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5 Annexes
5.1 Invitation to Respond to the Consultation Paper
Our Partnership Agreement made a commitment to carry out a review of all the tolled bridges in Scotland. The first phase of that review was completed in November of last year. The second phase will now look in more detail at the options for the future management and operation of the Forth Road Bridge, the Tay Road Bridge and the Erskine Bridge.
I am keen to receive your opinion on two major issues. The first is considering a tolling strategy - what objectives can we achieve or support through tolling? What factors should be considered when setting toll levels?
The other is the means by which those objectives can be achieved - what arrangements for managing our tolled bridges are appropriate?
I look forward to hearing your views on how Scotland's tolled bridges can be most effectively managed, and help make a real difference to the delivery of better transport in Scotland.
Nicol Stephen MSP
Minister for Transport
5.2 The Consultation Questions
Towards a Strategy for Tolled Bridges
Exemptions
QUESTION 1: Do you think that the system for verifying Blue Badge exemptions should be changed? If so, can you suggest what these changes should be?
QUESTION 2: Do you consider that the exemptions for emergency service vehicles should remain limited to the Ambulance, Fire and Police Services, or should we consider extending this to cover other key services?
QUESTION 3: Vehicles used by bridge authorities to respond to breakdowns on each bridge are exempt. Do you see a case for extending exemptions to the AA, RAC or other commercial breakdown services responding to breakdowns on the road network other than where this is the responsibility of the bridge authorities?
QUESTION 4: Should public transport vehicles and multiple occupancy vehicles be considered for exemption from bridge tolls?
Discounts
QUESTION 5: Should tolled bridges offer multiple crossing discount vouchers to all bridge users, or particular classes of users such as buses or multiple occupancy vehicles? If so, why should this be?
Common Vehicle Classification System
QUESTION 6: What are your views on a common vehicle classification system for levying tolls at all Scotland's tolled bridges?
Reducing Traffic and Congestion on Tolled Bridges
QUESTION 7: Should we encourage modal shift from single occupancy cars to public transport and multiple occupancy vehicles on all tolled bridges? If so, how might this be achieved?
QUESTION 8: Do you think that raising tolls at peak times would result in less congestion at those times?
Tolls Reflecting the Cost of Wear and Tear
QUESTION 9: Should tolls reflect the impacts of different vehicle types on the need for maintenance, repair and strengthening programmes? If so, do you have suggestions for how this might be done?
Procedure for Changing Tolls or Charges
QUESTION 10: Do you think the current process involving Public Local Inquiries is appropriate for making changes to tolls or charges to meet the costs of managing, maintaining and operating a bridge?
QUESTION 11: Do you consider that final approval by Scottish Ministers is an essential safeguard for toll/charge payers or do you think the final decision is a matter for the management authority for the bridge?
QUESTION 12: Do you consider all tolls should be subject to increases linked to an inflation index?
Management Options for the Scottish Tolled Bridges
Scottish Executive/National Transport Agency Option
QUESTION 13: What advantages and disadvantages do you see if any or all of the tolled bridges were to be managed by the Scottish Executive or the national transport agency?
Regional Transport Partnerships Option
QUESTION 14: Should we consider transferring some or all of the powers and functions of current bridge authorities to Regional Transport Partnerships in future?
QUESTION 15: As the Erskine Bridge functions both as a key national and strategic link for the West of Scotland as well as an important local link for communities north and south of the River Clyde, do you see any argument for de-trunking it so that it could become the responsibility of the RTP for the West of Scotland?
Forth Estuary Transport Authority Model
QUESTION 16: Do you have any views on the advantages or disadvantages of the FETA model, for any or all of the bridges?
Tay Road Bridge Joint Board Model
QUESTION 17: Do you have any views on the advantages or disadvantages of the TRBJB model, for any or all of the bridges?
Single Tolled Bridges Authority Option
QUESTION 18: Do you think there would be any merit in having a single body responsible for operating and managing all tolled bridges in Scotland?
QUESTION 19: If you think all bridges should be run by one body what form, powers and functions should this body have?
Other Management Options
QUESTION 20: Are there any other management options that you would like to suggest?
5.3 Consultation Paper Distribution List
Respondents are indicated in boldface type
All Members of the Scottish Parliament ( MSPs)
Jackie Baillie MSP, Member for Dumbarton
Trish Godman MSP, Member for West Renfrewshire
Des McNulty MSP, Member for Clydebank and Milngavie
Amey Highways
Angus & City of Dundee Tourist Board
Angus Council
APCOA Parking ( UK) Ltd
Argyll & Bute Council
Argyll, The Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling & Trossachs
Association of Car Fleet Operators
Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland ( ACPOS)
Association of Commuter Transport
Association of Road Traffic Safety and Management
Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers
Automobile Association ( AA)
Bear Scotland Ltd
British International Freight Association
British Motorcycle Federation
British Roads Federation
British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association
CBI (Scotland)
Centre for Scottish Public Policy
Centre for Transport Policy
CFOA (S) Intervention Business Stream
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
City of Edinburgh Council
Clackmannanshire Council
Clydeport Operations Ltd
Commission for Integrated Transport
Communities Scotland
Confederation of Passenger Transport ( UK)
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA)
Cycling Scotland
Department for Transport
Disability Rights Commission
Disabled Drivers Association
Disabled Motorists Association
Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce
Dundee and Tayside Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Dundee City Council
Edinburgh & Lothians Tourist Board
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
Erskine Hospital
Faber Maunsell
Falkirk Council
Federation of Small Businesses
Fife Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise Limited
Fife Council
Fife Fire and Rescue Service
Forth Estuary Transport Authority ( FETA)
Forth Ports PLC
Freight Transport Association
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
Glasgow City Council
Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley Tourist Board
Greenock Chamber of Commerce
Institute of Highways and Transportation
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Highways & Transportation
Inverclyde Council
Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Midlothian Council
Mobility Access Committee for Scotland ( MACS)
Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland
MVA Ltd
NESTRANS
NHS Argyll & Clyde Board
NHS Fife Board
NHS Greater Glasgow Board
NHS Lothian Board
NHS Tayside Board
Perth & Kinross Council
Perthshire Chamber of Commerce
Perthshire Tourist Board
RAC plc
Renfrewshire Council
Road Haulage Association
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance
Scottish Ambulance Service
Scottish Association for Public Transport
Scottish Chambers of Commerce
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Environment Protection Agency ( SEPA)
Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Transport Studies Group
SESTRAN
Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland
SPOKES
Spokes Lothian UK
Stirling Council
Strathclyde Fire Brigade
Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive ( SPTA)
SUSTRANS
Tay Road Bridge Joint Board
Tayside Fire Brigade
TRANSform Scotland
Transport Initiatives Edinburgh ( TIE)
Transport Planning Society
Transport Research Institute
TRL Scotland
VisitScotland
WEBS
West Dunbartonshire Council
West Lothian Council
WESTRANS
5.4 Additional Respondents
Civil Engineering Contractors Association
Councillor Jane Ann Liston, Fife Council
The Liberal Democrat Councillors in the East Area of Fife
Napier University School of Management
National Alliance Against Tolls (Scotland)
RAC Foundation
Scottish Council for Development and Industry
Stagecoach
Individuals:
Ronald Beasley
Steven Beaton
Gerald Cooper
Lyndsey Craik
Lynda Dobinson
Gilbert Forbes
Martin Gallagher
Alistair Graham
Peter Handley
R. Heyworth
Donald MacKintosh
Elizabeth McKerrall
Paul Maitland
Confidential x 5
5.5 Summary of Reasons Given in Support of Objections to Tolling
A significant number of respondents volunteered objections to the continuation of tolling at one or more of Scotland's three tolled bridges. Although beyond the scope of the Tolled Bridges Review Phase Two consultation, a summary of these comments is provided in this section in the spirit of openness. The full text of all non-confidential responses can be seen as described in section 2.5 of this report.
Because of the qualitative nature of these comments, neither a count of their number nor a bridge-by-bridge analysis is provided for the reasons outlined at section 2.6.3.3 of this report. The factual accuracy of the comments summarised in this section is subject to the qualification at section 2.7.
Financial
- The original purpose of the tolls was to recover construction costs which have long since been met.
- Current accounting practice prevents repayment of the Erskine Bridge 'book debt' thus tolling is likely to continue indefinitely.
- The loss of tolling income would be partially offset by the discontinuation of administration costs and could easily be absorbed within the Executive's budget.
- Bridge maintenance costs are already paid for by users through Vehicle Excise Duty and Fuel Duty and should be met from central government funds.
Function of Tolls
- Tolls are appropriate only for demand management purposes and this is currently unnecessary at all three tolled bridges
- Many of the tolling strategy issues raised in the Consultation Paper would be resolved by abolition of the tolls
Economy, Environment and Social Inclusion
- Tolls create an artificial barrier to trade, discourage the free movement of goods and labour, discriminate against users of certain parts of the road network and make already disadvantaged areas less competitive.
- Toll collection requires vehicles to make unnecessary stops which is damaging to the environment and to people's health. It causes delays and prolongs periods of congestion, both of which can affect non-bridge traffic.
- Removal of tolls at Erskine Bridge would reduce congestion at other city centre crossings and encourage greater use of this under-utilised major transport asset.
- Tolls particularly affect the people of Fife who face a bridge toll at two entrances
- Tolls are regressive charges which penalise those on low incomes.
- Tolls contravene Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
- Goods vehicles face the prospect of double charging with the introduction of Lorry Road User Charging.
Consistency
- Abolition of tolls would bring the three tolled bridges in line with all other bridges in Scotland, many of which are equally significant to the road network.
- As a trunk road, Erskine Bridge should be toll-free.
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