By Craig Smith

FIFE COUNCIL has reiterated its demand for tolls to be removed on the Forth and Tay road bridges, stressing the levies should be lifted on the grounds of “fairness and equality.”

In the authority’s response to the Scottish Executive’s call for factual evidence in support of removing or keeping the charges on Scotland’s two remaining tolled bridges, the council again stated its total opposition to having them remain in place.

Councillor Alec Thomson, depute administration leader, said the case for the removal of tolls is clear, given the body of evidence from existing studies.

He said, “The Executive has already carried out detailed studies of the economic, social and environmental costs and impacts of keeping or removing the tolls so it’s difficult to understand the need for yet another study.

“In addition, there doesn’t appear to be any clear engineering or transportation rationale for the removal of tolls at Skye and Erskine and the case for the removal of tolls at the Forth and Tay bridges should be treated on the same basis.

“Indeed, it’s questionable why some are predicting that congestion will worsen if tolls were removed on the Forth bridge and if there is to be any further work carried out by the Executive then this is the key issue that should be examined.

“Any traffic modelling results should be rigorously challenged.

“We just don’t believe congestion would worsen if tolls were removed.

“The position is clear—tolls are inherently unfair and putting Fifers and bridge users at an unfair disadvantage economically, not just in their own pockets but the effect felt in the wider Fife and east Scotland economy.”

The council’s response also points to the need for a consistent policy on the road network.

To demonstrate, it identifies several areas where other bridges have no tolls, highlighting Friarton, Kessock, Dornoch, Cromarty, Skye, Ballachulish, Connell, Kingston, Kincardine and Erskine as examples of good practice.

Mr Thomson said, “In our response, we’re asking for a level playing field where bridges that are a part of the strategic road network are treated equally.

“Although current legislation requires tolls to be charged on the Forth and Tay, this anomaly must be addressed in the forthcoming National Transport Strategy for Scotland.”

He continued, “This whole debate has moved on from the environmental, social and economic effects of tolling to one about fairness and equality.

“All bridges require ongoing maintenance, repairs and eventual replacement—to judge on any such needs at a single point in time when a bridge is designed to last 120 years is misleading.

“Of the thousands and thousands of bridges in Scotland only two remain tolled, both in Fife, but money is found to maintain all others.”

In the wake of the council’s submission Councillor Mike Rumney, chairman of Fife’s environment committee, maintained the campaign against tolls will continue to gather pace.

“While this inequity remains we’ll continue to challenge the tolls issue at every opportunity and through every mechanism available to us, including FETA,” he said.

“While we appreciate FETA’s continued support in Fife on issues like the A8000 upgrade, support for a new multi-modal crossing and investment in Ferrytoll Park and Ride, the position of certain Edinburgh politicians is obviously at odds with the overall Fife position.”