1. Introduction

1.1 Table 1.1 provides a summary of the trends for each mode of transport in Scotland over the past ten years. It is repeated in index form to facilitate comparison of the trends for the different modes.

2. Main Points

2.1 The number of motor vehicles licensed in Scotland in 1997 was 2.0 million, 3% more than the previous year, and is estimated to be about 32% more than the number in 1987 (see also chapter 1).

2.2 Passenger journeys on local bus services continued to fall. In 1996-97 there were 467 million passenger journeys on local services, 6% less than the previous year, and 28% less than in 1986-87 (see also chapter 2).

2.3 Goods lifted by road in 1996 were around 3% higher than in 1995, and were about 20% higher than in 1987 (see also chapter 3).

2.4 Over 17.5 million vehicles were recorded as crossing the Forth Road Bridge in 1997. From 1 September 1997, one-way tolls were introduced for the Forth Road Bridge northbound crossings, and southbound crossings were no longer counted. Therefore, this figure represents one year's northbound crossings plus only eight months' southbound crossings. Using more detailed (unpublished) information, adding the figure for the first eight months of the year to that of the last four (doubled) gives an estimated total of around 21 million vehicles crossing the bridge in 1997 (over 57,000 per day), and more than in any previous year (see also chapter 4).

2.5 Trunk road constructed/opened in 1996-97 was the highest in the past ten years, and was more than three times that for the previous year (which was unusually low). (see also chapter 5)

2.6 Over the past ten years, the number of injury road accidents has fallen considerably. In 1997, the number of fatal accidents was 34% lower than in 1987, and the total number of fatal and serious and accidents was 40% lower (see also chapter 7).

2.7 Over the past ten years, the number of rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland has remained between 50 and 55 million per year. It is estimated that the total number of passenger journeys in 1996-97 increased by 5% over the previous year (see also chapter 8).

2.8 There were 14.4 million air terminal passengers at airports in Scotland in 1997, 9% higher than in the previous year, and 85% more than in 1987 (see also chapter 9).

2.9 In 1997 passengers carried on shipping services within Scotland (eg excluding Northern Irish services) increased by 1% on the previous year to 5.6 million. Over the same period the number of vehicles carried remained unchanged at just under 1.2 million. ( The longer-term trends are affected by the reduction in traffic that followed the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995) (see also chapter 10).

3. Notes, Sources and Further Information

3.1 In general, notes and definitions of these statistics, and details of the sources of the statistics and where further information may be found, appear at the start of the chapter on each topic. This section, therefore, only covers matters which are not dealt with there.

3.2 Coastal Shipping

3.2.1 Coastal shipping: covers Scottish coastwise shipping plus UK coastwise shipping with destination Scotland, less double counting of freight at both origin and destination ports. Coastal shipping excludes foreign and "one port" freight shipping. The coverage of coastal shipping is different from the water transport statistics provided in chapter 10, where domestic water transport covers coastwise and "one port" freight shipping, and does not exclude double counting of freight at origin and destination ports.

3.3 Pipelines

3.3.1 Pipelines: covers the total carried by all pipelines which are in excess of 50km in length and which carry crude oil. Pipelines which are less than 50km long are excluded.