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Introduction
1.1 The tables that follow provide a summary of the trends for each mode of transport in Scotland over the past ten years, and a comparison of some key figures for Scotland and Great Britain (or, in a few cases, the UK as a whole).
2. Transport in Scotland: main points
2.1 The number of motor vehicles licensed in Scotland in 2000 was almost 2.2 million, 3% more than the previous year, and is estimated to be about 25% higher than the number in 1990, when account is taken of the change in the basis of the figures in 1993. There were roughly 220,000 new vehicle registrations in 2000, the highest number ever recorded. Figure 1 shows a generally steady increase in vehicle numbers, the majority of which are in the "Private and Light Goods" taxation class (see also chapter 1).
2.2 In 1999-00 there were 431 million passenger journeys on local services, 4% more than the previous year, but 30% less than in 1989-90. The increase in passenger numbers in 1999-00 was the first rise for many years. However, local bus passenger numbers are still significantly higher than those for other modes of public transport (see also chapter 2).
2.3 Freight lifted by road in 2000 was almost 159 million tonnes, slightly more than that lifted in 1999, and only slightly lower than the amount lifted 10 years earlier (about 161 million tonnes). Apart from a dip in 1991, the volume of road freight has usually been close to the average for the period of 157 million tonnes per year (see also chapter 3).
2.4 In 2000, almost 11.1 million vehicles were recorded as crossing the Forth Road Bridge northbound. In total, around 22.2 million vehicles were estimated to have crossed the bridge in 2000 (almost 61,000 per day), and more than in any previous year (see also chapter 4).
2.5 Trunk road constructed/opened in 1999-00 was the lowest in the past ten years (see also chapter 5).
2.6 The estimated total volume of traffic on Scotland's roads in 2000 was about 43.2 billion (thousand million) vehicle kilometres: apparently 0.3% less than in 1999, having been affected by the fuel protests in September. Traffic on major roads (motorways and A roads) amounted to an estimated 25.2 billion vehicle kilometres in 2000. As the estimates for major roads for the five years from 1996 to 2000 have fluctuated between roughly 24.5 and 25.6 billion vehicle kilometres per year, it appears that the total volume of traffic on major roads has remained broadly unchanged between 1996 and 2000. However, the longer-term picture is different: the estimated total volume of traffic on major roads has grown by about 16% since 1990. (see also chapter 6).
2.7 Over the past ten years, the number of injury road accidents has fallen considerably. Although the number of fatal accidents in 2000 was 11 (4%) more than the figure for 1999, it was still the second lowest figure since the current records of the numbers of fatal accidents began in 1970 (see also chapter 7).
2.8 The total number of rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland was 67.5 million in 1999-00, 2.9 million (4%) more than in the previous year, and about 30% more than 10 years earlier. Following a rise and then a fall in the early 1990's, passenger numbers have increased every year since 1994-95. (see also chapter 8).
2.9 There were about 16.8 million air terminal passengers at airports in Scotland in 2000, 5% more than in the previous year, and 71% more than in 1990. Figure 3 shows a fairly steady rise in passenger numbers after 1991 (see also chapter 9).
2.10 In 2000, the number of passengers carried on selected shipping services within Scotland (those services for which at least ten years’ figures are available) was 5.3 million, 0.6% fewer than in the previous year. The number of vehicles carried was over 1.1 million 1.5% more than in 1999. 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. Comparison with Great Britain (or the UK): main points
3.1 In 2000, there were 43 vehicles per 100 population in Scotland compared with 50 in Great Britain. Historically, the number of vehicles per head of population has been lower in Scotland than in Great Britain. In 1999 (the latest year for which comparable figures are available), it is estimated that around 66% of households in Scotland had the regular use of a car compared to 72% in Great Britain as a whole. The year-to-year fluctuations in the estimates for Scotland may reflect sampling variability.
3.2 Relative to the size of the population, the length of the road network is greater in Scotland than in Great Britain: in 1999, there were 10.5 kilometres of road per 1,000 population in Scotland compared with only 6.4 kilometres per 1,000 population in Great Britain.
3.3 Per head of population, there is less traffic on Motorways, and more traffic on A roads, in Scotland than in Great Britain. However, over the past ten years, the volume of Motorway traffic is estimated to have risen more rapidly in Scotland than in Great Britain.
3.4 Over the past ten years, the total number of injury road accidents fell more rapidly in Scotland than in Great Britain: the number of accidents in 2000 was 25% lower than 1990 in Scotland and 10% lower in Great Britain. Historically, the number of accidents per head of population has been lower in Scotland than in Great Britain.
3.5 Since 1990-91, the decrease in the number of passenger journeys on local bus services has been more rapid in Scotland (26%) than in Great Britain (12%). However, the usage of local bus services is still higher in Scotland than in Great Britain: in 1999-00, 84 journeys were made per head of population in Scotland compared with 74 journeys in Great Britain.
3.6 Per head of population, there are fewer rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland than in Great Britain: 13.2 per head in Scotland in 1999-00, compared with 16.4 per head in Great Britain.
3.7 In the last ten years, the increase in the number of air terminal passengers was slightly lower in Scotland than in the UK as a whole: between 1990 and 2000, the number of passengers increased by 71% in Scotland but by 76% for the UK. However, over the past ten years the Scottish number of passengers per head of population has been higher than that of the UK.
3.8 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 coastal shipping and pipelines are significantly greater in Scotland.
3.9 The percentage of people travelling to work who do so by car is slightly lower in Scotland than in Great Britain as a whole, and the percentage using public transport is lsightly higher in Scotland than in Great Britain. In Autumn 2000, 67% of people travelling to work in Scotland did so by car (compared with 70% for Great Britain) and 16% used public transport (14% for Great Britain).
4. Notes, Sources and Further Information
4.1 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.
4.2 Coastal shipping: The figures for Scotland cover freight on coastwise voyages for which either the origin or the destination 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. The figures were provided by Mr John Ryan, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (tel: 0207 944 4443) who can provide further information about them.
4.3 Pipelines: Apart from the figures for GB for 1993 and earlier years, the statistics are of the total carried by pipelines which are longer than 50 km and which carry crude oil or products. The figures were provided by Mr Ian Corrie, Dept. of Trade and Industry (tel: 0207 215 2714), who can provide further information about them.
4.4 Figures for Great Britain (or the UK): Two points should be noted.
First, the "pipelines" figures for GB for 1994 onwards which were which were published last year have been replaced by a series whose definition is the same as that used for the Scottish figures.
Second, 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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