Better roads . . but at a price

Businesses fear the plan will kill shopping in the Capital, and motoring organisations claim drivers simply will not stand for it without better public transport alternatives than are currently promised.

But the city council believes there will be enough support and is setting out its stall on the basis that road tolls are the only way to fund 1.5 billion of transport improvements.

It is also publishing preliminary figures showing significant reductions in congestion on key roads.

The consultation, entitled Have Your Say, will see 250,000 questionnaires on the council’s New Transport Initiative and its road toll proposal distributed in libraries, council offices and other public venues across the region.

There will also be an online questionnaire, a freephone number, press and radio adverts and public meetings. Respondents will be told about the background to Edinburgh’s worsening congestion problem and then be given three basic options.

All are based on the question of whether or not to charge motorists to drive into the city, using either one cordon around the city centre, or a cordon around both the central area and the city bypass. Charges would apply 7am-7pm, Monday to Friday, and the scheme could be up and running by 2006.

OPTION A: 2 daily charge using a city centre cordon only. It is estimated this could yield about 900 million for transport improvements over 15 years.

OPTION B: 2 daily charge with city centre and city bypass cordons (although motorists would not have to pay to cross both cordons). It is thought this could raise 1.5bn over 15 years.

OPTION C: No road tolls. This would limit transport investment to about 200m over 15 years because of the constraints on public funding.

Before any tolls are levied, the council is promising "upfront" transport improvements, including:

Crossrail - new train services from Newcraighall and Brunstane (already running) and possibly Edinburgh Park;

Four new park-and-ride sites and an extension of the existing Ferrytoll site;

Sophisticated bus priority system for west Edinburgh;

Planning completed for two tram lines.

On top of that, the authority says that between 2006 and 2016, option A would provide

North and west Edinburgh tram routes by 2009 and a southern line by 2011;

Two more park-and-ride sites, further improvements for bus routes;

Better road maintenance

20mph zones across Edinburgh.

It could also help fund the South Suburban Railway project which seeks to run passenger trains through outlying Edinburgh stations.

Option B could provide everything which Option A would, as well as:

Tram lines to Livingston, Dalkeith and possibly Penicuik;

Major investment in "orbital" bus services on the edge of the city;

Further new funds for road maintenance.

It could also contribute to the long-awaited Borders rail line from Edinburgh to Galashiels, and better rail services linking Edinburgh to Fife, West Lothian, East Lothian and other neighbouring areas.

Option C would limit the council to about 200m of improvements, with few major projects possible.

Research for the authority indicates a single city centre cordon would produce "significant" traffic reductions in and around the centre, but would have only limited benefits further out.

The double cordon would be expected to result in significant reductions in city centre congestion, but also less traffic on roads crossing the bypass and in the west of the city.

Motorists would also not be charged for using the bypass itself. The cameras would record number plates when vehicles crossed it or turned off it to go into the city.

Computer models produced by consultants predict reductions of more than five per cent on a series of routes, mainly those running from the bypass to the city centre, although some roads would see an increase.

Without any tolls, car use is expected to rise by up to 20 per cent and city centre congestion by up to 50 per cent over the next 15 years. As well as stressing the benefits of tolls, it is understood the consultation process will stress that the status quo is not an option.

Some 24,000 new jobs are expected to have been created in Edinburgh by 2011 and there will be 50,000 more people living in Lothian by 2016. Major new developments, such as the Waterfront, South East Wedge and the extension to Edinburgh Park will add to the pressure.

Posing the question "What will happen if nothing is done?", the council says traffic and pollution will increase, more traffic will be pushed into residential areas, and businesses and tourists will be put off by congestion.

City leaders also say consultation has already shown basic support for road tolls.

In 1999, 60 per cent of people questioned were in favour of a combination of tolls and a high investment package, while market research in 2000-2001 showed 59 per cent support among Edinburgh residents and 51 per cent among motorists from outside the Capital who were canvassed in the city centre.

But this summer’s consultation will also stress that strict conditions will be applied to any toll scheme.

They include a guarantee that the revenue will be reinvested in transport improvements, that it will not be used to fill holes in existing budgets and that there will be "transparency" over where the cash goes.

The plan is to run the public consultation from tomorrow until July 31, along with separate canvassing of businesses.

Subject to the consultation results, which the council believes will be favourable, the aim is to get full approval from the Scottish Executive this winter, agree a final scheme by summer 2004, get further approval for the details of that, then start charging from summer 2006.

City transport leader Councillor Andrew Burns said: "We’ve had several consultations in the past which have given an indicative level of support for congestion charging of about 60 per cent of the population of Edinburgh, as long as infrastructure improvements are in place first.

"But this consultation covers the whole of south-east Scotland. It will also be run by an independent body - the University of Westminster - who will provide an independent, public assessment of the level of support for charging.

"We are hoping to build as much consensus as possible around one of the options, but we don’t have a predetermined view about which one. We will genuinely wait and see what comes back from this."

However businesses are still not convinced. Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise spokesman Graham Bell said: "Like anybody else, we are in favour of things which improve the environment and traffic flow, but simply restricting traffic flow is not the solution.

"Further restrictions on motor transport are a nonsense when there isn’t an integrated transport policy in place.

"Projects such as Crossrail are a step towards that, but more needs to be done before tolls are introduced than is currently being promised.

"Otherwise people who can go elsewhere will stop coming into Edinburgh."

On the right track?

IF road tolls are introduced, it has already been decided that drivers would be charged when they come into Edinburgh, but not on the way out.

Also confirmed is that the emergency services, public buses, motorbikes, bicycles and blue and orange badge holders would be exempt.

The technology would probably feature roadside cameras which record number plates and pass the information to a computer system.

Regular commuters could pre-pay for a certain number of journeys, with a "credit" deducted each time their number plate registered on the system. Visitors to the city would be warned by signs that they were about to cross a cordon and then have a certain amount of time to pay - possibly until midnight on the same day - by visiting pay stations in places such as city centre shops.

Failure to pay on time would result in a fine similar to a parking ticket.

A study of the impact of tolls on retailing in Edinburgh is under way. City leaders expect it to reach similar conclusions to a similar survey for London, which predicted a negligible effect.