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Daily commuters using the Forth Road Bridge have saved £2280 each since tolls were scrapped nine years ago, the SNP said today.
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
So, this is GOOD news?
(8 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Alternatively - people on low wages across Scotland subsidise cross-Forth car commuters. Also very generous of them to stump up £1,325,000,000 for the new bridge - which most of them will never use.
Posted 8 years ago # -
The tolls were a tiny sum compared to commuting by rail.
I'm not sure how train prices over the bridge are calculated, but a 13 mile single journey from Haymarket to N. Queensferry over the bridge works out at about 36p per mile, compared to the 18 mile journey from Haymarket to Linlithgow at only 29p per mile. Suggesting that rail commuters are still paying a toll of about 95p each time they cross the rail bridge.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Well the Chipwrapper analysis is obviously simplistic, but the real cost benefit balance will be very hard to get at wouldn't it? I'd suggest terms for beneficiaries;
1) Land value speculators in Fife
2) Owners of fossil fuel deposits
3) Shareholders in Edinburgh employersand losers;
1) People spending time commuting by car in terms of mental and physical health
2) Taxpayers without reason to cross the Forth by car
3) Citizens affected by car noise and exhaustPosted 8 years ago # -
And to be clear I'd expect the headline transfer of wealth to be from Glasgow taxpayers to Fife land speculators.
Which is why we need some form of land value tax.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"And to be clear I'd expect the headline transfer of wealth to be from Glasgow taxpayers to Fife land speculators"
So what? Raith interchange, A9 dualling and Aberdeen bypass will be paid for by Edinburgh and Fife taxpayers by that rationale.
Posted 8 years ago # -
So what?
A question better addressed to Glasgow taxpayers. (And possibly house buyers in Fife.)
If we had land value tax then the benefit of public investment is captured by the public. Without it, you get weird transfers that people may or may not be content with.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I wonder how much of that £2280 the drivers have spent on fuel while idling due to higher car use.
I'm not sure how they reached the figure but their definition of a daily commuter presumably doesn't allow for many holidays. They presumably also didn't calculate the cost of a months rail fares while the bridge was shut because of backlogged maintenance due to no toll income to fund it.
Posted 8 years ago #
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