Shock plan to bring back bridge tolls
Matt Meade • Published 29 Dec 2011 09:30
24 Comments
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COMMUTERS could face the return of the dreaded Forth Bridge tolls.
A new proposal will shock West Fifers who campaigned for five years to get the charge scrapped five years ago.
The Scottish Government has to meet ambitious carbon emission targets by 2020 and may be forced to consider road pricing schemes.
A new report by Audit Scotland suggests the SNP "will need to consider introducing new policies that it has previously ruled out, such as a road pricing scheme".
The SNP Government and it maintains there are no plans for their return.
But with the 2020 deadline looming, it may be forced to reconsider new, and unpopular, measures.
Commenting on the report, auditor general for Scotland, Robert Black, said, "The Scottish Parliament has set ambitious targets to reduce Scottish greenhouse gas emissions.
"To meet the 2020 target new policies will need to be delivered successfully, especially in transport.
"The challenges will be that much greater over the next few years when the pressures on Scotland's public sector finances are likely to increase."
The proposal comes despite the fact that abolishing tolls has had no reported impact on traffic.
The report states, "After 2014, there will be only six years for existing or proposed new policies to contribute to meeting the 2020 target to reduce emissions by 42 per cent.
"If the implementation of proposed new policies is abandoned or delayed, or some policies do not achieve their full potential, there will only be a short period in which to take corrective action by 2020."
According to Audit Scotland, "good progress" in cutting greenhouse gas emissions has been made so far, with a fall of more than a quarter since 1990.
The SNP have a target of reducing emissions by 42 per cent by 2020.
SNP councillor Alice McGarry told the Press a return of the tolls was unlikely.
She said, "It's not an SNP manifesto commitment, so it's not going to happen with this government.
"Commuters, who are taxpayers like anybody else, would not take too kindly to having an additional tax of up to £5 a week, or probably more, imposed upon them.
"Road pricing is a non-starter at this point in time, certainly during this government, unless something completely untoward happens.
"The fact is there's more cars off the road because of the increase in petrol charges."
Labour councillor Alex Rowley said his concern was the threat to town centre businesses via a hike in car parking charges rather than a return of tolls.
He said, "I'm not sure there's concrete evidence to show that the tolls were reducing the number of people using the bridge.
"I'm not going to advocate putting tolls back on. But if you had a toll on our town centres, that would be ludicrous.
"If you are cash-strapped then it's less damaging to have tolls on the bridge. Indeed, there's no proven economic negatives to having tolls on the bridge.
"What's clear is that if you continue to whop-up parking charges in town centres you damage them then because you've got out of town shopping with free car parking."
Earlier this year, the SNP revealed regular Forth Bridge users had saved an average of £230 a year.
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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DrewCarnegie
38 posts
Dec 29, 12:04
Report commentThey spent a lot of money putting in new tolls, Caesar Salmond spent another million taking them out, now they might return and some people Scots are capable of running their own independent country.
Recommend?
Yes 24
No 22
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BigLeish
2 posts
Dec 29, 13:21
Report commentDrew,
This is NOT the SNP Scottish Government who are suggesting this.
Remember Labour would not remove the tolls and along with the Libs wanted to put the tolls up to £4 a journey.
Remember it was the SNP who removed the tolls and why we has Fifers on the bridge on the day they were abolished saying "THANKS SNP".
Roll on running our own nation !!!
Recommend? Yes 28
No 22
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maclam
66 posts
Dec 29, 16:02
Report commentwhat shock plan , nobody has at this time got any shock plan to re-introduce bridge tolls, dunfermline press scaremongering about non existent plans does not provide any relevant helpful information whatsoever.
Recommend? Yes 29
No 9
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Blackadder
166 posts
Dec 29, 18:44
Report commentAre we not a little early for April fools...
Recommend? Yes 18
No 8
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lydiapot1
30 posts
Dec 29, 19:47
Report commentAnother drugs raid in our local. I ask again, what has Fife Constabulary being doing for all those years that all this has being going on under their noses? Totally reactive policing. How about considering some proactive policing or does this require some sort of logical thinkng that my tax money is incapable of being used for?
Recommend? Yes 7
No 14
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BrownOwl
12 posts
Dec 29, 21:55
Report commentThe SNP got rid of the tolls and there are no plans to reintroduce them. Mr Rowley seems to think it wouldn't be a bad idea, but thankfully he failed in his bid to get elected to Holyrood so he and his Labour pals wont be able to force hard working Fife families who have to commute over the bridge to pay yet another tax (on top of already extortionate amount paid for fuel duty and road tax).
Recommend? Yes 20
No 14
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Hermes74
5 posts
Dec 29, 22:31
Report commentAnother of Dunfermline Press unfounded, inaccurate and irresponsible headlines which has no relation the the content of the article.
There are no plans to reintroduce tolls on the Forth bridges! How do I know? It says so in the article.
I know that you have to attract people to buy the paper by "interesting" headlines but they should have at least some near relationship to the truth. How about, "Labour close to acceptinga proposal to bring back tolls on the Forth bridge"? That would at least have the merit of justifying the photograph of Labours failed candidate in last years Scottish Elections and is contained in the story.
Recommend? Yes 26
No 15
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TheDEXExpress
32 posts
Dec 29, 22:35
Report commentI am interested to see this sentence in the body of this report: 'The proposal comes despite the fact that abolishing tolls has had no reported impact on traffic.' That's certainly been my anecdotal experience too, but I was not aware that there had been any research done. As this was one of the key objections made by some to the removal of tolls in the first place and increased traffic generated has been cited as a problem by those who still oppose the new road bridge, it would be interesting if the Press could identify the source for that statement. Is it just traffic data from FETA or something else?
Recommend? Yes 18
No 4
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beaker
42 posts
Dec 30, 13:09
Report commenti think alex you want to lay of the bucky, obviously making you dillutional, dilusional,- slaver.
Recommend? Yes 6
No 16
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DannyAtkins
30 posts
Dec 30, 13:55
Report commentI say bring back the tolls and put the charge up to £4 - it's a bloody nonsense that all Scot's, regardless of whether or not they use it, are being asked to pay for the cost to maintain the bridge. Let all those who bought their cheap pre-fab houses in Duloch, who work and spend their cash in Edinburgh pay their way too.
'mon the revolution!
Recommend? Yes 19
No 28
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logster
28 posts
Dec 30, 15:49
Report commentAlice McGarry well said on behalf of the SNP,its not a manifesto commitment so its not going to happen with this government. Ironically the truth is on most of the so called SNP manifestos and promises have been broken, or never fulfilled.Just wondering what's next reintroduction on prescription charges or the return of the single taxation that the SNP have spent thousands of pounds of Scottish tax payers money trying to stop the media investigating on how much this will cost the Scottish tax payer.
Recommend? Yes 10
No 11
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SmarmyGit
47 posts
Dec 30, 20:29
Report commentLogster, till we self govern its UK tax payers money...........it all goes to the treasury in London just now.
Deary me........
Recommend? Yes 8
No 14
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logster
28 posts
Dec 31, 14:17
Report commentSmarmyGit please get your facts right the single taxation that the SNP wants to introduce is to replace the council tax system that is currently in place,which this SNP government has frozen with disastrous consequences.This money doesn't go to the treasury in London it goes back to the local authorities.
On your point that we should self govern why wait 2 or 3 years for the vote why not now the sooner the better which I would gladly support.
Recommend? Yes 8
No 7
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SmarmyGit
47 posts
Dec 31, 16:29
Report comment -
Blackadder
166 posts
Dec 31, 18:27
Report commentHAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL, AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2012 FELLOW POSTERS, HAVE A GREAT NIGHT TONIGHT.
Recommend? Yes 8
No 2
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Jimmynewswatcher
5 posts
Dec 31, 18:32
Report commentThe point I see being made is that the bridge tolls never in themselves were detrimental to the Fife economy, unlike the impact of parking charges on the town centres in Fife.
The SNP council have said in recent weeks that they are considering increasing parking charges. This would be just another nail in the coffin of the already struggling town centres in Fife. Mind you, in Dunfermline they have made such a mess of the town centre and seem to have no idea of the importance of parking.
Take the refurbished multi million pound centre with no car parking anywhere near and kids having to cross many busy and dangerous roads to get to it from the bus station. How to take something so positive and turn it into a negative by insisting on a refurbishment rather than a new build in an open area with plenty of car parking and bus access.
I was in Glenrothes recently and discovered there is acres of free car parking as there is in all the out of town shopping areas. If any of these people have any desire to help the town centres then focus less on bridge tolls and more on parking charges and get rid of them as this will help.
My final point would be that people like to use their cars to go shopping and they will let their wheels do the talking as to where they go to shop, so lets help them to choose Dunfermline.
Recommend? Yes 18
No 3
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bicyclebob
135 posts
Jan 2, 13:53
Report commentMore cars off the road,mmm,so higher toll charges
Recommend? Yes 1
No 4
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hazelkaye
224 posts
Jan 4, 19:49
Report comment"FETA" - a rather watery, substantial-less cheese!
Recommend? Yes 1
No 1
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stevie1888
4 posts
Jan 4, 23:26
Report commentfunny how theres been no toll while thousands of houses have been built and sold to a vast amount of edingburgh people and now they are settled the toll is on its way back,just wonder how many people would of made that switch if the toll had been in place all the time
Recommend? Yes 1
No 1
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davie1
26 posts
Jan 5, 10:17
Report commentLogster - whats fair about the Council Tax - why should property owners/residents have to pay for all the services provided and used by ALL. (take it you are not paying?)
The only problem with the Poll Tax, which you are obviously referring to, was that the ability to pay factor was missed out. The single tax proposed by the SNP is the fairest way to collect money for local services, ie if you work you pay a percentage towards these costs.We are all part of this society so should contribute to it.
Recommend? Yes 7
No 0
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twopars12
2 posts
Jan 10, 17:11
Report commentWell you won't need to worry about the bridge and any toll fee for when Mr Salmond and his ill informed cronies have finished with you, when he has hit the pinnacle of his ego and drained your wallets and purses, you will be free from the rest of the UK, free to float away to sunnier climates to spend your euro and realise your dream as the north sea oil brings home the bacon The oil! Ah yes! the oil!!!
Recommend? Yes 0
No 2
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cosimpson
6 posts
Jan 11, 04:05
Report commentOnce again Labour have shown themselves to be the real enemy of the working class. Who introduced university tuition fees? Labour. Who introduced VAT on domestic fuel? Labour. Who cosied up to the financial leviathans in the last decade? Labour. Who increased road fuel duty to unprecedented levels? Labour. Who refused to abolish bridge tolls and make the drive to work of the ordinary working man a little less miserable? Labour. The bridge tolls were effectively a tax on entering Fife. Is that what we really want? It`s an anti jobs tax. Labour seem to be quite happy with the idea of the working man being forced off the road with punitive motoring taxes whilst allowing the company chairman in his chauffeured Bentley to continue on unscathed - a situation that would also apply to their ministerial limos.The rich motorist would enjoy empty roads at the expense of the poor. Wake up voters - the SNP are doing a great job for the working man and all this on the back of very little governmental experience. I`m an englishman living in Fife for nearly 40 years and at present wouldn`t vote for anyone else
Recommend? Yes 3
No 0
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twopars12
2 posts
Jan 12, 12:55
Report commentAh well cosimpson no need to worry for when Alec becomes king of Scotland there will be plenty of room on the roads as people will find they are better of emigrating to Syria or Somalia
Recommend? Yes 0
No 1
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SirSided
11 posts
Jan 18, 15:41
Report commentI dont see why we should pay to use something that is a MUST and not a desire.
You will find Kincardine will be getting busier if this is the case.
Why dont MP's use their own money for expenses and I am sure the bridge would be paid off in no time... ludicrous that they are even contemplating bringing it back.
Recommend? Yes 1
No 0
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