By Aileen Robertson

A CASTING vote by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority’s Edinburgh-based chairman overruled attempts by Fife councillors to put the brakes on a £4 Forth road bridge toll.

FETA can now apply to the Scottish Executive for approval of a road charging scheme that could see commuters face the £4 charge between 4 pm and 6 pm.

Board members voted five in favour and five against. Those who voted against were Fife councillors Alice McGarry, Mike Rumney, Tony Martin and John Cameron and West Lothian councillor Dave King.

All four Edinburgh councillors on the FETA board voted in favour. The matter was decided by Edinburgh councillor Lawrence Marshall, when the chairman was given the casting vote.

Mrs McGarry told the meeting that with the Erskine Bridge toll set to be abolished, “Fife is the only place in Scotland with two toll bridges to get into it.”

She said, “The fact remains for a lot of people using cars on the bridges...a lot of these people are on low wages and it would not only be taking money out of their pockets but would also be taking money out of the economy of Fife.”

The Inverkeithing councillor said there had been a lack of public consultation.

Mr Rumney said, “It isn’t a Fife versus Edinburgh issue but at the end of the day I’m there to represent the people of Fife and I think the travelling public, in particular Fife residents paying tolls on the existing bridge, deserve the fullest information.

“Much more work has to be done on this because I don’t think the board members have the fullest information yet. If they don’t fully understand it how can we explain it to the public?

“There will have to be massive public consultation on this. I can’t support a £4 toll for the people of Fife to pay to return home from their work.”

A campaign against the £4 toll, which would be introduced no sooner that April 2009, is already under way.

Mid Scotland and Fife SNP MSP Bruce Crawford said, “This is a disappointing decision. The issue here is not one of tackling congestion, as for many people there is no real alternative than to use the Forth road bridge.”

Mr Crawford said, “No matter how many buses, trains or ferries they put on, most people will still have no option but to use the bridge to get to work and back. This is a cash-raising measure, not an attempt to tackle congestion.

“All signals from government indicate that the toll will be removed from the Erskine Bridge. It simply defies belief that, on the one hand, the toll will be removed at Erskine while customers using the Forth Road Bridge face massive toll hikes. If the Minister was to support the FETA board’s position, it would be hypocrisy in the extreme.”

Retired Fife business man Tom Minogue spoke on behalf of the action group National Alliance Against Tolls (Scotland). He said the group would “actively campaign” against the tolls.

Central Fife Labour MSP Christine May said, “I can’t support this. It maybe sends out some of the right messages but I think this is the wrong time and the wrong way to do it. We have a review of tolling, which is due to report, and there is evidence that tolls will be removed on some bridges.

“We need to sort out congestion but we can’t say to the people of Fife, you have to pay £4 at peak times when you’ve no choice but to travel on the bridge and no choice but to travel on your own.

“It’s Fifers who will be penalised. Fifers are just as concerned about pollution and congestion as everybody else and would gladly use alternative transport if it was available to them, but it’s not.”

Dunfermline East Labour MSP Helen Eadie has drafted a letter to First Minister Jack McConnell. In it she says, “The vast majority of constituents in my Dunfermline East constituency are incandescent with rage and dismayed that there are proposals to be put to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority to increase tolls to £4 during peak hours. I appeal on behalf of my constituents that you firmly reject this proposal.

“Indeed it would condemn central and east Scotland to economic downturn—crippling businesses beyond measure. Furthermore individuals and families who depend on the Forth road bridge for accessing their employment would be placed under tremendous strain.

“The toll increase would unjustly erode their hard earned income.”

Dunfermline West Labour MSP Scott Barrie said it was “galling” that the casting vote had been made by an Edinburgh councillor “given that when Edinburgh was proposing its congestion charge there was a referendum open to all the people in Edinburgh.”

He said, “This decision disproportionately affects Fifers. There’s no good saying Edinburgh can have a referendum but the people of Fife can’t decide the best way of dealing with congestion on the bridge.”