Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 4:18 pm on 15 November 2007.

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Photo of Marilyn Livingstone Marilyn Livingstone Labour 4:18, 15 November 2007

I thank the Presiding Officer for giving me the opportunity to participate in the debate. It will come as no surprise to the Parliament that I will speak in support of the removal of tolls from the Forth and Tay road bridges.

There is no doubt that both bridges are essential to the social and economic well-being of Fife, including my Kirkcaldy constituency. They are crucial in providing access to jobs and markets for local businesses and residents, who must be allowed such access on an equal basis with the rest of Scotland. The removal of the tolls will do just that, which is why I warmly welcome the bill.

In my submission to my colleague Helen Eadie's consultation as part of her draft proposal to remove tolls from the Forth and Tay bridges, I made the point that the removal of tolls would allow Fife to compete equally with other areas of Scotland and would have an extremely positive social impact. As others have mentioned, that view is supported by Fife Chamber of Commerce and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, which said in evidence that the tolls on Fife's bridges are

"a barrier to economic growth, particularly in Fife. There is no evidence to support the idea that tolls benefit the economy; if anything, they have the opposite effect. We could produce a range of evidence to prove that the tolls are detrimental to tourism, which is one of the major industries in Scotland and Fife."—[Official Report, Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, 25 September 2007; c 129.]

The toll impact study suggests that about 1,000 additional jobs will be created in Fife following the abolition of the tolls. Businesses will benefit from a reduction in their transportation costs. However, as has been said, the committee noted that increased congestion, particularly on the Forth road bridge, is likely to bring economic disadvantage and have an environmental impact. We must pay heed to that.

Fife Council was concerned that, in its early phase, the toll impact study did not properly reflect the measures that the council introduced to mitigate the effect of increases in road traffic. A council representative said that the tolled bridges review phase 1 to phase 3 reports show the projected increase in traffic movements reducing from 40 per cent to 10 per cent and asked whether, if there were a phase 4 report that took other matters into account, that would further reduce the increased volume of traffic using the bridge. That question is important and I would like the minister to answer it, if possible.

My constituents and the wider east of Scotland region have experienced major improvements because the A8000 has been upgraded, as Helen Eadie mentioned. That has removed one of the major barriers that caused increasing traffic congestion. I congratulate all who were involved in that major project.

Members who represent Fife must take economic disadvantage seriously. Fife Chamber of Commerce members have raised with Fife MSPs the economic disadvantage of congestion. What action will the Scottish Government take on the committee's recommendations that the Government should provide appropriate funding for any remedial or mitigating measures and that it should fund any additional traffic management measures that may be considered necessary?

I ask the minister to answer the following specific questions about support for appropriate modal shift measures. Does he agree that a new crossing is crucial to the economy of Fife and Scotland? Will he support a multimodal option for a new crossing, to give the people of my constituency and the wider Fife community a public transport option? Will he say how soon work will commence? Will he support increased park-and-ride opportunities, especially for people in mid-Fife, who find it difficult to reach Inverkeithing park and ride?

What plans does the Scottish Government have for further development of sustainable transport initiatives, such as bus priority and rail travel measures, including the continued expansion of parking facilities at railway stations throughout Fife? The lack of parking is still a major barrier. Also, what support will be given to cycle use?

Will the Government support the initiatives for ferry or hovercraft services from my constituency to Edinburgh? How will the minister mitigate the negative impact that the Government's rejection of the Edinburgh airport rail link has had on my constituents? That link would have not only given the people of Fife a direct route to Edinburgh airport but opened up the rail network to them. The failure to support the link has dramatically reduced their access to public transport options.

When the minister considers transport spending initiatives, I ask him to take on board the issues that have been raised today. I ask the Parliament to support the bill to ensure equity for the people of my constituency and the wider Fife community.