The Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Act 2008 (asp 1) is an act of the Scottish Parliament passed to abolish tolls on all road bridges in Scotland. In practice, it removed the remaining tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge and repealed legislation relating to the Erskine Bridge.
Background Tolls on the Skye Bridge had been controversial since its opening, and these were abolished in 2004.
The bill was a fulfilment of the commitment in the SNP manifesto for the May 2007 election to remove the tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges. Leaving the two road bridges into and out of Fife as the only remaining toll bridges in Scotland was described as "unacceptable and unfair". The provisions of the bill removed this anomaly, making the entire road network in Scotland "consistent and fair".
At the time the legislation was passed, the cost of the tolls amounted to on the Forth Bridge and on the Tay Bridge.
Passage through Parliament The bill was introduced as an Executive Bill by John Swinney MSP on 3 September 2007. The Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Act 2008 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 7 December 2007.MSPs vote to scrap bridge tolls, BBC News, 20 December 2007 The act was given royal assent on 24 January 2008.
Implementation Tolls were removed from the bridges by 11 February 2008.
Further developments Transport Scotland has suggested that tolls could be reintroduced in order to reduce emissions.
See also List of acts of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 2001
References
External links
Policy Memorandum, Scottish Parliament, 3 September 2007