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TRANSform Scotland & Friends
of the Earth Scotland
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday 20 July 2004
ROAD PRICING AND SCOTLAND
Time for Darling to back Edinburgh congestion charge
Scottish environment groups responding to today's
(Tuesday 20 July) Road Pricing Feasibility Study and Transport White Paper
called on Transport Minister (and Edinburgh MP), Alistair Darling MP,
to turn his fine words into action and start openly supporting Edinburgh's
congestion charging proposals. [1]
Alistair Darling today announced proposals to charge motorists based on
the true costs of their journeys. The White Paper acknowledges that the
roll-out of local congestion charging schemes across the country would
be the best way to ensure delivery of a national road pricing scheme (section
3.29 of the White Paper).
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Head of Research,
Dr Dan Barlow:
"Road pricing has the potential to reduce climate change emissions
from transport. If road pricing is ever to get off the ground, as Alistair
Darling suggests is the way forward, then schemes like Edinburgh's congestion
charge must happen first. It's time for Alistair Darling to turn his fine
words into action by starting to openly support Edinburgh's congestion
charging plans."
Colin Howden, TRANSform Scotland Campaign Manager, said:
"Alistair Darling is right to argue the case for a UK-wide road pricing
scheme but it is not acceptable for him to put off taking action for a
decade or more. As Edinburgh has done most to follow London's success
in implementing congestion charging, and Darling is an Edinburgh MP, it
is about time he put his money where his mouth is and publicly advocate
the need for road pricing in his home city."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] See http://www.dft.gov.uk/strategy/futureoftransport/
The UK White paper makes the following recommendations:
* inform the public - beginning with this White Paper - about what road
pricing is and how it might work, and undertake the further research recommended,
so that people can engage with a clear proposition, not just an abstract
concept;
* lead a debate on what would make such pricing acceptable to motorists;
* seek to build a public consensus around the
objectives of road pricing, and how to use the revenues;
* work alongside forward looking authorities and areas, to help them put
in place packages of measures which tackle local congestion problems.
Resources from the new Transport Innovation Fund will be available to
support packages which combine road pricing, modal shift, and better bus
services (see Chapter 5);
and
* begin a process which would lead to international standards for in-car
equipment, taking account of current, market-led developments.
[2] The Scottish Transport White Paper 'Scotland's Transport Future',
launched on 16th June by Nicol Stephen MSP, describes road user charging
as a "critical part of [road traffic] demand management" and
that the Executive "support[s] local road user charging implemented
by local authorities" (paras. 4.62 & 4.63).
http://194.247.95.101/library5/transport/stfwp-00.asp
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