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Move to end Skye toll
Page 11
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Pressure is building to abolish the unpopular Skye Bridge toll: David Harris reports on the Enterprise Minister's proposal.
THE SKYE BRIDGE toll could be abolished by the end of the year, the Scottish Parliament was told last week.
Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace told Scottish MPs: "This Executive is committed to ending the discredited tolling regime on the Skye Bridge." He added that it aims to do so by the end of 2004. The unpopular toll is paid to the Skye Bridge Company, which built the bridge and has been using
the charge to recoup its investment. Protesters say construction costs have been met several times over and are demanding a judicial review of the charging system.
The Skye Bridge Company has declined to comment on the debate other than to confirm that it is now in talks with the Scottish Executive. It is understood that, in order to end the tolls, the Executive would have to buy the bridge from
the Skye Bridge Company, and the asking price is believed to be around £24m.
Wallace says: "Professional advisers have been appointed and discussions with the Skye Bridge Company have already begun. Having conferred with the Minister of Transport on this issue, I believe we can achieve our goal by the end of this year."
Hauliers who use the bridge regularly have welcomed the proposal, but some remain sceptical. Donald Macleod runs Isle of Lewis-based DR Macleod, which spends more than £25,000 a year on Skye Bridge tolls. He describes himself as "hopeful but sceptical".
Macleod adds:"I certainly think it would be a good thing if it was free because it would enable us to pass on the savings to our customers. But I do worry that this statement, coming at election time, is a bit of electioneering which may never really come to anything. I'll just wait and see."
The Skye Bridge was opened in 1995 as one of the Conservative government's earliest private finance initiatives.