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Edinburgh's congestion charging plans "the only way" the city's transport problems can be tackled TRANSform Scotland welcomed this morning's launch of Edinburgh's congestion charging proposals. Colin Howden, Campaign Manager of TRANSform Scotland, said: "City of Edinburgh Council is right to promote a congestion charging scheme for the city. Congestion charging is the only way that Edinburgh's transport problems can be tackled. Edinburgh's citizens are being given a chance to choose less congestion, less pollution and better public transport. Rejecting congestion charging will simply mean more traffic, worse congestion and a more polluted city." "We are however concerned at the long timescales for introducing congestion charging. Durham plans to have a congestion charging scheme operating later this year while London's congestion charging scheme starts in February next year. Edinburgh's citizens voted yes to congestion charging and more public transport investment in 1999. So 2006 seems a very long timescale for implementing congestion charging in Edinburgh." "The Scottish Executive needs to buttress Edinburgh's proposals by publicly welcoming these proposals and making commitment to further public transport investment for the city. The balance of committed transport spending in Scotland massively favours road-building in the West of Scotland over public transport investment in South-East Scotland. (1) Transport Minister Iain Gray must takes steps to address this unsustainable situation." ENDS Notes to Editors: (1) Committed expenditure on new trunk roads in the Glasgow area alone (£214m towards M74 Northern Extension & £40m+ towards a Glasgow Southern Orbital road) is more than double the expenditure on public transport, walking and cycling in the whole SESTRAN area through the Public Transport Fund (and latterly, the Integrated Transport Fund) between 1998 and 2001 - £113.4m (SE Transport Delivery Report, pp. 39). END OF NEWS RELEASE |