Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate: Ending the “War” Against Scotland’s Motorists

Sue Webber S6M-17362 That the Parliament calls on the Scottish Government to take greater action to support Scotland’s motorists and to cease implementing punitive measures against road users, which have been described as a war on Scotland’s motorists; recognises the importance of motorists to the Scottish economy and connectivity; acknowledges that the Scottish Government has abandoned its plans to reduce car use by 20% by 2030 and welcomes the recent Audit Scotland report that states that the Scottish Ministers had "no costed delivery plan or measurable milestones" to achieve this target; calls on the Scottish Ministers to focus on incentives, rather than penalties, to encourage motorists to change their behaviour as part of an affordable transition; notes that the implementation of low emission zones has hindered businesses and motorists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, and calls on ministers to review the effectiveness of low emission zones before any new zones are proposed, or the current ones are expanded, and to reconsider the punitive fines; recognises that road users in Aberdeen have been hindered by the introduction of bus gates, and that motorists across Scotland have been restricted by the expansion of parking charges; urges the Scottish Ministers not to introduce 50 mph speed limits on national speed limit single carriageway roads; recognises that resurfacing, rather than refilling, is the best solution to tackle Scotland’s pothole problem; urges ministers to work more effectively with the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, local authority road works coordinators and utility companies to encourage less inactivity on road work sites and to incentivise finishing works ahead of time; calls for greater action to futureproof Scotland’s EV charger network, and further calls on the Scottish Government to recognise the vital role that motorists play in Scotland. Jim Fairlie S6M-17362.4 As an amendment to motion S6M-17362 in the name of Sue Webber (Ending the "War" Against Scotland’s Motorists), leave out from first "calls" to end and insert "believes that language used out of context to maximise political traction and which fails to consider the sensitivities of such language is reckless, given wider global considerations; further believes that demonising car users is unhelpful to rural communities in particular, which, as a result of a deregulated bus market, often have no alternative to using a car; acknowledges, however, that Scotland needs to reduce carbon emissions from transport, especially from car use; welcomes that Scotland has reached its target of 6,000 public EV charge points two years early through a combination of Scottish Government funding, delivery by local authorities and private sector investment, with approximately 24,000 to be delivered by 2030 through continued Scottish Government funding and increasing private sector investment; recognises that supporting EV car use contributes to Scotland’s connectivity, and further recognises the value that connectivity has in helping to support the economy, education, social mobility and leisure across Scotland; notes that connectivity is being enhanced by free bus travel for over two million people in Scotland, which provides alternatives to car usage for those that can make the switch; respects the responsibilities of local authorities for local road provision and maintenance, and some local bus services, and that they will be able to have more control through transport legislation, which puts more power into the hands of local transport authorities; is concerned at the ongoing impact of UK Conservative administrations’ deregulation of bus services in the 1980s and 1990s; recognises the need for safe, clean and, importantly, reliable punctual bus services, which can be improved through bus infrastructure, and that improvements can be made in public health by creating low emission zones, as has been done in over 40 areas across Europe, but does have concerns that the punctuality of bus services can be hampered by road works; welcomes the Scottish Government’s approach through engaging collaboratively with the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, who oversees road works, with roads authorities, which have responsibility for coordination of works, and with the road works industry, which is responsible for duration and quality of works, to find reasonable solutions to help in this area; agrees that further investigation is needed of the role that those undertaking the works play in the quality of road surfaces after works have been completed; further agrees to await the results of the National Speed Management Review consultation, noting that an estimated 10mph reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads can reduce deaths by 23% and serious casualties by 18%, and that there is a need to make Scotland’s roads safer to cut the number of people being injured and killed on the roads, and welcomes the roll-out of 20mph limits across all local authorities on roads determined by them." Claire Baker S6M-17362.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-17362 in the name of Sue Webber (Ending the “War” Against Scotland’s Motorists), leave out from first “calls” to end and insert “highlights the Scottish Government’s dropping of the target of a 20% reduction in car use by 2030 and the recent Audit Scotland report, which states that the Scottish Ministers had 'no costed delivery plan or measurable milestones' to achieve this target; recognises that, while car ownership has increased, many households, including a greater proportion of those on lower incomes, do not have access to a car; further recognises that a failure to reduce transport emissions will have a detrimental effect on the climate and on people’s health; acknowledges that a reduction in car use is only realistic and inclusive if there is a viable alternative option, and calls on the Scottish Government to scrap peak rail fares as a first step to making public transport more affordable and accessible to all.”