Scots would ‘accept’ road charges, report claims

TRANSPORT

- BY DAVID WALKER Scottish Politics Reporter

The number of motorists in Scotland has risen since Covid, despite restrictions put in place by government

Scotland has come under fire after privately claiming Scots would eventually “accept” being charged for driving in big cities amid plans to bring in congestion charges in busy regions.The Scottish Government wants to massively reduce the number of cars on the road in a bid to hit net zero goals. But, since Covid, the number of motorists has actually risen — despite restrictions put in place by SNP ministers, such as low emission zones in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

Public transport is not an option for those living in rural areas without a train station.

In a bid to curb vehicle use, Transport Scotland commissioned a report into road charging, where it floated the idea of charging per day or per kilometre.

While the government isn’t looking at bringing this in, officials are exploring whether councils have the power to do so - with SNP-led Glasgow City Council already considering a congestion charge similar to the one in London.