This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scottish Transport Statistics published
27/08/2004
The latest edition of
Scottish
Transport Statistics was published today. Among many facts and
figures, it reveals that there were:
· 262,400 new vehicles registered in Scotland in 2003,
around 3,000 (1 per cent) more than in the previous year,
54 per cent more than in 1993 and the highest number ever
recorded;
· greater volumes of traffic in 2003 than in any
previous year, 1 per cent more than in 2002, and 18 per
cent more than in 1993 (the first year for which the
Department for Transport has estimated total traffic on
Scottish roads);
· 445 million passenger journeys (boardings) on local
bus services in 2002-03, 1 per cent more than in the
previous year. This was only the sixth increase since
current records began in 1975, and the first time since
then that there have been increases in four consecutive
years. However, the 2002-03 figure was 16 per cent less
than in 1992-93;
· 62.3 million passenger journeys on ScotRail services
in 2003-04 - a 9 per cent increase over the previous year
(due to a recovery in patronage from the effects of the
drivers' pay dispute), and about 20 per cent more than ten
years earlier; and
· almost 21.1 million air terminal passengers at
airports in Scotland in 2003 - about 1.3 million (7 per
cent) more than in the previous year, 90 per cent more than
in 1993, and the highest number ever recorded.
Over the years, Scottish Transport Statistics has been
improved greatly, by the inclusion of many new tables on a
wide range of topics. This year, there are about 20 new
tables, and some of the existing tables have been expanded
to provide more information. Key points from the
publication are set out below, with references to the
relevant chapter numbers.
Personal travel (chapter 12):
· Cars, vans and lorries accounted for almost
four-fifths (79 per cent) of the average of around 6,500
miles which was travelled per person per year in 2002.
· In 2003, the Scottish Household Survey found that 69
per cent of those who travelled to work usually went by car
or van, 13 per cent walked, 11 per cent went by bus, 3 per
cent by rail, 2 per cent cycled and 2 per cent used another
means of transport (such as motorcycle, taxi and
ferry).
· About 53 per cent of school-children usually walked to
school in 2003, 22 per cent usually travelled by bus, 22
per cent by car or van, 1 per cent went by train, 1 per
cent cycled and 2 per cent used another means of transport
(such as taxi and ferry).
· Scottish residents made an estimated 3.8 million
visits abroad in 2002. In about 3.5 million cases they
flew, mainly from Glasgow (2.0 million), Edinburgh (0.5
million) and London Heathrow (0.4 million). Around 0.3
million visits were made by sea, and 0.04 million via the
Channel Tunnel.
Motor vehicles, roads. traffic, toll bridges
and injury accidents
Motor vehicles licensed (chapter 1):
· There were around 2.4 million motor vehicles licensed
in Scotland in 2003, 2 per cent more than the previous
year, 27 per cent more than in 1993, and the highest number
ever recorded.
· There were 262,400 new vehicles registered in Scotland
in 2003, around 3,000 (1 per cent) more than in the
previous year, 54 per cent more than in 1993 and the
highest number ever recorded .
· There were 47 motor vehicles per hundred population in
Scotland in 2003, compared with 54 per hundred population
for Great Britain as a whole.
Road network (chapter 5):
· There were about 54,500 kilometres of public road in
Scotland at 1 April 2003. About 14 per cent of this is
within the area of the Highland Council, around 10 per cent
is in Aberdeenshire and 8 per cent is in Dumfries and
Galloway.
Road traffic (chapter 6):
· There were greater volumes of traffic in 2003 than in
any previous year, 1 per cent more than in 2002, and 18 per
cent more than in 1993 (the first year for which the
Department for Transport has estimated total traffic on
Scottish roads).
· DfT estimates that the total volume of traffic on
Scotland's roads in 2003 was about 42.0 billion (thousand
million) vehicle-kilometres. Traffic on Motorways totalled
an estimated 5.8 billion vehicle kilometres (14 per cent of
all traffic), trunk A roads for 9.8 billion (23 per cent),
and non-trunk A roads for 12.1 billion (29 per cent). Minor
roads (B, C and unclassified roads) accounted for the
remaining 34 per cent: an estimated 14.4 billion vehicle
kilometres, most of which was on unclassified roads (8.2
billion).
· Motorway traffic was estimated to have increased by 34
per cent since 1993 - much more rapid growth than on trunk
A roads (21 per cent) and non-trunk A roads (13 per cent).
Traffic on minor roads rose by 15 per cent between 1993 and
2003.
Toll bridges (chapter 4):
· An estimated 24 million vehicles crossed the Forth
Road Bridge in 2003 (about 65,800 per day), more than in
any previous year, and 32 per cent more than in 1993. The
Erskine, Skye and Tay bridges also had record numbers of
crossings in 2003;
Injury road accidents (chapter 7):
· There were 331 people killed in road accidents in
2003, 27 (9 per cent) more than the previous year, but the
fourth lowest number of deaths for more than 50 years.
· 2,933 people were seriously injured in road accidents
in 2003, 288 (9 per cent) fewer than in 2002, and the
lowest figure since statistics of serious injuries began in
1950.
· There were 15,405 people recorded as slightly injured
in 2003, 329 (2 per cent) fewer than in the previous year,
and the lowest number since 1955.
· The total number of casualties was 18,669, 590 (3 per
cent) lower than in 2002 and the lowest figure since
1953.
Public transport: bus, rail, air and
ferry
Bus and coach travel (chapter 2):
· There were 445 million passenger journeys (boardings)
on local bus services in 2002-03, 1 per cent more than in
the previous year. This was only the sixth increase since
current records began in 1975, and the first time since
then that there have been increases in four consecutive
years. However, the 2002-03 figure was 16 per cent less
than in 1992-93;
· The distance travelled by local bus services was 375
million vehicle kilometres in 2002-03, 1 per cent more than
in the previous year, and 8 per cent more than in
1992-93.
· Other (non-local) bus services travelled an estimated
141 million vehicle-kilometres, 4 per cent less than in the
previous year, and 10 per cent less than in 1992-93;
· There were 88 local bus journeys per head of
population in Scotland in 2002-03 compared with 77 per head
in Great Britain as a whole.
Rail services (chapter 8):
· 62.3 million passenger journeys on ScotRail services
in 2003-04 - a 9 per cent increase over the previous year
(due to a recovery in patronage from the effects of the
drivers' pay dispute), and about 20 per cent more than ten
years earlier.
· Per head of population, fewer passenger journeys
originate in Scotland (12.3 per head in 2002-03) than in
Great Britain as a whole (17.0).
Air transport (chapter 9):
· almost 21.1 million air terminal passengers at
airports in Scotland in 2003 - about 1.3 million (7 per
cent) more than in the previous year, 90 per cent more than
in 1993, and the highest number ever recorded.
· There were about 8.1 million terminal passengers at
Glasgow airport in 2003, a 4 per cent increase on the
previous year, Edinburgh airport had 7.5 million (up 8 per
cent), and Aberdeen had just over 2.5 million (down 2 per
cent). Over the past ten years, the increases at these
airports were: Edinburgh 176 per cent; Glasgow 62 per cent;
and Aberdeen 10 per cent.
· There were over 1.5 million passenger journeys
directly between the main Scottish airports and Spain
(excluding the Canary Islands). Amsterdam was the most
popular international airport, with over 1.0 million
passenger journeys directly to and from the main Scottish
airports, followed by Dublin (0.9 million).
Water transport (chapter 10):
· In 2003, the total number of passengers carried on
Caledonian MacBrayne, NorthLink Orkney and Shetland
Ferries, and Orkney Ferries services (the routes for which
figures are available back to 1973) was over 5.7 million, 7
per cent more than in the previous year.
Freight transport:
road (chapter 3), rail (chapter 8) and water
(chapter 10):
· The total amount of freight lifted by UK HGVs in
Scotland in 2003 was over 153 million tonnes, about 1
million tonnes less than in the previous year, and 5.5
million tonnes lower than the amount lifted ten years
earlier (159 million tonnes). Over the past ten years, the
total has usually been close to the average for the period
of about 156 million tonnes per year; 1996 and 2001 were
exceptions.
· 8.9 million tonnes of freight were lifted by rail in
2002-03, 7 per cent less than in the previous year but an
increase of over a quarter of the amount in 1992-93.
· In 2002, a total of 88.8 million tonnes of freight was
recorded as being lifted by water transport in Scotland:
19.2 million tonnes of "coastwise" traffic to other ports
in Scotland or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, 1.8 million
tonnes of "one port" traffic to offshore installations and
the sea bed, and 67.8 million tonnes of exports from the
major Scottish ports.
Scottish Transport Statistics costs £10
and may be purchased from The Stationery Office Bookshop,
71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ (telephone: 0131 228
4181).
Copies of the publication are available on the Scottish
Executive Web site, at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/transtat/sts