from which to introduce
"congestion charging" and eventually "road pricing".
There are more details of our views on the bridge tolls and road pricing on our web site, but some of the points are summarised
below.
THE TWO BRIDGE TOLLS
You will be well aware that the claims made last March went it was announced that the two bridge tolls would be kept were nonsense.
In particular it is the general view, including that of Dundee and Fife councils, that the collection of tolls adds to congestion
and vehicle emissions. NAAT are still waiting for the results of an appeal that we made to the Information Commissioner regarding
the refusal of the Executive to release certain information in relation to their congestion claims.
The results of the Toll Study that was announced last year have still not been published, even though the draft report was to have
been ready last December. The reason that the report has been delayed may not be that it refutes the Executive's claims, but that
the Executive are concerned as to whether anyone will accept an endorsement from consultants that they appointed.
As part of the Toll Study, there was a consultation exercise, and responses had to be in by last August. The Executive eventually
published the responses in February. There were 89 submissions and according to the Executive's own analysis - 5 were "indifferent"
to what happened to tolls, 6 wanted to keep tolls and 78 wanted tolls removed.
Those that wanted the two tolls kept are the Forth Bridge Authority (though the board did not see the response till after it was
submitted), a bus company, 2 organisations and 2 individuals. Those who want tolls removed include Dundee and Fife Councils, the Tay
Bridge board, and business organisations.
The Executive has also been saying that it wants to keep tolls because of the possible need for another Forth road bridge. It isn't
clear how this affects tolls on the Tay bridge, but neither should it be relevant to tolling on the existing Forth road bridge. If
original promises had been kept the Forth tolls would have been removed in May 1995. The incredible sums that are being quoted for a
new Forth road bridge would mean that if it was privately financed and tolled, then tolls would be even more expensive than the Skye
bridge. In any case, keeping even one toll detracts from one of the main advantages to Scotland of getting rid of the tolls. If
Scotland was toll free, and then this could be used in advertising to attract tourists and businesses.
"CONGESTION CHARGING" AND "ROAD PRICING"
The "Toll Tax" makes the Poll Tax look like the greatest wisdom ever. It would cost billions to implement, is not wanted, and even
if it worked technically (which is unlikely) then would probably have little effect on congestion.
The best examples of how it might work are London and Singapore. The claimed success of the London charge is a myth. A myth which we
helped to expose during the Edinburgh Toll Poll. The reality is that despite a charge of £8 a day, London congestion is as bad as it
was before. When the latest official traffic figures were announced last June, one of the London Assembly members said to the Mayor
"We have all been badly let down. The congestion charge is a charge on congestion that we once got for free."
Singapore is the leading, possibly only, example in the world of road pricing. (Tolls vary according to the road and the time of
day, and are revised every few months.) Despite this tolls system Singapore cars average 12,500 miles a year. And this is in a
country, which is less than one percent the size of Scotland (270 square miles compared with 30,400). In February one of the
Singapore MPs told their Parliament - "Is the ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) just a means to squeeze money from the motorists who
face the same jam?"
More reasons why we think "road pricing" is a daft idea.
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