Bridge and road tolls could be reintroduced in Scotland more than a decade after they were scrapped, it has been reported.
In a bid to cut pollution from car journeys, the Scottish Government is considering bringing in levies on motorists 14 years after they were lifted.
The option has been included in plans being drawn up by transport chiefs in a bid to cut car use as part of efforts to reach emissions targets.
Ministers in the SNP-Green government regard the return of tolls as “inevitable”, according to the Sunday Times.
Bridge tolls were a hugely controversial subject in the first decade of devolution, before the charges were removed from the Skye Bridge in 2004 and the Erskine Bridge in 2006.
READ MORE: 'From 15p tolls, to peaceful protests, the bridge is 50 years old'
Fresh plans for road pricing are said to be at an early stage, but it could mean motorways such as the M8 being tolled, and a return to charges for bridges and tunnels.
Glasgow City Council reportedly backs the move to help cut car journeys by 30 per cent.
The government is aiming for a 20% reduction by the end of the decade.
Tolls were abolished on the Sky Bridge by Labour in 2004
According to The Sunday Times, a Transport Scotland “route map” suggests that public opinion has shifted since the 2000s, with research showing that “in 2021 more people support than oppose road pricing as a concept, with a majority of people agreeing that road pricing would reduce congestion and pollution”.
It also says that other steps to discourage car use will be explored to enable the development of a new “car demand management framework” by 2025.
This would take into account the needs of people in rural areas and island communities as well as those on low incomes.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: “With Scotland’s public transport system in a dire state, many Scots have no choice but to drive.
“If the SNP can’t deliver a public transport system that offers a workable alternative to cars, then plans to charge drivers for using roads will only hurt motorists – without achieving any progress toward environmental goals.
“Road charging schemes may be in the mix in the future. But before punishing ordinary Scots in an effort to meet green targets, the SNP should focus on delivering a public transport system that is actually fit for purpose.”
The Erskine Bridge
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We have committed in the 20% car kilometre reduction route map to commission research exploring a range of equitable options for demand management to discourage car use, including pricing.
“This will enable the development of a new Framework for Car Demand Management by 2025, taking into account the needs of people in rural areas and people on low incomes to help ensure a just transition to net-zero.
READ MORE: Skye Bridge — 25 years since opening and tolls controversy
“The research will allow Scottish Government to build the evidence base on demand management options and inform our position on the reform of reserved motoring taxes. Meanwhile we will continue to press the UK Government for constructive dialogue on its plans for structural reform of motoring taxation, which the UK Government itself acknowledged is inevitable and required in their recent Net Zero Review.
“Enabling legislation for road pricing is already in place in Scotland, yet no local authority has pursued this since Edinburgh held a referendum in 2005.”
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