By Steve Bargeton, political editor

THE SCOTTISH Greens last night propped up the Executive to ensure thousands of commuters in Fife and Tayside continue to pay bridge tolls.

In a crunch vote at Holyrood they fell in with Labour and the Liberal Democrats to defeat an SNP motion to remove the tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges.

In a day of high drama six Labour and two Liberal Democrat MSPs rebelled and voted to support The Courier campaign to scrap the tolls. Dunfermline West MSP Scott Barrie resigned as a Labour whip to vote with the rebels.

The other Labour MSPs who voted to abolish Scotland’s last remaining tolls were Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East), Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland), Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy), Kate Maclean (Dundee West) and Christine May (Central Fife).

Liberal Democrats Iain Smith (North East Fife) and Andrew Arbuckle (Mid Scotland and Fife) also voted to abolish the tolls. North East Scotland Labour MSP Richard Baker abstained.

But the rebellion was not enough to commit the Parliament to ending bridge tolls with the motion for abolition defeated by 65 votes to 58 with one abstention.

An Executive amendment which linked the tolls to plans for a new Forth crossing and called for the abolition of tolls to be “considered” was defeated by 66 to 56 with one abstention.

And a Green amendment calling for variable “smart” tolls was defeated by 117 votes to seven.

During a heated debate the Greens were singled out for ridicule. Ms Eadie accused them of “living in cloud- cuckoo-land” and Tory transport spokesman David Davidson said they were a party opposed to “anything with wheels and an engine.”

The Courier’s campaign to scrap the tolls was praised in the chamber. To applause SNP transport spokesman Fergus Ewing described it as “a campaign which has given a clear lead.”

MSPs listened to passionate arguments for commuters of Fife, Tayside and beyond to be treated fairly and have the tolls burden removed. An emotional Mr Barrie explained why he could not support the Executive position to keep the tolls. “I will not be supporting the Executive today,” he said. “To underline that I yesterday gave my resignation as Labour whip to the First Minister.

“I have no alternative but to support the people who elected me to this place and vote against the Executive. I believe absolutely, fundamentally, tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges should be removed.

“It is absolutely a tax on Fifers. It is more in sorrow than in anger that I make this speech today.”

Opening the debate for the SNP, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Tricia Marwick attacked Transport Minister Tavish Scott and the Executive motion which linked the tolls with the case for a new Forth crossing.

“In other words this minister wants the tolls to pay for the new crossing,” she said.

“Tavish Scott is not the minister for transport he is the minister for shifting goalposts. The toll money has been used since 1995 as the cash cow to fund transport projects which should be the responsibility of government.”

But Mr Scott insisted traffic modelling had shown the removal of tolls from the two bridges would lead to increases in traffic—particularly on the Forth Bridge.

He told MSPs that an evidence report on the tolls will be published next week but would only say the report he ordered last March would be made public “in the foreseeable future.”

He said major employers, local authorities, public sector organisations in Dundee, Fife and Lothians had commented on the issue but claimed the financial level of the tolls are not a major concern.

“Of much more concern is the issue of increasing traffic levels, increasing congestion and, of course, the separate issue of the viability of the Forth Road Bridge crossing,” he said.

“The early indications suggest that concerns about the possibility of significant increases in traffic over the bridges are well founded.

“The equation here is simple. Removing these tolls increases congestion, which increases emissions, which increases our impact upon the global environment. The SNP are in denial about that.”

Scottish Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser described the bridge tolls as “a unique form of taxation on the people of Fife and the east of Scotland.”

Mr Fraser added, “The tolls have had their day and today this parliament should make it clear that they must go.”

He said that, when charges on the Erskine and Skye bridges had been removed, it was unfair travellers had to pay to cross the Forth and the Tay.

“There is a very simple argument for scrapping these tolls on grounds of equity and the time for that argument has come,” he said.

Dundee East SNP MSP Shona Robison challenged Mr Scott to say whether the Liberal Demo-crat manifesto would contain a commitment to abolish the tolls.

“How can congestion on the Tay and the Forth be a problem before May 3 but somehow not a problem after May 3?” she asked.

Green MSP Mark Ballard said there was a need for “smart tolls”—where vehicles travelling at peak periods are charged more and those with several passengers pay less.

“Why are we charging the same amount for a vehicle full of passengers on Sunday afternoon that we do for a vehicle with a single occupant crossing at peak times?” he asked.

“We need a sensible system of tolls. We can choose a modern system of tolls that manage demand in a sensible way. Or we can take the easy option presented by the SNP.”

Dunfermline East Labour MSP Helen Eadie said she, too, would be supporting the SNP motion. “I have campaigned all my political life to have these tolls removed because I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

She attacked the Greens for their support for the charges.

“You are living in such cloud cuckoo land, half the time you just don’t understand what some of the issues are.”

Kirkcaldy MSP Marilyn Livingstone said the Fife economy was being damaged by bridge tolls. “Congestion charges for other people in Scotland are not being considered, why Fife?” she asked.

North East Fife Liberal Democrat MSP Iain Smith said, “Voting for this SNP motion will not mean tolls are abolished, and to pretend otherwise is to mislead the public.

“The reality is tolls cannot be abolished overnight.”

North East Scotland Tory MSP David Davidson attacked the Greens, describing them as being against “anything with wheels and an engine.”

“You run the economy on a bike,” he said.

And SSP leader Colin Fox said axing the tolls would help the economy in the north-east, which had struggled following decisions like the one by NCR to axe 650 jobs in Dundee.

After the debate Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Ted Brocklebank said, “Removing charges from both bridges will be a major boost to the kingdom’s economy, as well as easing traffic congestion at busy times.

“It will also remove the injustice which sees Fifers charged to enter the kingdom, whether entering from the north or south.”

Dundee-based Labour MSP Marlyn Glen said, “I voted to abolish the tolls because I believe that public opinion and natural justice have both made the case for their removal from the Tay and Forth road bridges.

“It would have been very unfair to allow these two bridges to remain tolled while all other bridges have had theirs removed.”