The Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change committee has endorsed the Bill to abolish tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges, but committee convener Patrick Harvie has dissented from the overall recommendation of the Bill’s general principles.

While proposals to abolish the tolls on the Forth and Tay Road Bridges have been endorsed by the majority of a parliamentary committee, the report makes a series of unanimous recommendations on the need to ensure that steps are taken to deal with the expected increase in traffic congestion and the negative environmental impact of the toll removal.

The report also outlines the Committee's concerns that the first Bill brought forward by the new Scottish Government will result in an increase in CO2 emissions.

Harvie said: “The majority of our Committee agrees with the Scottish Government's proposals to remove the tolls on the Forth and Tay Road Bridges, given that Fife is the only part of Scotland which routinely faces this cost.

“However, our Committee is concerned that the removal of the bridge tolls on both the Forth and Tay Road Bridges will result in a negative environmental impact, particularly in terms of increased CO2 emissions. We also accept that increased congestion and longer journey times are expected as a result of the removal of tolls. We have therefore strongly recommended in our report that measures are put in place in an effort to mitigate the extent of these negative effects.”

The Committee has also recommended that all future transport proposals should be developed in a way that ensures they will make a positive net contribution to the reduction in emissions. It also stated that the Scottish Government should provide appropriate funding for any remedial or mitigating measures that may be identified as being necessary to address any negative environmental impacts from removing the tolls, and that the Scottish Government should explain in more detail what steps it intends to take to restrain road traffic across the Forth to 2006 levels.

It also called on the Government to fund any additional traffic management measures which may be considered necessary, and that necessary funding for bus priority measures should be provided.

Whilst the Committee acknowledged the general and strong perception of Fife residents that they are treated unfairly in comparison to users of the road network in other areas of Scotland, it also took the view that equity should not generally be considered as a transport policy objective, owing to its subjectivity.

Harvie added: “Personally, I was unable to agree that the removal of tolls is a positive step given the negative environmental impact that will result and my concerns about the strength of the 'equity argument'. I have therefore dissented from the majority view of the Committee that tolls should be removed. However, if the bill is agreed, the Scottish Government must agree the strong recommendations of our Committee on the introduction of measures to mitigate the negative environmental impact of the proposals.”

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