MASSIVE £26 DAILY TOLL FEE CONCERN.

MASSIVE £26 DAILY TOLL FEE CONCERN.

£26 BRIDGE TOLL LEAVES PFI TOTALLY DISCREDITED

‘SCOTLAND HAS SEEN DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF HUGE TOLLS ON SKYE BRIDGE’

SNP MSP Tricia Marwick has expressed concern over expert analysis published today (Sunday) which reveals that if the replacement Forth crossing was built using Labour’s preferred model of PFI, tolls of £26 per day could be levied for car journeys.

According to figures produced by engineer John Carson and economists Jim and Margaret Cuthbert and published in today’s Sunday Herald newspaper, a PFI deal would increase the total costs of the project from £2.3bn to £4bn. Over 30 years, this would necessitate a payment of £353m from the taxpayer each year – or a minimum daily toll of £26 for car journeys.

Commenting, Ms Marwick said:

“Labour stood in the way of abolishing tolls for eight years. The SNP abolished the tolls in our first eight months.

“Now, not only are Labour objecting to the Scottish Government’s reasonable proposals for building a toll free replacement Forth crossing, they are insisting on this totally discredited funding model and the eye-watering levies that come with it.

“Scotland has already seen the disastrous effects of building bridges through private finance with huge charges on the Skye Bridge and ridiculous profits for the companies behind it. A toll of £26 on the Forth Bridge would be devastating.

“While Labour have yet to rule out a tolls, the Scottish Government are committed to building the replacement Forth Crossing by traditional procurement methods – delivering it on time, on budget and most importantly, toll-free for the people of Scotland.