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NEWS RELEASE
Thursday 31st May 2007
Bridge tolls debate:
Abolition of bridge tolls means new public subsidy for car commuting
TRANSform Scotland [1] has today (Thursday) criticised
the proposals for removing bridge tolls from the Forth and Tay Road Bridges,
tabled as part of a Scottish Executive debate in the Parliament this afternoon.
[2]
Colin Howden, Director of TRANSform Scotland said:
"Removing bridge tolls would require the general taxpayer, rather
than car commuters and the road haulage industry, to pay for bridge maintenance.
This would represent a transfer of funds from non-road users to road users,
that is a redistribution from less affluent groups to the more affluent.
This is a deeply regressive policy from an economic point of view.
"Transport remains the basket case of environmental policy. There
is simply no chance of reducing economy-wide climate change emissions
while government policy continues to promote more road use. Given the
SNP's claims to be an environmentally-minded political party, it is deeply
disappointing that their first action in power has been to announce public
subsidy for road users.
"The SNP certainly has no chance of meeting their stated commitment
to reducing climate change emissions by 3% every year while their policies
continue to favour scrapping public transport projects (such as Edinburgh's
trams), building even more roads (such as the A9), and making road transport
even cheaper than it already is (by abolishing bridge tolls)." [3]
"Alex Salmond's environmental credentials will certainly go out the
window if he chooses to rob public transport budgets to pay for new environmentally-destructive
roads schemes."
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] TRANSform Scotland
TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance,
bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities,
national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport
groups.
We can be contacted at Lamb's House, Burgess Street, Leith, Edinburgh,
EH6 6RD. Tel 0131 467 7714; fax 0131 554 8656; email <info@transformscotland.org.uk>;
web <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk>.
[2] Briefing on Bridge tolls
TRANSform Scotland's parliamentary briefing on bridge tolls is
available online at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/docs/2007-05-31_Bridge_Tolls_briefing.pdf>.
[3] Briefing on Edinburgh trams
TRANSform Scotland's briefing on the Edinburgh tram scheme is
available online at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/docs/2007-05-23_Trams_briefing.pdf>.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
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