National Alliance Against Tolls - Scotland Tolls News 2006

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SCOTLAND TOLLS NEWS 2006
Scotland News 2007   Scotland News 2005   Edinburgh Toll Poll "News"

Saturday 30th December
  • Helen Eadie has - "Vast support for bill to abolish tolls" according to a report in today's Courier. The problem is that nothing is likely to happen with this bill or Bruce Crawford's bill.

  • The Courier also published this letter from us -
    In Thursday's Courier, Lars Niven reported on the progress being made with the new Kincardine bridge. With the increasing calls for another Forth road crossing, perhaps someone from the Executive could explain to Courier readers how it was decided that the new bridge would only have a single carriageway. For a little more money they could have had more traffic lanes. Or is the idea that the bridge will be congested, and give them an excuse to eventually toll it and thus encourage more people to grow wings?


    Thursday 27th December
    The Courier reports on the new toy bridge on the upper Forth - "Bridge about to shape up at Kincardine".


    Saturday 21st December
    More hype, including SNP proposing that a new crossing should be financed with "bonds", they don't say how the bonds are to be paid off - Tolls? Scotsman Friday - "SNP backs plan to go under the Forth"   Courier Friday - "Tunnel mooted for new Forth crossing"   Evening News Friday - "Engineer's delight as support for Forth tunnel starts to grow"   Evening News Thursday - "Tunnel emerges as Forth favourite"   Scotsman Thursday - "Timetable demand for new Forth crossing".


    Wednesday 20th December
    The alliance's petition has had two mentions -     Today's Courier   Tuesday's Evening News.


    Tuesday 19th December
  • The Tay bridge board have shown good sense by again delaying wasting money on new tolls facility - Courier - "Toll plaza delay gives hope for campaign".

  • Tavish has agreed to building a new Forth road bridge, so they say - Scotsman Tuesday - "Nationalists and Green Party clash over Executive backing for new Forth crossing"   Scotsman Tuesday - "With bridge facts all to hand, why did U-turn take so long?"   BBC Tuesday - "Bridge replacement wins backing"   Scotsman Saturday - "Confirmation of new Forth crossing may come before Christmas"


    Friday 15th December
  • There are now at least 6 petitions to the Prime Minister against one form or other of tolls. So we have now started one against all tolls - existing and planned. The petition does not expire for another 12 months, so it is probably Gordon Brown who will get it!

  • Wednesday's Courier had this letter from us -
    "Sir,
    You reported on Wednesday that the Fife Lib Dems were backing the removal of tolls. It was also said that Willie Rennie MP and Councillor Jim Tolson are organising a petition against the toll.
    In March, this motion was moved at Fife Council - "Firstly, that Fife Council and Dundee City Council lead a campaign to remove tolls on the Forth and Tay Bridges. Secondly, that we actively seek the support of the people of Fife and Dundee in our campaign. Thirdly, that we actively seek the support of all public and representative bodies in Fife and Dundee and fourthly, that we seek the support of all MSPs, MPs and all of Scotland's Councils."
    56 councillors voted for this motion, including some of the Lib Dem councillors, but Councillor Jim Tolson was one of those who tried to stop it.
    Also on Wednesday you reported on the new Transport plan from Tavish Scott and the Executive. The plan says "We will abolish road tolling across the whole of Scotland, when road user pricing is introduced".
    Do Tavish, Willie and Jim, think that it is now OK to remove bridge tolls as the plan is now to bring in "road pricing", and road pricing doesn’t mean tolls — does it?"

  • On Tuesday the Evening Times reported on repairs to the now toll free Erskine bridge - "45 weeks of repairs on Erskine Bridge".


    Monday 11th December
    More of you know what - Evening News - "Business says act faster on Forth crossing".


    Saturday 9th December
    More from the Scotsman's campaign for a new bridge - "Decide now - or pay price at polls".


    Friday 8th December
    First Minister "pledges" new road bridge - Courier - "McConnell gives firm pledge on new Forth crossing"   Scotsman - "McConnell accused over pledge on new Forth crossing".


    Thursday 7th December
  • Last night's report about Shona Robison asking the Minister about the tolls "study" is in this morning's Courier.
    Shona says "This could have been sorted months ago if MSPs had voted for my motion in March calling for tolls to be abolished. This would have allowed the people of Dundee and Fife to cross the Tay and Forth without the regressive charges.”. Unfortunately Shona's motion only related to the Tay tolls, despite our plea for a motion from an MSP to remove both tolls.

  • Two more stories in the Courier - "Businesses demand action on crossing"   "FSB gives guarded support to road charging".


    Wednesday 6th December
  • Shona Robison has been asking the Minister some questions about the tolls study. She could just as well have asked the man in the moon - Evening Telegraph - "Bridge toll study ‘waste of money’".

  • The Evening Times reports that Scotland is volunteering to be first in the UK with road pricing. Or to be more correct Nicol Stephen, the Lib Dem leader is volunteering Scotland - "Scotland could be first for road charging trial".

  • As expected Gordon is increasing fuel duty - Evening News - "Brown takes on Cameron in green pre-budget report".

  • Some more reports this morning on the transport plan which was released yesterday - Courier - "No Forth crossing verdict in strategy"   Daily Record - "GREEN FOR GO"   The Herald - "Pay-per-mile road charging pilot for Scottish drivers"   Scotsman - "Transport plan reveals crackdown on speeding but no Forth crossing".
    Online comments at the Scotsman include -
    Jockyw - "No one has a clue what they are doing. How much time & money has been wasted with past, current & future spin?"
    PeteB, St Andrews - "Another scheme for raising money that will be frittered away"
    Mareng - "TAX TAX TAX!!"
    Rab, Glasgow - "Executive are nothing but money grabbing parasites, that are being controled by london."
    Mv - "Another TAX for the peasants of this small country, will tax the majority off the roads onto an already poor public transport system while those that can afford it will be able to drive their huge vehicles on the roads. Edinburgh council has created more congestion by its totally flawed transport policy, 50% reduction in traffic flow on roads leading into the city using bus lanes, mindless closing of roads around the city centre, footpaths moved into the centre of the roads in morningside to block traffic while buses stop, hatched lines everywhere at junctions to stop flow, etc..."

  • This is the press release that we sent out yesterday - "Our first concern relates to the existing two bridge tolls, where the latest Executive consultation and study on the two tolls is supposed to be completed later this month. Paragraph 115 of Tuesday's transport report says that - "We will abolish road tolling across the whole of Scotland, when road user pricing is introduced". Does the Executive think we are all so daft that we don't know "road pricing" is tolls?
    This is further proof that the consultation and study will have been another sham exercise intended to mislead people. It will be many years before Scotland attempts to introduce road pricing. Till then it appears that the intention is that the people of Fife and Tayside will continue to suffer.
    When road pricing is introduced, it will be a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire, with tolls that could be up to £1.50 a mile.

    Our other concern relates to road pricing with the Executive supporting the plans coming from the UK Government. Ken Livingstone may be getting away with £8 tolls in London, but have the Executive already forgotten that last year the people of Edinburgh rejected tolls by a margin of three to one? That result was despite a massive spin campaign and 40% of Edinburgh households not having a car.
    One reason that Edinburgh rejected tolls was that people didn't want a system where vast amounts would inevitably be wasted on collection and enforcement. When Alistair Darling was the Transport Secretary he revealed that the initial cost of implementing road pricing could be £62 billion for the UK. What a scandalous waste of taxpayers money.
    The people of Edinburgh also realised that tolls would encourage some drivers to use longer and less suitable routes. With a complex system of road pricing, we will have people confusedly driving round in circles to avoid the highest tolls. Road pricing will waste money, increase driver frustration and will hit the poorest drivers the hardest. Drivers are already paying one billion pounds a week in taxes, they want better roads not a toll tax."
  • The Courier reports that the Lib Dems are now backing the removal of the bridge tolls. They also say that Willie Rennie MP and Councillor Jim Tolson are organising a petition against the toll - "Fife Lib Dems come off the fence".Really?
    In March, this motion was moved at Fife Council - "Firstly, that Fife Council and Dundee City Council lead a campaign to remove tolls on the Forth and Tay Bridges. Secondly, that we actively seek the support of the people of Fife and Dundee in our campaign. Thirdly, that we actively seek the support of all public and representative bodies in Fife and Dundee and fourthly, that we seek the support of all MSPs, MPs and all of Scotland's Councils." 56 councillors voted for this motion, including some of the Lib Dem councillors, but Councillor Jim Tolson was one of those who tried to stop it!!


    Tuesday 5th December
  • Tavish the Toll has just released the Executive's latest master plan - "Scotland's National Transport Strategy ". They want tolls on most roads - BBC - "Transport 'roadmap' for way ahead". Laughably paragraph 115 of the reports says that - "We will abolish road tolling across the whole of Scotland, when road user pricing is introduced". Does he think we are all so daft that we don't know "road pricing" is tolls?
    The BBC also has some views from us and others, it is disappointing to see that we appear to be the only ones opposed to this.

  • More doom on the Forth road bridge according to the Scotsman - this time it is the barriers, which they now think may have to be replaced costing millions and causing more delays - "Threat of more delays as 'too weak' crash barriers set for tests".

  • And more from last night's Evening News - "Strong winds bring chaos to drivers on Forth Road Bridge"   "£7.8m rustbuster to stop rot on Forth Bridge cables".

  • Courier report on last night's meeting about a new bridge - "Urgency of need for new bridge stressed".

  • The Courier also had this letter from us - "Recently you carried a story about the public meeting organised by FETA. It was said people would be given “the facts, no spin, no exaggeration, just the facts”.
    Maybe so, but on Saturday you had another story about the Forth Road Bridge which referred to £15 million of debt. The “fact” is that there is currently no debt on the bridge and the last published accounts showed that they had a surplus of nearly £19 million.
    It seems that FETA may be about to borrow money which it doesn’t yet need. What makes this even odder is that when FETA applied for the last toll increase, they said it was necessary as they wanted to spend over £100 million on the bridge and the A8000.
    The NAAT suggested to the Toll Inquiry in December 2004 that tolls should not be paying for the A8000, and that if all this spending was really necessary then FETA had the power to borrow and spread the cost over future years. FETA persuaded the inquiry that the spending could or should not be financed by borrowing. We wonder what “facts” have changed?"
    Monday 4th December
  • Scottish anti road group "Transform" are backing proposal for tolls on all roads - Evening News.

  • The Courier gives some publicity for tonight's meeting - "Road bridge facts to be spelled out". It is said that it will be "the facts, no spin, no exaggeration, just the facts”. Can this be relied on, from an organisation that have been spinning so long on the tolls "facts""?

  • The Scotsman campaign for a new bridge continues this morning with "Prosperity lies in a tale of more than two cities".

  • The Scotsman also gives space to David Begg, the architect of Edinburgh's defeated toll plans. He wants to make sure that when there are tolls on all Scotland's roads, that the money is spent on trains etc, rather than on reducing fuel duty - "Question marks over transport plans". It is pleasing to see from the online comments (towards bottom of the Scotsman page) that the readers of the Scotsman are not fooled -
    Androsthenes from Edinburgh says "How appropriate!-Scotland having acted as guinea pigs for the poll tax, Executive collaborators want Scotland to be the testing ground for a tax which was devised to deal with England's traffic jams. Is there a limit to the depths these Holyrood toadies will sink to to please their English masters??".
    Mart on Skye says "A stupid idea dreamt up by people who live in cities and don't need a car for work or other essential journeys.We already pay a differential road toll through fuel tax. I drive a 1.8 litre car and average 38mpg over the whole years motoring, A friend who lives in a city and drives a similar car only gets 22mpg. Consequently he pays more tax for using congested roads."


    Sunday 3rd December
  • There is to be a public meeting about the need for a new Forth Road Bridge. The meeting has been organised by FETA, who are fighting hard to keep the tolls, and may be using this to distract attention from the tolls issue. The meeting is at the Glen Pavilion, Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline at 7 pm tomorrow (Monday).

  • We are not sure whether this is part of the campaign for a new bridge or just more aggravation Scotsman Saturday - "Road bridge repairs will mean extra year of chaos".

  • In the latest published accounts FETA, the Forth road bridge authority, had no borrowings and a surplus of £19 million. This was despite spending millions on the A8000 road and on new toll equipment. Now we have headlines saying - Courier Saturday - "£15m debt but no rise in Forth Bridge tolls"   Evening News Saturday - "Forth bridge chiefs in £15m debt". How much contempt do the politicians have for the people?

  • There has been a lot over the last few days about an Australian telling the British Government what they want to hear - "Let's have a lot more road tolls!" -
    Scotsman Saturday - "MSPs to ask for tax breaks in return for road charges"   The Herald Saturday - "The wrong direction"   The Daily Record Saturday - "DRIVERS FACE TOLLS OF £1.35 A MILE"   Evening News Saturday - "Road tolls in UK 'inevitable' to raise public transport cash"   Scotland on Sunday - "Are we being taken for a ride?"   Sunday Herald - "Greens prepare to block ‘damaging’ transport strategy".


    Friday 1st December
    More of the same from the Scotsman, though judging by the online comments, not many of their readers have been duped by this campaign -
    Scotsman Friday - "Great divide: a tale of two Scotlands".
    Scotsman Thursday - "Portrait of a grand old lady who is sadly past her prime".
    Scotsman Wednesday - "Call for 'iconic' Forth road crossing to stand as a 'heart-soaring' symbol of Scottish self-belief".


    Tuesday 28th November
  • More hype about the Forth Road bridge falling down and the need for a new bridge. The best is probably today's, which reassures the transport lobby that there will be no more capacity for cars -
    Scotsman Tuesday - "Free-for-all could end as buses and cars with passengers take priority over lone drivers".
    Scotsman Monday - "14 wasted years of dither and delay".
    Scotsman Saturday- "Clamour grows for bridge or tunnel".
    One of the reactions from readers - Carlo from Fort William says - "The great and the good put their weight behind the campaign for a new bridge....what a surprise!!!!"
  • The Evening News reports that traffic volumes on the Forth Road bridge are down - "Road bridge traffic levels head south".


    Saturday 25th November
    Alex Salmond has told the Courier that if the SNP win the next election, he will remove the tolls from the Forth and Tay Bridges - "SNP vow to scrap tolls in 100 days".
    This is welcome news and certainly trumps Labour's statement. Labour have merely said that they will look at the tolls yet again, and as good as said that they will not remove them because of the need for a new Forth crossing. But what about all those MSPs who already have a seat at Holyrood? Any one of them could have put forward a motion to ask the Executive to remove both the tolls, now. No one from any party has done so.
    Then we have FETA which has both Labour, Lib Dem and SNP members. FETA is actively fighting to keep the Forth road bridge tolls and has just wasted £5 million on a tolls "plaza".

    What are the voters of Fife and Tayside to believe?


    Friday 24th November
  • More about the Forth Road bridge falling down and the need for a new bridge -
    Evening News - "MSP brands warnings over Forth Road Bridge 'alarmist'".
    Scotsman - "Engineering marvel that has become victim of its own success".
    As you may notice this issue is stimulating a lot of reaction from readers, many of whom are wondering who or what is behind this campaign.

  • An English Labour MP (Andrew MacKinlay, the MP for Thurrock in Essex) says he will introduce a private members' bill at Westminster. He wants Scottish drivers charged £1.50 for every journey taking them south of the border. It would not apply in the other direction. His point is that drivers are being charged elsewhere including driving from his constituency in Essex into Kent. The SNP are most upset, though it would be better if they made their own position clear on road pricing and more particularly on Scotland's two remaining bridge tolls. Apart from Bruce Crawford, the SNP are sitting on the fence. - Courier - "‘Scots should pay to drive into England’".


    Thursday 23rd November
    Last night's Evening News had Scottish MPs backing tolls - "MP quizzed on A1 road tolls cash".

    Wednesday 22nd November
    The Scotsman is apparently convinced that the Forth Road bridge is falling down and has joined in the campaign for a new bridge. Here are some of the recent articles -
    Wednesday 22nd - "Minister hints at decision on new crossing before elections".
    Tuesday 21st - "A new crossing – or Scotland faces stark economic future".
    Tuesday 21st - "Options still open as time ticks by for starting the operation".
    Monday 20th - "We need a decision now to avert economic disaster".
    Monday 20th - "Dire condition of road bridge proves our politicians must act".
    One of the Scotsman readers has written in online - "Can't you see what's going on? Are you all utterly daft? The bridge authority want a new bridge, so they lobby for one. More toys, more prestige, more stalls at bridge conferences with shiny architects' drawings.". A new bridge may be desirable for various reasons, but NAATS view is that this hysteria is intended to distract people away from the issue of the tolls. After all, where else is there a bridge which is falling down?


    Sunday 19th November
    According to the north of the border edition of the Troll Times, the Labour manifesto for the coming election will say that Jack and his colleagues will "examine positively the case for partial or full abolition of both toll systems". Really? How many votes will they get for just saying that they will be looking at this yet again? - None!


    Saturday 18th November
  • It seems that the Forth bridge is falling down again!! Courier - "Further wire snaps hit Forth Bridge".

  • Delays on the Forth bridge caused by road surfacing work and installing a dehumidification system for the cables - Courier - "Resurfacing work will mean delays on bridge".

  • The Tay bridge is not falling down but they are to spend some money on improving the safety of the inspection gantries - Courier - "Road bridge work reveals need for vital repairs".


    Thursday 9th November
    Some views on the "Stern" report - Courier (top two letters).


    Wednesday 8th November
  • Today's Courier has a letter from us with our reaction to last Friday's news that MSPs were promising a new Forth road bridge and an end to tolls.

  • David Chalmers from the Federation of Small Businesses gives FSB reaction to the call for an "iconic" new Forth road bridge. The FSB do not want "a grandiose structure to massage the egos of decision-makers". They instead call for what ever is most practical and can be built quickly. David also said "It is also heartening to see that the principle of abolishing tolls on both Forth and Tay bridges was accepted." - Courier - "Bridge budget "top priority""

  • Today's Courier also has details of a recent opinion poll of voting intentions in Mid Scotland and Fife. The poll shows the main parties in the order of SNP, Lib Dem, and Labour. People vote on a whole collection of issues, but it is a pity that the party which is placed second is still keen to keep the tolls and to even increase them.

  • Meanwhile over in Glasgow, the Herald's Iain Macwhirter (who attacked the people of Edinburgh for voting against tolls) has a go at the Executive for being pro roads and anti tolls. If only! "Does transport policy have any link to reality?"


    Tuesday 7th November
    More of the same - Courier - "Forth crossing 'a race against time'"


    Monday 6th November
  • More nonsense this morning about a new Forth bridge. The politicians might as well promise that it will be made of gold, as it is so distant a prospect - Courier - "MSP in call for "iconic" new bridge". While we wait for this new bridge, perhaps he and his fellow MSPs can tell us when the existing tolls will be lifted from Fife and Tayside?


    Saturday 4th November
  • Yesterday it was reported that politicians were promising a new Forth bridge, and it was even suggested that they were "promising" to remove the tolls -
    Courier - "Campaign takes a major step forward"   Courier - "Green light for new Forth crossing"   Scotsman - "Pressure mounts for new bridge decision"   Evening News - "Labour ready to back 'vital' new Forth crossing"   BBC - "New Forth Road bridge proposals"

    We do not share the optimism that politicians will "examine positively full or partial abolition" of the two tolls.
    The politicians of all parties have so far let the people of Fife and Tayside down, and "maybe" promises are as worthless as the claims that were made during the Dunfermline West by election. That was won by a Liberal Democrat, and within weeks the Liberal Democrat Minister was signing an Order that the Forth tolls (which were due to end on 31st March) should be kept.
    They say they will abolish the tolls but the Forth bridge board has just built a tolls plaza costing £5 million and in August formally told the Executive that the tolls should be kept. This has all been done without a peep from any of the parties.
    The Labour led coalition is of course already carrying out yet another "study" of the tolls. The results of that study are a foregone conclusion. The Executive appointed London based consultants who usually advise bodies that want to increase tolls. Two years ago they did a similar study on the Humber Bridge tolls. They are the most expensive bridge tolls in Britain (£5.40 for a car making a return journey). What did the consultants recommend? They said - "Retain tolls and continue to increase them in line with inflation".
    The promises of a new Forth crossing are just to distract attention away from the tolls. The time taken to agree the need for a new crossing, decide where it will go and what sort of crossing it will be, means that today's politicians would be long retired before their promises can be tested. But with the tolls they are desperate to find an excuse to do nothing, because the removal of tolls is something that could be achieved now.
    If a new Forth crossing is ever built, and the existing unfair stranglehold of tolls has not been removed, then it will likely be a PFI pay day for bankers and advisers, and misery for the ordinary people, as happened in Skye.

  • Some months ago NAATS made a Freedom of Information request for the number of consultation submissions to the latest Tolls Study. This was treated by the Executive as if it was a state secret, and they refused to tells us. But they have at last now given us an answer - There were 89 submissions including 7 from local or public authorities. The Dundee, Fife and West Lothian Councils and the Tay bridge board want tolls removed. Edinburgh Council, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency want the tolls kept and increased.


    Thursday 2nd November
  • Here is an item from FETA's PR people that seemed to get into none of the Scottish papers, so here it is from south of the border on TNN - "A Bridge Too Few?".


    Wednesday 1st November
  • This morning's Courier reports that Mark Ruskell, Green MSP, wants more money spent on the railways and "smart" tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges, to "reduce car use".
    If Mark got his way then Gordon Brown would lose the £50 billion a year that he gets in taxes from roads users. It is those taxes which help to subsidise Mark's train journeys.
    The only "smart" move would be to scrap the tolls, and the queues that they cause. This is also the only fair course of action for Fife and Tayside.

  • Last Thursday's Courier reported on more demands for a new Forth road bridge - "Call for start on Forth crossing". We are a bit suspicious of what may be behind these demands, particularly when Andrew Arbuckle MSP says "For many hauliers and businesses, the major issue is not the level of tolls."


    Saturday 21st October
    The Courier reports that "Chancellor Gordon Brown is to head up a multi-agency jobs taskforce aimed at removing barriers to employment in Fife." Good for Gordon. Perhaps he can start by pressing for the tolls to be removed. When he was in Opposition he was in favour of this. Or is the situation now that he prefers to see his fellow Fifers suffer rather than lose an insignificant sum from his coffers?


    Friday 20th October
    One of the SKAT campaigners against the Skye tolls - Alexander Smith who is now 80 - has asked a Law Lord to clear his criminal convictions for opposing the tolls - BBC - "Ageing islander's plea over tolls".
    Alexander and others appealed to the Law Lords in 1998 against their convictions -(this includes a link "HERE" to the full judgement).


    Wednesday 18th October
  • Our alliance south of the border yesterday assisted Gerry Watt of Lincoln who was trying to stop a tolls increase on the River Trent near Lincoln The company that wants to increase the tolls, were represented at the Inquiry by Steer, Davies, Gleave, a London based company. The same company that the Scottish Executive have hired to advise them on the future of the tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges!

  • Last Friday's Courier had a story about a possible new bridge across the Forth - "SNP Forth crossing vow". How about a vow to end the tolls?

  • Last week's papers had a story about a new ferry service across the Forth. - Courier on Thursday - "New study of Forth ferry plan launched"     Evening News on Wednesday - "£750,000 move to get city's Forth ferry crossing afloat". A ferry service is bound to lose money. We hope that by the time one is introduced, there will no longer be tolls on the bridges that could be used to subsidise it.


    Sunday 8th October
    There was a letter in the Dunfermline Press on 26th September. It was from one of the Fife Council representatives on the Forth Road bridge board. He is a strong backer of keeping the tolls. He was responding to letters from Tom Minogue (see 15th September). Amazingly the councillor says that he also doubts the claims about increased congestion if the tolls are removed. He says that he has asked Fife Council to look at this. But the sting is in the tail. He says - "We are however in urgent need of a replacement crossing and the funding of this and the funding of its maintenance must be secure." In other words if the reason of congestion doesn't hold water then let's bring up the red herring of another bridge.


    Saturday 7th October
  • R Alder of Dalgety Bay had this fine letter in today's Scotsman - "Now that the new toll booths at the Forth Road Bridge have been in use for a week or two, it is obvious they are a disaster; there are queues all the time. The sooner the tolls are removed and the traffic allowed to use the highway unimpeded the better. The bridge should be declared a trunk road, maintained by the government and managed by the transport executive out of the Exchequer. ". We wonder what the purpose was in spending £5 million on this monstrosity, and its toll barriers.

  • More demands for a new Forth road bridge, including a statement that "the bridge will be closed to heavy goods vehicles in 2013" - Courier - "Bridge fears may drive firms away-hauliers". We wish they would make their minds up as to whether the bridge is falling down or not. These tales may unneccessarily scare more businesses away from the area, and are some of those behind these stories just trying to distract attention away from the issue of the tolls?


    Saturday 30th September
    The Evening news repeats the report about Willie Rennie puzzling over whether Forth road bridge traffic would increase by almost a quarter if tolls were removed. Reactions from EN readers include -
    Joe from Livingston - "Judging by my experience of driving over the almost empty toll-free Erskine Bridge in both directions a few weeks ago the scrapping of tolls on the FRB would decrease traffic!"
    Scott - "Why dont we just try it out for a year or so and see? Or is that just too much COMMON SENSE?"
    Jim - "Living in Fife I used the bridge daily to come to town which I did not do willingly due to tolls and parking charges, apart from the time spent sitting in traffic. I now travel by public transport albeit in ramshackle dirty Stagecoach buses, and, would continue to do so even if the tolls were removed. I do not believe that a toll free bridge would result in a big increase in traffic. If our public transport links to the city were improved with clean comfortable alternatives I am sure that many would use them, toll or no toll."


    Friday 29th September
    The most astounding news of the year is that Willie Rennie is trying to give the impression that he is against the Forth bridge road tolls. His party is the most fanatical of those who want to keep the tolls, if voters had been aware of this, Willie would not have his seat at Westminster - Courier - "FETA urged to provide congestion rise evidence".


    Thursday 28th September
    Audit Scotland say that it will cost £2 billion to bring Scotland's roads up to scratch. The reaction of the Executive is that they are already spending over £300 million on trunk roads and motorways. The Minister, Tavish Scott said at an interview that they were deliberately keeping spending on roads low to persuade drivers to use public transport - Courier - "Staggering £2 billion bill for ruined roads"     BBC - "Traffic target 'likely to fail'"     BBC - some views.
    A more staggering figure is the amount charged by Gordon Brown on Scotland's drivers through fuel duty and other taxes on roads use - it's £4 billion a year. If the politicians continue to do little to improve and maintain the roads, they may eventually find that they have killed both this golden goose and Scotland's economy.


    Tuesday 26th September
  • Another call for a new Forth road bridge as it has been claimed that lorries will be banned from the existing "rusty" bridge by 2013 - Courier - "Business leader's dire warning on bridge".

  • We missed an article in the Scotsman two weeks ago from Donald Anderson - the man behind Edinburgh's Tolls plan. He said "The debate on bridge tolls has become puerile, with no thought given to congestion or the vast increase in traffic coming into Edinburgh." Donald wants Labour to ally with the Greens and combat the "single greatest threat to our way of life". No it's not war or over population or disease - it's climate change.

  • Another article we missed was in last Tuesday's Herald. Iain Macwhirter, their chief political correspondent, was reporting on the Lib Dem conference. He criticised them for not declaring support for road pricing and congestion charging. In February 2005 he also criticsed the people of Edinburgh for voting "NO" in the Toll poll. Nice to see that we have such strong support from one of Scotland's main papers!


    Saturday 23rd September
  • Today's Courier has a letter from Bill Hunter of Glenrothes. Given their actions on tolls, he suggests what they should do with the Parliament building - Third letter "Hand it back to brewers".

  • Friday's Courier had a letter from Graeme of Dundee reacting to the fall in Tay road bridge traffic. He thinks that this should be celebrated as he said it is good for the environment.

  • On Thursday at Holyrood there was a debate on a new rail link to Edinburgh airport. Bruce Crawford suggested that the money would be better spent on a new Forth road bridge. He was attacked by Helen Eadie, though she also wants a new road bridge. Both of them seem to have the idea from the authorities that the existing bridge will be closed due to rusty cables - Friday's Courier - "Call for rail link cash to fund Forth crossing".

  • Thursday's Evening News had a letter from Tom Minogue following on from the letter on Tuesday - Bridge spin should be laid to rust
    John Carson is, of course, right about the increased reporting by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority's PR machine. Paid for by us, they spend our toll money by spinning stories in newspapers such as "Bridge bosses hail engineers for eagle-eye safety checks" (News, August 26).
    This story dealt with comments by Portobello councillor and FETA chairman Lawrence Marshall about the corrosion found in the suspension cable about which he opined: "We are lucky to have some of the best engineering talent in the world looking after the Forth Road Bridge," adding "Had it not been for FETA's proactive investigation, serious corrosion would have gone unchecked."
    FETA's convener is simply recycling a press release from FETA's PR consultants which makes a virtue out of the sad fact that FETA's highly-paid bridge staff, aided by their costly engineering consultants, have, for over 40 years, failed to notice that water has seeped into the supposedly well-maintained and watertight suspension-cable and combined with air to make - shoshock, horror - rust! Once discovered, FETA asks without blushing: "Who could have foreseen it?"
    Well, actually just about anyone could have foreseen it.
    Rust (a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture) has been known about since the dawn of the Iron Age when, to prevent it, primitive man smeared animal fat on their spearheads. Not exactly rocket science, is it?
    And hardly cause for celebration that it went undetected for so long.
  • Wednesday's Couier reported on the bridge tolls study and some of the information that we have obtained using the Freedom of Information Act - "Bridges' tolls study splits Tay and Forth".       This is what we got from the Executive.

  • Also on Wednesday the Scotsman published a short letter from us on the new Forth bridge tolls plaza.

  • Tuesday's Evening News had a letter from John Carson of South Queensferry who is campaigning for a new crossing of the Forth by tunnel (article in Evening News on 25th July)-
    Bridge's problems are politically driven
    I notice from increased reporting that the Forth Estuary Transport Authority's PR machine is ramping up its efforts. The recent article on high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) smacks of a transport authority in its death throes, that knows it has no transport brief left and is out to find something to do other than maintain the current bridge, which is now its only objective.
    I have been to the United States to look at their tolled highways. They do have HOVs in the States but these are invariably on four or five-lane tolled highways. They are used at peak times to varying degrees but like many of our bus lanes they remain underused for most of the day.
    It strikes me that FETA is being politically manoeuvred by Edinburgh City Council to reinstate "road pricing" by another means, or at least the effects of road pricing. The article talks about congestion - let's look at the fact on this: the A8000 replacement is well under way and by this time next year the link should be substantially complete. This will effectively remove congestion on the bridge going south. With regards to northbound traffic, the only congestion around the bridge is the collection of tolls and the construction of the new tolling plaza.
    These problems are politically induced and when you link them to the reluctance of the various parties to deal with the main issue of whether to build a second crossing then we have a stalemate. It is not in the current Government's interest that a decision should be taken before the upcoming 2007 elections and therefore they have delayed the finding of any report.
    The individuals who appear to have an inordinate say in these issues will neither vote for a second crossing nor the removal of tolls. These issues will be one of the major topics in the upcoming elections; it is incumbent on all voters in the east of Scotland to question the various parties on their intentions regarding these issues.
    Tuesday 19th September
    The Courier reports that there was a fall in Tay bridge traffic last year but that there is an increase this year - "Fall in Tay bridge traffic seen as blip".
    On 7th September Britain's latest National Travel Survey was published. It continued the trend in recent years. There is almost no increase in the distance travelled per person. The average annual increase over last 10 years is about 25 miles a year, or about 0.4%, and most of that has come from travel by planes and trains.


    Saturday 16th September
  • Further reports on the new tolls plaza - The Scotsman - "Forth Bridge revamp date". Interesting that "One-third of car drivers crossing the bridge are expected to switch to electronic tolling, using "e-tags" attached to windscreens, within three years." So much for the latest review of tolls then! The online comments to the story include this from "Pauline of Dunfermline" - "Well done to the boffins who came up with the wonderful idea of not letting too many cars through the new toll plaza at any one time. what a waste of money it would have been if everyone just whizzed through and did not stop to admire the new construction! It also gives drivers the chance to enjoy watching the pretty pattern of cars heading across the bridge in a crocodile line. Wouldn't it have been great if someone had thought about the traffic building up waiting to be allowed through the tolls! The last two nights have been a nightmare for northbound traffic who can now add about an hour to their daily commute just to sit in a rediculous traffic queue on every approach road. How come none of these "clever" people anticipated what the knock on effect of holding cars at the tolls would be? Should they not have concentrated on getting the whole traffic system moving smoothly not just the bridge?" From the Beeb - "New bridge toll system to begin".


    Friday 15th September
  • Today we wrote to some of the MSPs about the tolls, here is part of what we said - Our most recent Freedom of Information request was for a copy of the specification that was given to the prospective consultants who would undertake the latest "Study" of the tolls. Any firms in Scotland or elsewhere that asked for this would have been given it some time ago, but we had to wait till this Tuesday, and have been given a "redacted" version.
    Our view is that the Executive are determined to hold on to the two tolls, and that the study which has been specified by the Executive is unlikely to make a difference. One thing that we have now learnt is the timetable - "It is anticipated that the study will commence on 4 September 2006 and the contractor must be in a position to begin the project by that date. The work should be complete by 1 December, with a draft final report submitted to the Scottish Executive by 11 December 2006." We hope that MSPs will press the Executive to release this report promptly.
    Two proposals for Member's Bills to remove the tolls were made (one by Bruce Crawford was lodged on 9th May, and another by Helen Eadie was lodged on 22nd June). It became clear some time ago that Helen's Bill was too late to be considered in this Parliament, and on Monday it was revealed that Bruce's Bill was also somehow too late. You will understand that the people of Fife and Tayside may be a bit puzzled as to why there will not only be no Bill in this Parliament, but there has not even been a debate on a motion to remove both the tolls.
    Removing both the tolls is a question of fairness and justice; the Executive's study, whatever else it does, will ignore them.
  • There is a letter in this morning's Courier from John Lindsay of Glenrothes - "Sir,-Alas! An administrative error and procedural practices have further delayed any decision-making on the Tay and Forth bridge tolls saga.
    Should those concerned eventually start another round of costly reviews, surveys, consultations, computer models etc., etc., they might eliminate one ponderable by conducting a fairly simple experiment.
    To settle the speculation, concerning traffic congestion and so on, simply arrange a no-toll period of at least four days-including a weekend.
    Widely publicise this action for two or three weeks in advance and set up a comprehensive range of monitoring devices to record traffic flows, air quality, etc., then compare the findings against the status quo. Who could argue then?
    (Don't answer that!)"
  • Two letters this week in the Dunfermline Press - both in response to the story from 2 weeks ago (see Sunday 3rd) -
    One letter is from Tom Minogue. He says - "Councillor Tony Martin, who is also on the Feta board, said that he didn't want the bridge tolls abolished as that would mean increased congestion.
    I admire the councillor's bravery in supporting a policy that his constituents don't want. But I don't agree with his analysis. The existing congestion around the bridge is mainly caused by the tolls themselves and by the inadequate A8000.
    Councillor Martin says that traffic will increase by 21 percent if the tolls were abolished. Those figures come from work done for the Executive. When under the Freedom of Information Act we asked what instructions had been given to those who calculated this figure, the Executive told us that it was not in the public interest to tell us. Councillor Martin was at the last Feta board meeting when, under questioning, they couldn't justify the 21 per cent stating that "traffic modelling isn't my forte". Is this figure any better than anyone else's guess?
    We would expect there to be an increase in off peak travel due to more local people and visitors travelling for leisure or to visit friends and family. But it is most likely that when the tolls are removed there will be little or no increase in peak period traffic. The people travelling in the peak period are going to or from work, and they go by road because there is little choice for the particular journey that each person is making.
    I suggest that most Fifers, like all the people in the rest of Scotland would rather risk an increase in traffic, than have to pay this iniquitous toll tax."     The other letter is from D Anderson of Crossford - "I have seldom read a more nonsensical article than the one by Councillor Tony Martin and Feta regarding the hypothetical theory that removing tolls would result in a 21 per cent increase in traffic and lead to gridlocking.
    Looking at this in a rational way, first off where would this traffic come from? Is Councillor Martin seriously suggesting that traffic is at present using Kincardine bridge to avoid paying a £1 toll? In my car I would save £1 and spend £4 on fuel, a net loss of £3. Add on the additional journey time plus wear and tear on the vehicle and the whole exercise becomes riduculous.
    Secondly, why on earth should there be any hold-up at the bridge? Remove the tolls and it becomes just a piece of road between Lothian and Fife and there is absolutely no reason why traffic should be held up on an open road.
    With regard to funding a new bridge, may I ask who funded the recent £100 million bridge from the Isle of Sheppey? No problemns finding that kind of money for the South east then. At present motorists contribute over £44 billion to the Treasury so I am quite confident that a second road bridge would hardly dent that sum of money.
    Lastly, it seems to me that there are too many vested interests prating on about the necessity of keeping tolls. Would we really miss Feta and its hangers-on?"
    Thursday 14th September
    Oh dear! The new tolls plaza on the Forth bridge will soon be in use. The building of this £5 million plaza followed by the retrospective application for planning permission shows what FETA and Edinburgh think of both bridge users and the residents of the Stoneyflatts estate overlooking the bridge - Courier - "Bridge toll booths test before changeover".


    Tuesday 12th September
  • John Mackenzie from Fife Council has issued a rallying cry against the two tolls - Courier - "Councillor calls for 'toll-free Scotland'" Let's hope his call stirs up some of the other councillors!

  • The Courier has published our reaction to yesterday's news that Bruce Crawford's Bill has been sunk - "This process was scuppered before it started".


    Monday 11th September
    The Courier reports that "Blunder scuppers bridge tolls vote". It seems that Bruce Crawford's Bill to abolish the two tolls has run out of time. Strange.


    Friday 8th September
    This morning's Courier has the story about a "split" on the Tay bridge board - "Tolls shock sparks bridge board split". The Courier story concludes - "However, it is the issue of fairness that is currently seen as the strongest argument for removing tolls as critics have claimed the Executive is guilty of a west coast bias."


    Thursday 7th September
  • Tonight's Evening Telegraph has John Letford, the Dundee Lord Provost, reacting to yesterday's leak from Councillor Rumney. The Lord Provost says that he want both tolls removed but would accept a deal that only removed the Tay tolls - "Toll-free Tay a priority".

  • This was in yesterday's Courier - "Concern at "shocking" bridge tolls possibility". Councillor Rumney has "heard it's a strong possibility that tolls will be removed from the Tay Bridge but retained on the Forth Bridge". His position on the tolls is not clear - (On the 23rd June, FETA agreed "To delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Convener and Vice-Convener, to submit factual evidence to the Scottish Executive by 17 August 2006." On the 19th of August the Courier reported FETA's submission - "Forth tolls should stay, says FETA". The FETA Convener was Lawrence Marshall from Edinburgh who want to keep the tolls. But the Vice -Convener was none other than Mike Rumney). But we welcome what was said by Councillor Alan Kenney - "The people of Fife are being disadvantaged by tolls. We have made a decision on behalf of the people of Fife (to oppose tolls), let's stick to it and move forward. I am getting sick and tired, and so are the people out there, about calls for reports on this and that. It is a delaying tactic." and Councillor Jock Cameron - "We should stick to our guns and abolish tolls and get a level playing field for Fife.".


    Sunday 3rd September
  • There have been suggestions from FETA and others that a lane of the M90 and other roads be reserved for car sharing. Our reaction was in Friday's Scotsman:-
    "With regard to the suggestion that car-sharing lanes be introduced in Aberdeen and on the M90, this is a good idea but it should be encouraged in other ways. Any system that reserves a lane for just one type of vehicle means that road space is wasted and both the number of accidents and driver frustration is increased."

  • Thursday's Dunfermline Press ran this story - No tolls equals longer tailbacks
    HUGE tailbacks will cost West Fife more than bridge tolls according to one senior councillor.
    Lib Dem Tony Martin, councillor for Pitcorthie, reckons the area's businesses will be out of pocket even if the bridge toll is binned.
    Bridge bosses have been asked by the Scottish Executive for their view on whether tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges should be kept or scrapped.
    And in its response, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (Feta) has suggested that scrapping tolls would see traffic soar by a gridlock-inducing 21 per cent taking congestion and environmental damage to a level far worse than currently experienced.
    That prompted Councillor Martin to tell colleagues at Feta's latest board meeting on Friday, "Congestion costs more money than tolls. If people are sitting in congestion for long periods of time, that costs businesses a lot more money than tolls."
    Mr Martin admitted tolls was an issue that sparked "different feelings" and added, "It's difficult to make a judgement on whether this 21 per cent is significant or not.
    "All we can say is that the experts all say there will be a significant increase in traffic (if tolls are abolished)."
    He said Fife Council would be discussing its own response at a meeting today (Thursday), which he said came to a different conclusion on the issue of fairness of tolls.
    "There's an issue of fairness: who pays tolls for which crossing and also a practical issue: what happens if we actually do it," he said.
    "It appears to me that it's not a clever thing to do to make a situation worse."     We wonder how many people apart from Councillor Martin believe that congestion will be worse if the tolls are removed?

  • The week before the Dunfermline Press had a debate on the tolls. The case for tolls was put by the Edinburgh councillor who heads the Forth bridge authority. The case against was by Tom Minogue:- "Should tolls be retained?". The editorial made it quite clear that the tolls are an "iniquity".


    Thursday 31st August
    Some of the stories over the last 7 days while we took a break:-

  • Tonight's Evening News reports on Edinburgh giving permission for the new tolls plaza on the Forth bridge:- "Controversial toll booth plaza gets a belated thumbs-up from planners". This was first reported in the Evening News last Friday.

  • The News also reports on FETA's attendance at a conference in USA on bridge corrosion - "Bridge chiefs get corrosion message across". The News does not mention that FETA attended a conference on this in USA as long ago as 1998. If anyone is getting theitr message across it is the spin doctors who are of course paid for from the tolls. Perhaps they deserve a rise?

  • This morning's Courier had 2 letters. "Tolls not real issue behind bridge car numbers" from John Imlay of Newport-on-Tay says that whether the Tay bridge is tolled or not, it will make no difference to whether people travel by car or bus. "Spin now a real art" from Tom Minogue is all about Rust! - Letters.

  • The Herald had a report "McConnell favours new Forth road bridge" on what Jack told Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce business breakfast yesterday - "a decision on a possible replacement will not be made until spring, later than business leaders had hoped, but he gave his clearest backing yet to ensuring a crossing is in place: "I'm absolutely committed to having a crossing over the Forth," he said." Really?

  • Today's Scotsman says that Aberdeen City Council official want to introduce car sharing lanes:- "Car-sharing lanes could add to jams, warns watchdog". Tuesday's Evening News said that our old friends FETA also want one of the M90 lanes to be reserved for car sharers:- "Bridge chiefs want car-share lane to slam brakes on jams". Car sharing is a good idea, but any system that reserves a lane for just one type of vehicle means that road space is wasted and the number of accidents increased.

  • Yesterday's Courier had a letter supporting the Scottish Executive's traffic model. The writer said that despite Dundee's traffic model showing there would be less congestion if the Tay bridge tolls were removed, there would be more because the removal of tolls would encourage traffic growth in the wider area.

  • This Tuesday's Evening News reported:- "Anti-toll protesters deny bridge traffic will rise". This is a fuller of what we had said-
    The Forth bridge traffic traffic figure for January to July, is lower than the 3 previous years: 2006 northbound - 6802 thousand, 2005 - 6851 thousand, 2004 - 6832 thousand, 2003 - 6900 thousand. (Even if you allow for the 30,000 estimated traffic on the one day strike, 2006 is still lower than 2003 and 2005, though almost the same as 2004.)
    In our view it is a fallacy to suggest that if the tolls are removed, then traffic will increase by "21%" or any other figure.
    The occupants of vehicles on the bridge during peak periods are people going to work. Bridge tolls would have to be punitive to stop people from going to work or going by what is to them the most convenient way.
    Removing tolls would mainly have an affect outside the peak period, when more people would be encouraged to cross the river, both ways, to visits friends and family and for leisure. Despite what people in Edinburgh might think, those crossing the bridge are not all going to Edinburgh, but for those that are, then more park and ride schemes might help.
    There are many things that can be done to reduce congestion in peak periods in the area around the bridge. The A8000 scheme will be a big help, as of course would removing tolls.
    There may still be a need for another bridge, if not for traffic growth, then as an insurance against something happening to the existing bridge. But any new bridge should not be tolled or used as an excuse for keeping tolls on the existing bridge. We don't want another Skye bridge that benefits the banks and the middle men, but no one else."
  • Tuesday's Courier reported on a call for a Tay bridge crossing at Scone:- ""Crying need" for third Tay crossing at Perth-MP". The call is backed by Andrew Arbuckle MSP. He apparently supports tolls. Does he want this tolled as well?

  • The Courier had a letter from someone who has the same name as a member of Dundee's Green Party. The writer attacks "The decision of the Dundee councillors to unanimously back the abolition of the Tay Road Bridge tolls" and ended "Sadly, the health of the citizens of Dundee, the impact on the environment and the lot of the bridge toll employees and their families have been put to one side in favour of populist and unprincipled policies."
    There is another letter from someone in Auchenblae who also wants the tolls kept, but moved to the south side of the bridge so that "Queues of Fife-bound traffic would form on the bridge, not in the city!"

  • On Saturday, Brian Allison in the Courier reported that Dundee City Council's Traffic model was forecasting that congestion would decrease if tolls on the Tay bridge were removed:- "Model suggests abolishing bridge tolls cuts congestion".

  • Friday's Evening News reported that residents had lost their battle over planning permission for the Forth bridge tolls plaza monstrosity:- "'Eyesore' bridge toll booth wins backing".

  • In last Thursday's Evening News, Alan Roden reported on opposition from Edinburgh both to removal of tolls and to any increase in road capacity across the Forth:- "Traffic levels 'will double' if tolls axed on new road bridge".

  • Last Thursday's Courier reports on call from Fife Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise for a new Forth road bridge - "Bridge problems a massive threat". FETA can't make up their mind as to whether to say what a wonderful job they are doing or whether the existing bridge will have to be closed.

  • The Courier also had our reaction to FETA's cable corrosion claims the day before - "Who wants this system?" (third letter).

  • Last Thursday's Scotsman printed our reply to letter on the 22nd from John Mackenzie of Scone:- "With regard to the letter (22 August) from John Mackenzie, apparently the main reason for keeping tolls is that, otherwise, traffic would increase. But the same could be said for other roads. Why should users of the Forth bridge be discriminated against?
    In any case, the main reasons for congestion are the queues at toll booths, and the inadequacy of the A8000. This road, which the Executive said was "strategic", is being improved using bridge tolls money.
    Mr Mackenzie also says a new bridge is needed, and "how could this be paid for if not by tolls?". But a new untolled bridge is being built (at Kincardine).
    We calculate that a privately-financed crossing in the Queensferry area would have to charge a £7 toll. At that rate, no-one would use it, nor bankers finance it. Even if they did, does anyone want another Skye Bridge fiasco?"
    Wednesday 23rd August
    Fife Today / Glenrothes Gazette report on the different attitude to tolls between those running the Forth bridge and those running the Tay bridge:- "BRIDGE CHIEFS CAN'T AGREE ON TOLLS".

    The Evening News had a story on air pollution in Edinburgh:- "Clean-air targets missed as traffic hotspot pollution soars".
    Facts about Edinburgh air quality from the Toll Poll campaign.

    The Courier has the story about FETA claiming that they are ahead in dealing with the cable corrosion problem because of tolls - "Forth road bridge staff's maintenance work praised".


    Tuesday 22nd August
  • Report that small businesses want the tolls scrapped - Evening News - "Nine out of ten small firms want Forth bridge tolls axed"   Courier - "FETA gets blasted over Forth Road Bridge tolls".

  • The Scotsman has published a letter from John Mackenzie of Scone in response to our letter yesterday - ".. the main piece of evidence in the Forth Estuary Transport Authority's case for keeping tolls on the Forth Road Bridge is modelling, which shows that, without tolls, traffic would increase by up to 21 per cent. I feel £1 is not too much to pay if it helps reduce traffic (which it clearly does, judging by the number of people who seem to take exception to paying it). Most agree that a second crossing is the only long-term solution, and how could this be paid for if not by tolls?"

  • Channel Four last night had a hour long political broadcast on behalf of the "Anti Roads, Pro Tolls Party" conducted by Bob Kiley the American ex Congestion Charge Czar. He attacked Edinburgh for letting the people have a say. Councillor Andrew Burns told Bob that they were forced into it. Bob also attacked Gordon Brown for stopping the £4 tolls on the Forth bridge, and then went on to interview the bridgemaster. Just as well he doesn't have to stand for election. Herald - "Chancellor berated over failure to help solve transport troubles".


    Monday 21st August
    The Scotsman published our response to the latest cable corrosion story -
    "Sir,
    Judging by your report ("Forth Road Bridge toll made main cables corrosion check possible")" (19 August), the advocates of tolls must be getting desperate.
    The possibility of a cable corrosion problem on the Forth and similar bridges was identified in 1998 or earlier. The other British bridges that have or may have this problem are also tolled. Being tolled seems to have made no difference to the time taken to deal with this.
    The public expect all road bridges to be safe, and road users pay £50 billion a year in taxes, so the authorities are not exactly short of money to maintain them.
    Surely it would be better if all Scotland's major road bridges came under the remit of the Executive which is already directly responsible for 3,500 kilometres of roads and road bridges.
    Who wants a system where an organisation looks after just one bridge and part of their effort goes into collecting tolls?"
    Sunday 20th August
    Last night's Evening News had more tolls spin. This time it's the wonderful progress on the A8000. It isn't of course mentioned that it's partly paid for by tolls. Though it's a good laugh to see the authorities crowing about a "fast motorway link to the Forth Road Bridge". Haven't they been telling everyone that the bridge can't cope?   Evening News - "New link to bridge is on the right road".


    Saturday 19th August
    A bumper bundle of stories in the Courier:-
  • Attack on the tolls from Fife Council, the Tay bridge board and us - "Three-pronged assault on Executive over tolls".
  • More on the Fife Council position - ""Fairness and equality" must end the charges".
  • One body still fighting to keep the tolls is FETA though it is far from clear who they are speaking for, as many of the FETA board want the tolls to stop - "Forth tolls should stay, says FETA".

  • On a different tack the Courier also reports the 40th birthday of the Tay road bridge (and of course 40 years of tolls) - "Tay Bridge passes 40-year milestone".

  • Meanwhile in the Scotsman we have two bizarre stories -
    "Forth Road Bridge toll made main cables corrosion check possible". They say that tolls meant that the problem is being dealt with earlier than if there had been no tolls income. See our response in a letter to the Scotsman published on Monday 21st.
    "Politicians 'did not have the guts' to push through congestion charging". Bob Kiley from New York having brought in London's Con charge, is now attacking Edinburgh politicians for "failing". It seems that he may have caused the Lib Dems and Tories to modify their anti tolls position. They should have asked why New York doesn't have a Con charge!


    Friday 18th August
    This is what we submitted yesterday to the latest Excutive tolls study - submission. This is part of our press release - Tolls have long been unpopular, causing riots around Britain and leading in Scotland to the abolition of tolls and similar "exactions" by the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act, 1878. Those views still hold with Edinburgh people last year rejecting tolls by a margin of three to one - despite a biased question, a costly pro tolls campaign, and 42% of Edinburgh households not having a car.
    The Executive claim that tolls have no adverse impact on the local economy, but two studies have been carried out on the Skye bridge for the Highland Council, and for Clydeside councils on the Erskine bridge. Both studies said that tolls had an adverse effect; with the Erskine study estimating that abolition of tolls would lead to the creation of 20,000 extra jobs. The Executive claim that the removal of tolls will cause congestion, but removal of tolls will have the opposite effect particularly during the P.M. peak.
    If tolls have all the benefits that are claimed by the Executive, then why are these blessings largely confined to the people of Fife? Or is the Executive retaining a toll tax on Fife as it wants to keep a "bridgehead" for inflicting more tolls on Scotland and aiding the Westminster Government's plans for tolls on all roads?"
    Thursday 17th August
  • Confirmation that the Tay Road Bridge Board are asking the Excecutive to scrap the tolls- Courier - "Board lists points for scrapping tolls".

  • The Courier reports on the progress on the A8000. Pity that it doesn't mention that this "strategic road" is being paid for with bridge tolls - "Work on A8000 bottleneck on time".

  • The Courier also reports on the difficulty we are having getting the Scottish Executive to reveal what exactly they are telling the tolls consultants to do - "Bid to lift lid on review". Why is the Executive so reluctant to let people know?


    Wednesday 16th August
  • On Monday, Dundee City Council agreed an anti tolls submission to the Executive and today the Tay bridge board is telling the Scottish Executive that it wants tolls scrapped. It has also decided not to waste money on new tolls equipment till a decision is made on the future of tolls - Evening Telegraph - "Board calls for abolition".

  • Courier reader Bob McWilliam has told them about another Dundee tolls fight - in Oregon - "Same anti-tolls fight -different Dundee". It has not yet been confirmed that there will be tolls and Oregon like another 25 of the 50 states is currently free of any tolls. A better comparison with Tayside may be Buffalo in New York state, which due to broken promises still has tolls. This is part of what Donn Esmonde said in April about Buffalo's tolls fight:-
    "It is about more than the money that they take out of our shallow pockets.
    It is about more than obliterating a tax that isn't paid elsewhere.
    It is about more than making toll barriers disappear.
    It is about fighting back.
    The toll barriers are symbols. They stand for our sheep-like willingness to accept the unacceptable, to roll over and take it, to believe that we can't change anything - so why bother trying?
    Psychologists call this "learned helplessness".
    The only way to kill it is by fighting back. By winning."
  • For some reason the Forth road bridge authority is again warning that the bridge may have to be closed due to cable corrosion:- Courier - "Crossing may close for years"   BBC - "Bridge study on cable replacement".


    Tuesday 15th August
  • At the beginning of the month there were reports in various papers (including Courier - see 4th August) that there were "no tolling plans". We eventually found out that this was based on research just published by the Executive - "Long distance commuting in Scotland".
    The report suggests that long distance commuting is largely caused by high property prices. The establishment want these commuters to be forced out of cars and on to public transport. Some extracts from the report:-
    "9.7. 'Scotland's Transport Future' (2004) indicates that improvement in public transport provision will have a positive effect in achieving road traffic reduction, but road pricing and other measures may hold a greater prospect of changing the pattern of road use. However, the research has shown that the long distance commuter is more likely to consider themselves to be car dependent than others and so measures aimed to discourage car use may be less effective in changing the behaviour of this group.
    9.19. The most effective measures for influencing choice in favour of public transport are those which directly increase the cost of the car journey (eg parking charges and/or limited availability**, and tolls)
    ** This is political speak for providing an inadequate system, not building new roads, and closing or narrowing existing roads.
    9.24. Road pricing is a policy measure which would increase the direct cost of driving through increased use of tolls and congestion charges. In the context of long distance commuting, distance based charging schemes could be used to discourage long distance car commuting. However, charging schemes may be more effective in targeting the short distance car commuter by combining a significant flat-charge with a distance based charging scheme (ie similar to the pricing mechanism of a taxi fare)...
    9.25. Given the recent 'NO' vote on Edinburgh's proposal for a local congestion charging scheme and the time and money required to develop a workable 'national' congestion charging scheme, such schemes are unlikely to be introduced in the near future."     So we know what they want to force on us. The only question is when.

  • Last night Dundee city councillors agreed the submission opposing the tolls - Courier - "Full backing for call to remove tolls".


    Monday 14th August
  • We are nearly at the 17th August Executive consultation deadline. This is the third tolls consultation (the previous ones were in 2004 and 2005). More details on our main Scotland page.

  • Dundee City Council is making a submission to the tolls "consultation" on the Two Tolls. It deals with the preposterous claim from the Executive that keeping the tolls reduces congestion and improves air quality.Courier - "Bridge tolls congestion claims refuted by city".

  • On the 2nd our request for people to respond to the consultation was reported in the Courier as "Fresh calls to scrap "unfair" bridge tolls". We asked people to respond otherwise the Executive will claim that there is "little local concern". Mike Rumney from Fife Council spoke out about the unfair treatment of the Fife area and told the Courier "It is no longer just about the social or economic impacts. It is about fairness and equality for the people of Fife and Dundee and all other Forth and Tay bridge users. We're seeking a level playing field to support the Fife and east of Scotland economy".


    Wednesday 9th August
    Bob Beveridge from Falkland has this letter in today's Courier:-
    "Sir,-Politicians continually blame motorists for excessive vehicle fumes, yet it is incompetent, overpaid politicians who are responsible for the greater part of this problem.
    Each day, millions of cars sit in traffic jams for hours with their engines emitting fumes.
    Most of these journeys should just take minutes. Politicians have failed to upgrade road and transport systems. The increase in traffic volume could have been foreseen years ago.
    The road from the Forth Bridge to Edinburgh airport is a disgrace, resulting in daily traffic jams which cause more petrol and diesel to to burned than is necessary.
    Of course, if congestion charges and increased taxation are introduced, this won't affect the politicians with their pound-a-mile fuel allowance."


    Monday 7th August
  • Report in tonight's Evening News of the deadline for the latest tolls review consultation:- "Tolls battle rallying call".

  • Reports on Westminster's latest toll plans Herald - "Tolls to target cars on busiest roads"   Scotsman - "MPs call for 70mph limit to be slashed to cut emissions". This seems to get backing from both Tavish the Toll and the SNP (has anyone told Bruce Crawford?). Road user charging law in Scotland is separate from England, so what Dougie Alexander and his pals do may be irrelevant.


    Sunday 6th August
  • A Scottish view on the "letter" leaked in the Sunday Times about planned new UK road pricing law:-Sunday Herald - "Minister calls for national toll policy".

  • Last Friday's Evening News had a letter "Another Poll Tax is inconceivable" from us:-
    "YOU report that Edinburgh Conservative councillors have warned the Executive against adopting a road tolls scheme just for Scotland (News, August 1). After the Poll Tax experience, it seems inconceivable that the other parties would be daft enough to introduce road pricing before the rest of Britain. In any case the possibility of "road pricing" at some distant date was mainly created as an excuse for not spending enough now to improve roads and transport."


    Friday 4th August
    This morning's Courier has the story about:- "No plans to bring in road tolling". We have been in contact with the Executive, and they don't seem to know where these reports come from!


    Thursday 3rd August
  • It is reported that the Executive have concluded from a study that:-"Road tolls 'not likely soon'". We will bring you details, once something has been released to joe public.

  • The Courier reports on an inspection by Japanese engineers of the Forth bridge cables - It is again being said that the bridge may be "shut altogether in 2019". The cables on the Severn bridge are believed to be in a slightly worse condition than on the Forth bridge. The report implies that the Severn bridge may also be closed, this is not what the Highways Agency told us:-
    "To date we have opened up and investigated the cable at two locations and are currently inspecting at a third and fourth. Three more locations will be inspected to complete the investigations. So far the level of corrosion found has been slightly worse than that found during similar work on the Forth Bridge. We are continuing with the investigation into the condition of the cables and there are no immediate concerns to the travelling public. When the results of the investigations are known and testing complete we will take the appropriate steps to maintain the structure, including repair work if necessary, recognising the importance of minimising disruption to users of this important route. There are no plans at this stage to close the bridge."


    Wednesday 2nd August
    The Evening News reports that Edinburgh is to introduce Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras around the city. They are used in London to collect the "congestion charge", and it is believed that the Police also use them - "At last, a camera to speed cars up!" (There are plenty of comments at the bottom of the page to show what people think of this idea.) The authorities say that the purpose of the cameras is to see the progress of individual cars, and thus reduce congestion! Will the person who believes this, please board the 4 o'clock moon shuttle, organised by the AA, and leaving from Princes Street Gardens.


    Tuesday 1st August
  • Tonight's Evening News reports that Edinburgh Tories are opposing the suggestion that Scotland introduces "road pricing" - "Council Tories warn against road 'pricing'" Apparently this would be in advance of England - anyone remember the Poll tax?

  • We reported on the 28th June, that Tom Minogue had made an objection to the planning application for the new Forth tolls plaza. Tom has since had a letter from Edinburgh City Council. The letter says that his objection will be taken into "consideraion", but this seems to be mumbo jumbo, as it also says that it is not material" and "cannot be taken into consideration in the determination of this application".
    This tolls monstrosity is now being backed by "Historic Scotland". What a pity that the tolls are not also history.


    Tuesday 25th July
    Two recent stories:-
  • Scotsman Thursday 20th - "Severn Bridge state 'vindicates Forth bosses'". The story says that the Forth bridge authority is "vindicated" because the Severn bridge cables are in a worse state. It is apparently correct that Severn bridge cables are "slightly worse" , but we have approached the Highways Agency, and they are not yet talking about traffic restrictions, closures or replacement bridges.

  • Evening News Saturday 22nd - "Two motorists speeding every 60 seconds on bridge". The story says that drivers are ignoring the temporary speed limits on the A90 approach to the Forth bridge. We assume that the restrictions are neccessary, but it is odd the way the authorities one minute want tolls as they say they reduce congestion, and the next minute are complaining that traffic is too fast.


    Monday 24th July
  • The Scottish Council for Development and Industry have said tolls on the Two bridges should be "abolished immediately" Courier - "Business calls for transport shake-up"   Evening News - "Business body joins calls to scrap Forth Bridge tolls".

  • The Courier published a letter from our Alliance pointing to the money being wasted on new tolls plazas and on consultants and asking "How much more money will be wasted before the tolls are scrapped? Or has someone already decided the people of Fife and Tayside are not going to be freed from the yoke of tolls?"


    Thursday 20th July
    The Tay Bridge Board have decided to spend nearly £2 million on new tolling equipment:- Courier - "Electronic tolling proposals". So much for the board's decision on the 13th March that they wanted the Executive to scrap the tolls!


    Wednesday 19th July
    Yesterday's Courier reported that work was starting on the new bridge at Kincardine and says Transport Minister Tavish Scott described it as "world class":- "Work on new Forth bridge under way".
    For little more than the £120 million that they are spending they could indeed have had a world class bridge. But the anti road interests have prevailed and the bridge will have a single carriageway. A wider bridge at Kincardine could have done a lot to help ease congestion, particularly when there are restrictions on the bridge at Queensferry due to weather or other causes. Even without the frequently mentioned bridge cable problems, would it not also have been prudent to make sure that the new bridge at Kincardine had more lanes?   Official site for the new bridge.


    Monday 17th July
    The Evening News has surveyed readers on various transport issues, and had over 4,500 responses. On the issue of tolls, it had been claimed by Trolls that Edinburgh people would have said "Yes" to tolls if they were only to cover the city centre. The survey result was than even with this more limited toll it would have been rejected two to one. Report on Friday:-     "One toll zone would still be voted down"


    Friday 14th July
    Today's Courier has a letter from Peter Finnie of Dunino:-
    "Sir, In the past Labour has tried to bury bad news during busy news times. Now they seem to have adopted a new strategy - burying good news when they and their Lib Dem partners are on holiday. I speak of course of Labour's conversion to scrapping the tolls.
    I'm sure Fifers will welcome Jack McConnell's late conversion, however the timing is conspicuous. It will allow the initial furore in the press to dissipate because the Scottish Parliament is in recess. It also wrong-foots their Lib Dem "partners" who, having recently actually voted to retain the tolls, are now look increasingly isolated.
    Fife Lib Dem MSPs must now surely bow to Fife public opinion and The Courier's campaign and scrap the tolls-even if it means agreeing with Labour Executive policy."
    Thursday 13th July
    On our main Scotland page, we have added part of one person's response to Bruce Crawfords's tolls consultation:- Current Scottish Tolls consultations open to public


    Wednesday 12th July
    The Shetland News reports that Northern Isles MP and Lib Dem transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael is backing road user pricing. He says that this will benefit drivers in Orkney and Shetland.
    The reality is that road pricing is the equivalent of adding 20 pence to the cost of a litre of petrol - just to cover the cost of administration. This will hit all Scottish drivers - is that Alistair's intention?


    Thursday 6th July
    This week's Dunfermline Free Press says that "Ends's in sight for bridge tolls". SUPPORT for keeping tolls on the Forth Road Bridge is evaporating with all the major parties edging towards axing the charges.
    And by next May's Scottish elections, there is a real possibility that all the main players will be advocating abolition, signalling an end to charges 43 years after the bridge was opened.
    Since the Dunfermline by-election in February, the bandwagon for scrapping tolls has gathered momentum - and manifesto commitments for next year's vote could finish them off.
    Ironically, the increasing threat to tolls comes as work continues on building the controversial £5 million booths 'plaza'.
    ... With the SNP already in favour of axing tolls, Labour and coalition partners the Lib Dems are thought to be distrustful of each other stealing a march on the issue.
    Each fears being left in an exposed position electorally as sole defenders of tolling, which would be political suicide in West Fife ahead of the Holyrood and council elections.
    The tolls issue played a prominent part in the by-election and since Labour's disastrous defeat, the party's MSPs and councillors in the Kingdom have been calling for the Scottish Executive to scrap bridge charges. The campaign gathered further support when tolls were axed on the Erskine Bridge, leaving the Forth and Tay road bridges as the only ones in Scotland where charging continued.
    Labour activists are concerned that transport minister Tavish Scott, currently undertaking another tolls review, will announce they are to go, allowing his party, the Lib Dems, to take the credit and benefit at the polls.
    ... Dunfermline East Labour MSP Helen Eadie said she would have welcomed Mr McConnell's support but added it would be a party-wide decision. "I'll be working like a dog on this and am sending out hundreds of letters across Scotland.". She criticised Tavish Scott for continuing to sit on the fence and for the "deception" of the Lib Dems over tolling.
    ... Fife Labour MSPs made a submission to the party's policy forum which will decide the manifesto. It stated, "Retaining tolls on both of the bridges means that Fifers in particular are penalised from travelling to and from work" and added, "There is also an economic disincentive for new businesses to be attracted to Fife or for existing businesses to be retained."
    It concluded, "In order to achieve a consistency throughout Scotland and in particular to ensure a basic fairness for Fife, we would ask that the Scottish Policy Forum agree that tolls be removed from both the Forth and Tay Bridges and that this policy commitment be included in the Scottish Labour Party's manifesto for the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections."
    The Lib Dems also face a headache because their party is in favour of environmentally-friendly, anti-congestion policies and scrapping tolls would fly in the face of this.
    Dunfermline Lib Dem councillor and Feta member Tony Martin is a long-term supporter of tolls being retained but says he may have to reconsider this in the light of other parties changing their position. He said the Lib Dems and Labour were suspicious of each other and this could lead to both adopting a policy of abolishing tolls. "I think tolls will again be a huge issue in next year's elections. Politics is the art of the possible. I don't want to be left as the only politician in West Fife supporting the retention of tolls...." ... Mr Martin also feels there is little point in Feta continuing following the collapse of its strategy which would have included the infamous £4 tolls. "It's discredited in the eyes of the public and you have to wonder why it's still there."
    Tuesday 4th July
    R Alder from Dalegety Bay has a letter in this morning's Courier. They have a low opinion of FETA and say it:-
    "should not be given the responsibility of looking after the traffic needs of the area. It was obvious years ago that another bridge would be needed due to the increase in traffic crossing the Forth. For how long has the A8000 been seriously congested? Excuses about congestion in Edinburgh are absolute rubbish as most of the traffic does not go that way! .. The Scottish Parliament throws money in all directions except the Forth Road Bridge. Users of the bridge have to pay towards the cost of all the approach roads and the provision of toll collecting booths and collecting systems which are subject to strong and justified demands for abolition. All other bridges in Scotland, except the Tay Road Bridge, are toll-free despite the cost to the Executive."


    Monday 3rd July
  • The Herald has a report where Jack McConnell denies yesterday's report that he plans to remove the two tolls:- "McConnell denies manifesto plans to scrap tolls". A spokesman for the First Minister says "The £15m income from the Forth and Tay was needed to fund other projects.". What a sick joke. The Executive has a budget of £26.5 billion, and it was reported last week that in the financial year which ended on the 31st March, they underspent by £235 million. Tom McCabe, the Finance Minister, boasted that this was the lowest unsderspend ever. He also said that Scotland was to get another £800 million from Gordon Brown that had been held in reserve.

  • The Courier has a letter from us asking Helen Eadie will she now support Bruce Crawford's Members' Bill.


    Sunday 2nd July
    According to Jack Allardyce in today's Sunday Times, Jack McConnell is planning that Labour will promise to remove the two tolls after the next election. Good news if true, but why are they clinging on to them now, if they really plan to remove them? "Labour U-turn: we will axe bridge tolls".


    Saturday 1st July
    Two recent reports in the Scotsman, who avoid mentioning the tolls issue:-
  • Today they report on lorries trying to cross the bridge when there are high winds, and the delays caused when they are turned round at the toll booths:- "Lorry drivers flout bridge warnings".

  • On Thursday they reported that the old toll booths are going to be used at Knockhill:- "Forth bridge toll booths head for a racy new life". When they do scrap the tolls, what use will they find for their new £5 million booths?


    Friday 30th June
  • The Scottish Executive has just published a survey that it commissioned on why the people of Edinburgh voted against the Toll or "Road user charging" as they call it:- "Evaluation of Edinburgh Residents' Attitudes to the Proposed Road User Charging Scheme". It seems that people didn't fully understand it, but were against it in principle anyway.
    The Executive are living in a fantasy world, everyone knows that the Poll was biased in favour of tolls and that the council did all they could to fool the people into voting yes. Despite this the Executive conclusion is "Given scepticism among Edinburgh residents and legal constraints on providing information in the run up to the referendum, perhaps the City of Edinburgh Council was not best placed to inform residents of a congestion charge for the city." What have they in mind next time, bringing back Joseph Goebbels?.

  • Helen Eadie MSP for Dunfermline East was putting forward a Member's Bill to abolish the two tolls. Though it is only this week that her Bill consultation document has appeared on the Parliament web site, she has now abandoned it as she thinks she will not have enough time:- Courier - "Bid to scrap tolls runs out of time".
    Helen says there is not enough time before next May's elections. Strange, as her consultation document for the Bill has only appeared on the Parliament website this last week. Will she now support Bruce Crawford's Members' Bill which was lodged on the 9th May? The people of Fife and Tayside will prefer something now, rather than rely on any promises as to what may happen after the election.


    Wednesday 28th June
    Tom Minogue has put in an objection to FETA's planning application for the new tolls plaza. He says that FETA is not a legal entity in that it was not properly constituted in accordance with Scottish Parliamentary procedures:- Courier - "Protest lodged over bridge toll plaza".


    Tuesday 27th June
    FETA applied in August 2004 to "Erect canopy over toll booths at south side of Forth Road Bridge". That was approved by Edinburgh Council in September 2004. In the event FETA are not erecting a canopy, but are building a whole new tolls plaza about 50 feet away. They have now (14th June) made a new application which they are describing as "To erect a canopy over the new toll booths and toll plaza at the south side of the forth road bridge". You can see the application and comment on it at:- Edinburgh City Council.


    Monday 26th June
    FETA claim that the tolls plaza is not being built in the wrong place, and that there was never any suggestion that tolls would be removed, and that it's all the fault of Europe:- Courier - "No plans to tear down tolls plaza".
    After just telling us the bridge may have to close, they are trying to justify the new £5 million tolls plaza! They say that they may be exempt from planning law and that anyway the plaza has not been built in the wrong place. If so then why are they submitting a retrospective planning application?
    FETA's answer to why they approved the £5 million when tolling was being reviewed is that "At the time there was no suggestion that tolls were coming off the Forth Road Bridge". FETA must have been on another planet, if they were unaware of the tolls review or that the legal power for tolling was due to end on the 31st March 2006. How could FETA be so confident that the Executive would ignore the Councils, MSPs and others who were opposed to tolls?


    Saturday 24th June
    We are back to the Forth bridge falling down again:- Courier - "Mounting fears over road bridge".
    If FETA want another bridge, perhaps they can tell us why they accepted that the new bridge being built at Kincardine would be a Mickey Mouse bridge. It is generally agreed that "the bridge will become a bottleneck within a very short length of time". A bigger bridge at Kincardine could have done a lot to help ease congestion, particularly when there are restrictions on the bridge at Queensferry due to weather or other causes. Even without possible cable problems, it would also have been prudent to make sure that the new bridge at Kincardine could take as much traffic as possible.


    Friday 23rd June
    No news today, so here is one that we skipped. Last Saturday the Evening News had a story about the £65 million Forth bridge paint job being put back. It will not now start till 2010, and will finish in 2021:- "Bridge paint job delayed until 2010".
    Sometimes we think we have fallen through the looking glass - £65 million to paint the bridge, and they are planning to do this though they are still issuing stories about the bridge being permanently closed to traffic due to cable corrosion - are they planning that it will be used by cyclists and camel riders?


    Thursday 22nd June
  • The Dunfermline Free Press reports on the "Toll booths built in wrong place":-
    "BUNGLING roads chiefs have built the Forth Road Bridge's controversial new tolling 'plaza' in the wrong place, it has emerged.
    Now the £5 million structure faces being pulled down without ever collecting a toll, if angry local residents have their way.
    ... The towering structure has been erected 15 metres south of the position previously approved by Edinburgh Council and those living nearby complain it has spoiled their river views. Residents have asked West Fifers to join them in their bid to have the new booths removed.
    ... Even before this latest development, critics had slammed the millions spent as a waste of money, coming at a time when the whole issue of tolls is under review. Politicians of all the main parties are calling for tolls on the Forth crossing to be abolished in line with the Erskine and Skye bridges. And the future of the bridge itself is in doubt because of structural defects, as was made clear last week by bridgemaster Alastair Andrew.
    ... Local resident Gillian Mitchell first raised the matter with the council after spotting the variation from the original plans. "They've done it because it makes it easier for them to carry on with the old booths operating while the new ones were being built. The new ones were supposed to be built on the same spot as the current ones. When we first raised this, FETA argued that it didn't need planning permission. That's the case for work on the bridge but this isn't on the bridge. They were told they did need permission.
    FETA have known about this from the beginning of March but didn't stop the work to find out if they would get the planning permission. They kept working through the night, spending public money on booths they knew were in the wrong place.
    We can't believe they've been able to get away with building this when the whole debate on tolls has been going on. We're always being told that the bridge won't last long so why waste £5 million in public money on these tolling booths which will still be standing when the bridge is shut? There will be around 30 objections from people on this estate and I hope people in Fife will also take the chance to let FETA and Edinburgh Council know what they think about this."
  • FETA have said that there should be no more weekend delays on the Forth bridge - for the next 2 months, anyway.


    Wednesday 21st June
    Some letters over last week:-

  • Scotsman 12th June, from Tony Box of Edinburgh " It is a national disgrace that vehicles are being delayed by more than 45 minutes in trying to cross the Forth Road Bridge northbound, due to lack of toll collection facilities. If the Forth Estuary Transport Authority cannot collect tolls efficiently, it should stop collecting them and let the traffic flow."

  • Scotsman 14th June, from John Madden of Dunfermline "I agree with Tony Box that tolls should be suspended on the Forth Road Bridge for so long as the Fife Estuary Transport Authority fails to collect them with any efficiency. The disruption caused by the closure of toll booths reinforces my view that FETA's main aim is to create havoc. The bridge master's job is to ensure the maximum number of vehicles cross the bridge in as short a time as possible, not the exact opposite."

  • Scotsman 19th June, from Tom Minogue and Bob Taylor of Glenrothes, together with a few comments:- "New bridge campaign".

  • Evening News 19th June, from Tom Minogue :- "YOUR article on the tollbooths at the Forth Road Bridge being built in the wrong position (News, June 13) comes as no surprise to anyone who has observed FETA's actions at close hand. The bigger surprise is why FETA took a £5million gamble in going ahead with the new electronic tollbooth system when the remaining tolling regimes in Scotland were, and still are under review by the Executive.
    A visitor from Mars might be forgiven for thinking that FETA is trying to maximise delay, disruption and pollution that is caused by the tollbooth construction work so as to make the case for a new bridge. Surely not!"


    Monday 19th June
    Traffic on the Tay Road bridge in the year to March was down on the year before. This was revealed at a meeting of the Tay bridge board which also discussed the latest "review" of tolls by the Executive. This was apparently greeted with "a concerted committee raspberry". Lord Provost John Letford, said "It was difficult to desist making derisory comments, but farce sprang to mind." Evening Telegraph - "Fewer cars use bridge".


    Friday 16th June
  • Today the Courier has the story about the toll plaza being built in the wrong place. FETA say that their plans were only "conceptual drawings":- "Shadows loom over wrong-site toll plaza '".

  • The Courier has a letter from Peter Gibson of Springfield suggesting a novel way for funding the upkeep of Tay bridge "... The River Tay has a good tidal flow, so why not install wave energy machines between each of the pillars of the bridge, apart from the navigation spans, and use this as a test bed for wave energy? The energy created could be sold to the power companies."


    Thursday 15th June
    Two recent surveys say that Edinburgh has less congestion than most British cities, and is one of the most car friendly. Given the council's war against drivers, we wonder if these surveys were carried out in another dimension:- Evening News - "Edinburgh 'one of UK's most car friendly cities'".


    Wednesday 14th June
    FETA are demanding that the Executive immediately approve building a new bridge:- Courier - "Start new bridge now or face catastrophe".


    Tuesday 13th June
  • The Forth bridge authority's massive new unwanted toll plaza is being built in a different place to the one that they were granted planning permission for. Residents have objected but no doubt will be ignored:- Evening News - "Bridge booths face bulldozer as new location takes its toll".

  • The Courier published our repeated question to FETA - why did they spend £5 million on new tolls plaza, if tolls were under review? "How could FETA have been so sure about tolls?".


    Monday 12th June
    Angus Council has confirmed its opposition to the Two tolls:- Courier - "Council's "no tolls" message to Executive".


    Saturday 10th June
    Three from yesterday's Courier:-
  • Shona Robison has asked the Minister whether he will remove the tolls if that is what the latest review recommends. His reply was that they would think about it:- "No promise made on tolls outcome".

  • Report on start of work on the new bridge at Kincardine:- "Start made to third Forth bridge".
    The Transport Minister says it is a "world class project", the reality is somewhat different. All but the greens will welcome the new bridge, but it is inadequate. Bill Woolsey, interviewed on Thursday on the BBC said "Local people would like to see a larger bridge. The bridge will become a bottleneck within a very short length of time."
    A bigger bridge could have done a lot to help ease congestion, particularly when there are restrictions on the main Forth road bridge due to weather or other causes. But more importantly the authorities have said that the Forth road bridge may have to be closed at some stage to either lorries or all traffic due to cable corrosion. We don't believe such a closure is likely, but it would have been prudent to make sure that the new bridge at Kincardine could take as much traffic as possible in case the Forth bridge is forced to close for any reason. Instead we have just a token bridge with a single carriageway. We hope that East Scotland does not regret the missed opportunity to build a wider bridge."

  • There was a letter from FETA about our letter asking whether FETA knew that the tolls review process was a sham when they went ahead with the £5 million scheme for new tolls equipment or did they take a gamble.
    The reply from FETA was that it was justified because 1) the toll plaza "wasn't up to scratch for those who work there", 2) "electronic tolling is cheaper" and 3) it had been set up in 2002 "to move from a toll to a road user charge". But all this misses the point.
    A review of all Scotland's tolls was announced in May 2003, and there was a first round of consultations in summer 2004. Yet at the end of October 2004, FETA decided to spend £5 million, partly apparently to save money. Even without the review, the tolls on the bridge were due to stop on the 31st March 2006. How were FETA so sure that there would still be tolls when their £5 million tolls plaza opens?


    Thursday 8th June
  • Bruce Crawford has thrown down a challenge to Helen Eadie and other MSPs. He wants them to back his Bill to abolish the tolls, and volunteers that if they introduce a similar bill, then he will back theirs and withdraw his:- Courier - "MSP issues tolls bill challenge to rivals".

  • Work is starting on the new bridge at Kincardine. This is welcome, but the new bridge is totally inadequate:- BBC - "Second road bridge work begins".


    Wednesday 7th June
    Citroen have done a review of congestion in various British cities. In our opinion it was not scienfific and just another publicity gimmick. But for what it's worth, Edinburgh, the city that the authorities tried to con into the Con charge, was rated most congestion free:- Evening News - "Shorter rush-hour jams make city commute best in Britain".


    Tuesday 6th June
    The Courier has a letter from us on the spending on tolls equipment, and addresses for submissions by individuals and organisations to the latest tolls review:- (first letter).


    Monday 5th June
  • On Saturday, the Courier reported on "progress" on the toll booths on the Forth bridge:- "Forth tolls work is on schedule".Strange that no one seems to be worried that £5 million is being spent on new toll equipment when the tolls are yet again under review.

  • Last week we drew the attention of MSPs to some of the issues with the A8000 scheme which is being partly financed from bridge tolls:- A8000 scheme.


    Wednesday 31st May
    Bruce Crawford MSP yesterday tried to get the Transport Committee not to delay his Private Member's Bill abolishing the Two Tolls. The 5 Labour and Lib Dem MSPs again kicked this out of sight. Those voting not to delay the Bill were Maureen Watt and Fergus Ewing from the SNP, Tommy Sheridan from the SSP and Conservative David McLetchie:- "MSPs halt new bid to end bridge tolls".


    Thursday 25th May
    Edinburgh have appointed a new man to boss the tram scheme. According to tonight's Evening News he is to commute from Essex. The paper doesn't say whether he will use a cycle.


    Wednesday 24th May
    The Freight Transport Association have had a letter in various papers backing more tolls on more roads. This is our response as published in tonight's Evening News:- "Proposals will waste money".


    Friday 19th May
    More criticism in the Courier following Wednesday's announcement:- "Review branded a waste by FSB".   "Tolls decision criticised by Tricia Marwick"


    Thursday 18th May
  • There is a report in the Courier of the angry reaction of MSPs following yesterday's announcement that that the Scottish Executive have appointed a consultant to look at the Two Tolls:- "No scrapping of bridge tolls for at least a year".
    It is now clear that this announcement is as useful as saying that it is expected that there may be some snow next winter. It is just a delaying tactic that would not fool a four year old:- Executive Press Release.

  • The Courier reports that work started yesterday on the main part of the new A8000. :- "Bridging gap that was the A8000 ". Tavish the Toll apparently said:- "I am pleased to see construction start on this vital link to the national transport network. This has been a bottleneck for too long." No doubt he is even more pleased that the scheme is being paid for from Forth bridge tolls.


    Wednesday 17th May
    It was announced today that the Scottish Executive have appointed a consultant to look at the Two Tolls. Various MSPs have accused Tavish the Toll of delaying tactics:- BBC - "Consultants review bridge tolls".


    Monday 15th May
    R Haynes from Kennoway in this morning's Courier warns the Emperor Ming about Lib Dems support for tolls:-
    "I wrote a letter to Sir Menzies Campbell letting him know how I felt about his party stopping the scrapping of the tolls on the Forth Bridge and putting an extra tax on the east of Scotland. I received a reply informing me there were issues involved which needed to be addressed and giving a rather patronising view, as if it was a complex matter. Having travelled to Edinburgh Airport on the last two Saturdays it was apparent that the long tailback was caused by the toll booths and if he cannot see this after two inquiries he should not be in his job. Perhaps an electoral defeat will help them listen to the people more closely in the future."


    Saturday 13th May
    The Scottish Executive is consulting on Freedom of Information. The Evening News reports that Edinburgh City Council want to make the process harder - They are preaching to the converted! Despite the FoI laws, the authorities still succeed in keeping the full truth from the people. If the laws are eased, then it will be even easier for them to keep their secrets.


    Thursday 11th May
    The Evening Times reports that the toll booths from the Erskine Bridge are for sale:- "Now they're queuing to buy bridge toll booths". Does this mean that we are safe from more tolls? Probably not, as the troll hogs will have in mind new electronic ways of taxing and tagging us.


    Wednesday 10th May
  • The Edinburgh Traffic Forum was formed by some of the people who campaigned against the Edinburgh tolls. They are holding their annual general meeting next Tuesday, 16th May, at 7.30pm in Davidson's Mains Parish Church Hall, Quality Street.

  • Another scare story on the Forth road bridge. Yesterday Tavish the Toll was asked by MSPs whether there was a risk the the bridge might have to be closed to HGVs before any new bridge might be built. He replied - yes:- The Courier - "HGVs facing Forth bridge ban" . What isn't clear is what this risk is compared with say the chances of Little Green Men from Mars invading Fife.

  • The Courier has a letter from Andrew Gilmour from Leven about Lib Dem hypocri