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SUMMARY TRANSPORT STATISTICS INCLUDING HISTORICAL SERIES
1.
Introduction
1.1 This chapter provides:
- Section 2 - some main points from the statistics on
transport in Scotland;
- Section 3 - some comparisons with the figures for
Great Britain (or, in a few cases, the
UK as a whole); and
- Section 4 - some notes, sources and further
information.
The charts show some of the main trends in transport in
Scotland since 1975, and in comparison with
GB over the past ten years. The tables
at the end of the chapter provide:
- a summary of the trends for each mode of transport
in Scotland over the past ten years -
Tables S1 and
S2;
- a summary of cross-border transport for some
different modes over the past ten years -
Table S3;
- a comparison of some key figures for Scotland and
Great Britain (or, in a few cases, the
UK as a whole) - Tables
SGB1 to SGB3; and
- a summary of the longer-term trends in passenger
and freight transport, traffic estimates and some other
vehicle-related statistics, going back to 1960 in some
cases -
Tables H1 to H4.
1.2 The purpose of this chapter is to provide some key
figures. These are mainly on the topics covered by the
first ten chapters, and generally appear in the same order
as those chapters. They do not cover all the main points
from the publication: some topics are not referred to in
this chapter, which (by its nature) can only present some
of the main statistics.
2.
Transport in Scotland(
Tables S1 and
S2)
2.1
Motor vehicles licensed(see also chapter 1 and
Table H4): The number of
motor vehicles licensed in Scotland in 2004 was over 2.4
million, 3% more than the previous year, and 29% higher
than the number in 1994. Over the longer-term, the number
of vehicles licensed has increased from an estimated 0.8
million in 1962 to over 2.4 million in 2004.
Figure 1 shows the trends since 1975: there
have been increases in almost every year.
2.2
New registrations of motor vehicles (
see also chapter 1 and
Table H4): There were
about 262,800 new vehicle registrations in 2004, the
highest number ever recorded, and more than three times the
number (86,000) in 1962.
Figure 2 shows that the number of new registrations of
vehicles has risen and fallen a number of times during the
period since 1975.
Figure 1 Vehicles
licensed
Figure 2 New
registrations of vehicles
2.3
Passenger journeys on local bus services (
see also chapter 2 and
Table H1): In 2003-04
there were 449 million passenger journeys on local bus
services, 1% more than in the previous year, but 14% less
than in 1993-94. The increase in passenger numbers in
2003-04 was only the seventh since the current records
began in 1975, and the first time since then that there
have been increases in five consecutive years. However,
over the longer-term, there have been large falls. There
were almost 1,700 million passenger journeys on local bus
services in 1960. The number had almost halved by 1975.
Since then, it has roughly halved again, from 891 million
in 1975 to 449 million in 2003-04. There were falls in
every year since 1960 apart from 1985, 1987, 1988, 1999,
2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Figure 3 shows the trends since 1975; it and
Figure 4 show that local bus passenger numbers are
significantly higher than those for other modes of public
transport
.
Figure 3 Passenger
numbers: local bus and rail
Figure 4 Passenger
numbers: rail, air and ferry (selected
services)
2.4
Freight lifted by road (
see also chapter 3 and
Table H2): Freight lifted
by road in 2004 was 173 million tonnes.
This figure should
not be compared with the statistics for earlier
years because there is a break in the series following
changes to DfT's survey methodology and
processing. Previous years' figures did
not show any marked trend: there was little change
from year to year in the ten years up to 2003. Over the
longer-term, the amount of freight carried by road
fluctuated between 1975 and 1987 (
see
Figure 5), rising to 172 million tonnes per
year in 1976 and falling to 128 million tonnes per year in
1986. After 1988, it was more stable, varying between 149
million tonnes (in 1991) and 162 million tonnes (in 1996).
The total of 153 million tonnes in 2003 was the third
lowest in the period since 1988.
Figures 5 and
6 show that, in terms of tonnes
lifted, much more freight is carried by road than by any
other mode of transport. However, a different picture is
seen when account is taken of the distance that freight is
carried.
Table H2(b) shows that, in terms of tonne-kilometres, coastwise
shipping accounts for the largest amount of freight moved,
with road coming a close second in 2003 (the latest year
for which figures are available for all the modes). Rail
and pipeline still move smaller amounts of freight than
road. However, they represent a higher proportion of the
total for road freight when they are measured in
tonne-kilometres, because of the greater distance (on
average) for which freight is carried by rail and by
pipeline.
Figure 5 Freight lifted:
road and coastwise shipping
Figure 6 Freight lifted:
coastwise shipping, pipelines, inland waterway,
rail
2.5
Toll bridges(
see also chapter 4 and
Table H4): In 2004, around
23.6 million vehicles were estimated to have crossed the
Forth Road Bridge (about 64,600 per day), 2% less than the
previous year. The Tay Bridge had an estimated 8.9 million
vehicles crossing, the Erskine Bridge had 10.0 million, and
the Skye Bridge had about 0.77 million. All record numbers,
apart from the Forth Road Bridge. The total number of
vehicle crossings on all these toll bridges in 2004 was
about 43.3 million, over 3.8 times the 11.3 million in
1971.
2.6
Road network (
see also chapter 5): There
were about 54,500 kilometres of public road in Scotland in
2004. The trunk road network accounted for 6% of the
total.
2.7
Road traffic (
see also chapter 6 and
Tables H1 and
H3): The methods that have
been used to estimate the volume of traffic on roads in
Scotland have changed over the years. DfT estimates that
the total volume of traffic on Scotland's roads in 2004 was
about 43 billion (thousand million) vehicle kilometres, 2%
more than in the previous year, and 19% more than the
figure for 1994. The estimates show increases in every one
of the past ten years apart from 2000, which was affected
by the fuel protests. The estimates for major roads
(Motorways and A roads) also show rises in each of the past
ten years apart from 2000.
Figure 7 shows the longer-term trends. It is
estimated that the volume of car traffic on major roads
(Motorways and A roads) has more than doubled, from an
estimated 9,300 million vehicle kilometres in 1975 to
22,300 million vehicle kilometres in 2004.
Figure 7 shows that the main rise was between 1983 and
1995.
Figure 7 Traffic
(vehicle kilometres)
2.8
Road accident casualties(
see also chapter 7 and
Table H4): Over the past
ten years, the number of casualties injured in road
accidents has fallen by 18% to 18,404 in 2004. The number
of people killed as a result of road accidents in 2004
(307) was 7% fewer than in 2003, and was the second lowest
figure since current records began more than 50 years ago.
Over the longer-term, the number of casualties injured in
road accidents fell from 26,703 in 1962 to 18,404 in 2004.
Figure 8 shows that there have been falls in most years since
1979. Although in some years the drop appeared to be
levelling off, over the longer-term the number of
casualties injured in road accidents has fallen
steadily.
Figure 8 Road accident
casualties
2.9
Rail passenger journeys(
see also chapter 8 and
Table H1): The total
number of ScotRail passenger journeys originating in
Scotland was 68.7 million in 2004-05, 6.4 million (10%)
more than in the previous year, and 40% more than 10 years
earlier. Over the longer-term, the number of rail passenger
journeys originating in Scotland (including cross-border
journeys) fell from a peak of 73 million in 1964 to a low
of 50 million in 1982.
Figure 4 shows that, from then until 1996-97,
passenger numbers remained between 50 million and 60
million per year. Rail passenger numbers had been rising
since 1994-95 and reached almost 68 million in 2000-01, but
then fell to just over 62 million in 2002-03, before rising
again to 66 million in 2003-04. The equivalent figure for
2004-05 was not available at the time of going to press.
However, given the increase in ScotRail passenger numbers
in 2004-05, it is likely that the total number of passenger
journeys originating in Scotland in 2004-05 (when it
becomes available) will be around 72-73 million.
2.10
Rail freight traffic (
see also chapter 8 and Table
H2): The volume of rail
freight traffic fell from 29.8 million tonnes in 1960 to
5.4 million tonnes in 1994-95.
Figure 6 shows that since then it increased to 9.6 million
tonnes in 2001-02, then fell to 8.3 million tonnes in
2003-04.
(
Table H2)
2.11
Air passengers(
see also chapter 9 and
Table H1): There were
about 22.6 million air terminal passengers at airports in
Scotland in 2004, 7% more than in the previous year, and
91% more than in 1994.
Figure 4 shows the rise in passenger numbers since 1975. Over
the longer-term, the volume of air passenger traffic
increased from 1.2 million terminal passengers in 1960 to
22.6 million in 2004, the highest level ever recorded.
There have been increases in every year since 1960 apart
from 1968, 1974, 1982, 1985 and 1991.
2.12
Ferry services(
see also chapter 10): In
2004, over 5.9 million passengers were carried on those
shipping services within Scotland for which figures are
available back to 1973 (
i.e. Caledonian MacBrayne, P&O Scottish
Ferries / NorthLink Orkney and Shetland, and Orkney
Ferries). This was 3% more than in the previous year.
Figure 4 shows the long-term trends,
which were affected by the reduction in traffic that
followed the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995
2.13
Waterborne freight (
see also chapter 10 and
Table H2): Coastwise
traffic rose from 24 million tonnes in 1987 to 40 million
tonnes in 1998. Since then, the total has fallen to 20
million tonnes in 2003. However, the figures from 2000 are
on a different basis from those for earlier years (
see Chapter 10). The annual
total amount of freight lifted for inland waterways has
remained between about 9 and 12 million tonnes since 1982.
Figure 6 shows the trends since 1980 (inland waterway) and
1987 (coastwise traffic).
2.14
Pipelines (
see also Table H2): The
amount of oil carried in pipelines rose rapidly to 23
million tonnes in 1977, and has fluctuated since then
between 21 million tonnes and 30 million tonnes per year.
Figure 6 shows the trends since 1975.
3.
Cross-border transport(
Table S3)
3.1
Table S3 summaries the
information about cross-border transport which is available
from national statistical systems. Their coverage is
incomplete - for example, they have no figures for the
number of cross-border journeys made by car, bus or coach
(estimates of these are produced by the Transport Model for
Scotland - see
Chapter 12).
3.2
Passengers to / from other parts of
UK: In 2003, there were 19.8
million rail, air or ferry passenger journeys between
Scotland and other parts of the
UK (a return trip counts as two
passenger journeys). Compared with 1994, when there were
only 12.2 million such passenger journeys, this was an
increase of 62%. Over that period, the number of passenger
journeys by air has more than doubled, compared with
relatively little change in rail and ferry numbers.
3.3
Passenger journeys to / from other countries: In
2004, there were 8.33 million passenger journeys to or from
Scotland to other countries, almost all by air. This was an
increase of 13% compared with 2003, when there were 7.34
million passenger journeys. The number of passenger
journeys has almost doubled from 1994 when the figure was
4.26 million.
3.4
Freight to / from other parts of
UK: In 2003, 36.5 million tonnes of
freight was lifted by either road, rail or water and
delivered to other parts of the
UK. This was a decrease of 2% over 2002
when 37.1 millions of tonnes of freight were lifted.
Freight delivered to Scotland from other parts of the
UK in 2003 was 26.6 million tonnes. This
was an increase of 9% over 2002 when 24.4 million tonnes
were delivered.
3.5
Freight to / from other countries: In 2003, there
was 59.9 million tonnes of freight were delivered outside
the
UK, almost all of which was carried by
water. This was a decrease of 13% over 2002 when 68.9
millions of tonnes of freight were lifted. Freight
delivered to Scotland from outside the
UK in 2003 was 10.2 million tonnes,
again almost all by water transport. This was a decrease of
17% over 2002 when 12.3 million tonnes were delivered.
4.
Comparison with Great Britain or the
UK(Tables SGB1 to SGB3)
4.1
Motor vehicles: In 2004, there were 48 vehicles
per 100 population in Scotland compared with 56 in Great
Britain.
Figure 9 shows that the number of vehicles per head of
population has been consistently lower in Scotland than in
Great Britain. In 2003 (the latest year for which
comparable figures are available), it is estimated that
around 69% of households in Scotland had the regular use of
a car compared to 74% in Great Britain as a whole. The
year-to-year fluctuations in the estimates for Scotland may
reflect sampling variability.
Figure 9 Vehicles
licensed per 100 population
4.2
Road network: Relative to the size of the
population, the length of the road network is greater in
Scotland than in Great Britain: in 2004, there were 10.7
kilometres of road per 1,000 population in Scotland
compared with only 6.7 kilometres per 1,000 population in
Great Britain.
4.3
Traffic: Per head of population, there is less
traffic on Motorways, more traffic on A roads, and less
traffic on all roads taken together (including B, C and
unclassified roads) in Scotland than in Great Britain.
4.4
Killed or seriously injured road accident
casualties: Over the past ten years, the number of
people who were killed or seriously injured in road
accidents fell more rapidly in Scotland than in Great
Britain: compared with 1994, the number in 2004 was 45%
lower in Scotland and 32% lower in Great Britain. However,
the number of people killed or seriously injured per head
of population in 2004 was almost the same in both Scotland
and Great Britain (about 0.6 per thousand).
4.5
Passenger journeys on local bus services: Since
1994-95, the fall in the number of passenger journeys on
local bus services has been 13% in Scotland. This compares
with an increase of 3% for Great Britain over the same
period. However,
Figure 10 shows that the usage of local bus services is higher
in Scotland than in Great Britain: in 2003-04, 89 journeys
were made per head of population in Scotland compared with
78 in Great Britain.
4.6
Rail passenger journeys:
Figure 11 shows that, per head of population, there are fewer
rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland than in
Great Britain: 13.1 per head in Scotland in 2003-04,
compared with 17.5 per head in Great Britain.
Figure 10 Passenger
numbers per head of population: local bus and
rail
Figure 11 Passenger
numbers per head of population: rail and air
4.6
Rail passenger journeys:
Figure 11 shows that, per head of population, there are fewer
rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland than in
Great Britain: 13.1 per head in Scotland in 2003-04,
compared with 17.5 per head in Great Britain.
4.7
Air passengers: Between 1994 and 2004, the number
of air terminal passengers increased by 92% for Scotland
and 77% for the
UK as a whole. Over the past ten years,
the number of passengers per head of population has been
higher for Scotland than for the
UK.
4.8
Freight: The amount of freight per head of
population which is lifted by road is slightly higher in
Scotland than in Great Britain, and the amounts per head
lifted by coastwise shipping and pipelines are
significantly greater in Scotland.
4.9
Travel to work: The percentage of people
travelling to work who do so by car has tended to be
slightly lower in Scotland than in Great Britain as a
whole, and the percentage using public transport has tended
to be slightly higher in Scotland than in Great Britain. In
Autumn 2004, 69% of people travelling to work in Scotland
did so by car (compared with 71% for Great Britain) and 15%
used public transport (compared with 14% for Great
Britain).
5.
Notes, Sources and Further
Information
5.1 In general, notes on and definitions of these
statistics, and details of the sources and where further
information may be found, appear at the start of the
relevant chapters. This section, therefore, only covers
matters which are
not dealt with there.
5.2
Vehicles Licensed:
See Chapter 1. The figures for
1962 to 1974 represented the numbers of licences current at
any time during the third quarter. They were derived from
an annual "census" which used the records held by local
licensing authorities. The method underlying the census
then changed as vehicle records were gradually transferred
from local taxation offices to the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Centre. Consequently, the figures for 1974 to
1978 are not comparable. No census results were available
for 1977. Censuses based entirely on the record of licensed
vehicles at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (
DVLA) began on 31 December 1978 and
subsequent counts were taken on the last day of each year
up to and including 31 December 1992. Thereafter, the
source of this information changed to the Vehicle
Information Database (
VID) held by what is now the Department
for Transport (DfT). The results conform to the same
definitions as earlier vehicle censuses, but, for technical
reasons, are considered slightly more reliable than earlier
estimates. Some vehicles have complicated licensing
histories that may include incidents such as cheques
failing to clear, changes of taxation status, late
payments, and one or more valid or invalid refund claims.
The
VID undertakes a more detailed
examination of licensing history than earlier vehicle
census analyses and is therefore able to provide better
estimates of licensed stock. The net effect of the change
to the
VID as the main source of statistics on
currently licensed stock was to produce a small reduction
in the estimated levels of licensed stock. The difference
between the two sources can be broadly estimated from
statistics for 1992 which are available from both the old
and new sources. The
VID figures for all vehicles licensed at
the end of 1992 are 2.4% lower for Scotland, and 3.1% lower
for England and Wales, than the
DVLA figures for the same date. For
example, the
VID figure for Scotland for 31 December
1992 is 1,840,000 compared with the
DVLA figure of 1,884,000. To estimate
the growth in the number of licensed vehicles over the
longer term, these changes should be used to adjust the
apparent vehicle growths calculated from figures which are
on different bases pre- and post-1992.
5.3
Bus Passengers:Chapter 2 describes the method
used to collect these statistics with effect from the
1985-86 financial year. A different method was used for
1984 and earlier years: the figures for 1975 to 1984 relate
to calendar years and, prior to 1986, the term "stage
services" was used (rather than "local services"). The
figures for 1960 to 1974 are on a different basis: they
were produced by adding together the total numbers of
passenger journeys reported by the Scottish Bus Group (for
calendar years) and the four city corporations (for
financial years). They therefore include any non-local
services run by these operators, and exclude any local (or
"stage") services that were run by other operators. In
addition, it appears that the figures reported by the
Glasgow city corporation may have included passenger
journeys on trolley buses and on the Glasgow
Underground.
5.4
Road Freight:Chapter 3 describes these
statistics. There is a small discontinuity between the
figures for 1986 and 1987: the former excludes freight
whose destination is Northern Ireland, and the latter
includes such freight. As Table 3.1 shows, the amount
involved is a very small percentage of the total.
5.5
Toll Bridges: See
Chapter 4. The Erskine Bridge
opened on 2nd July 1971, so the figure for that year does
not include a full year's contribution from that bridge.
The figure for 1979 is also incomplete, because no vehicle
crossings were recorded for the Erskine Bridge for about
two months due to industrial action by the toll
collectors.
5.6
Car Traffic on major roads:Chapter 6 describes the methods
used to estimate the volume of car traffic on major roads
in Scotland for 1983 and subsequent years. As those methods
cannot be used to estimate car traffic in Scotland for
earlier years, the Scottish Executive had to make ad-hoc
estimates for the years from 1975 to 1982. These ad-hoc
estimates were calculated using the rate of change in the
volume of traffic for Great Britain as a whole, adjusted to
take account of changes in the number of vehicles licensed
in Scotland relative to the number for Great Britain as a
whole. The estimates for 1975 to 1982 therefore indicate
the likely level of car traffic on major roads in Scotland
in those years, and may well be considerably less accurate
than the estimates for later years.
5.7
Rail Passengers: See
Chapter 8. The statistics
relate to financial years with effect from 1985-86. The
figure for 1984 is derived from a total for the
fifteen-month period 1 January 1984 to 31 March 1985, by
scaling this down to an estimate for a twelve-month period.
The figures for 1983 and earlier years are for calendar
years. The figures for 1990-91 and earlier years were
provided by British Rail after the end of each year; those
for 1991-92 to 1999-2000 were provided by the Association
of Train Operating Companies in Spring 2001.
5.8
Rail Freight: See
Chapter 8. The statistics
relate to financial years with effect from 1985-86. The
figure for 1984 is derived from a total for the
fifteen-month period from 1 January 1984 to 31 March 1985,
by scaling this down to an estimate for a twelve-month
period. The figures for 1983 and earlier years are for
calendar years.
5.9
Coastal shipping: The figures for Scotland cover
freight on coastwise voyages for which either the origin or
the destination (or both) is in Scotland -
i.e. all coastwise freight lifted in Scotland
plus the coastwise freight lifted elsewhere in the
UK which is discharged in Scotland. This
definition of coastal shipping excludes foreign, "one port"
and inland waterway freight shipping. For historical
reasons, the definition used for the "coastal shipping"
series differs from the definitions which are used for the
water transport statistics in chapter 10. There is a small
discontinuity between 1981 and 1982, due to a change in
definitions. The figures were provided by Mr John Ryan,
Department for Transport (tel: 0207 944 4443) who can
provide further information about them.
5.10
Coastwise Shipping: See
Chapter 10. These figures are
lower than the figures for coastal shipping, because the
latter includes freight lifted elsewhere in the
UK which is discharged in Scotland.
5.11
Pipelines: Apart from the figures for
GB for 1993 and earlier years, the
estimates are of the total carried by on-shore pipelines
which are at least 50 km in length and which carry crude
oil or products. ("Length 50+ km" is the definition which
is used for international comparisons.) The figures for
Scotland are the totals for pipelines which start in
Scotland. The estimates are produced by the Department of
Trade and Industry, based upon information which it obtains
from pipeline operators. In cases where
DTI cannot obtain any figures for the
most recent year(s), it assumes (for the purpose of
producing these estimates) that each of the pipelines
concerned continued to carry the same amount as in the
latest year for which a figure for it was provided to
DTI. The estimates were supplied by
DTI and Mr Clive Evans (tel: 0207 215
5189) can provide further information about them.
5.12
Figures for Great Britain (or the
UK): Occasionally, the figures
given for Great Britain (or for the
UK as a whole) are on a different basis
from the figures for Scotland. This is generally because
the figures for Scotland that have been published for many
years in
"Scottish Transport Statistics" are, for
historical reasons, on a different basis from that used for
the most readily available (or most often quoted) figures
for Great Britain (or the
UK), and we do not wish to publish here
GB/
UK figures which are on a different
basis from those normally used, as that could cause
confusion. Such differences in the bases of the figures for
Scotland and
GB/
UK should not prevent their use in a
broad comparison of the trends.
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