Meeting of the Parliament 10 December 2025
If Ms Hyslop does not mind, I have quite a bit to say. If I have time, I will bring her in.
Motorists cannot be expected to make the shift to EVs without having confidence that charging will be accessible, affordable and convenient. I am an EV user and I had charging anxiety, which was the biggest barrier to my making the decision to get the car. That is still the case for so many people, especially those who do not have home charging and who rely on the public charging network.
Those who charge at public charge points have no idea what they are going to be charged per kilowatt, because it is dependent on so many things, including the speed of the charger and who owns the charger. That is if they can even find the rate of the kilowatt listed somewhere in the small print when they are sent to a website. They might not have a network signal to connect to the internet. They also will not know whether the charger even works. EV charging is a lottery, and we all know that those who play the lottery rarely come out on top. Reliable charging points along key roads will encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.
For far too long, our economy has suffered because the road network is not up to the standard that our cities and key routes need. The A9 to Inverness remains a killer because of the long single carriageway stretches, and dualling is decades behind schedule. I want the upgrade of the A77 and A75 to Stranraer to be put front and centre.
Road upgrades are not a luxury—they are central to our economic and social development. I want Scotland to thrive, and I think that we must put connectivity at the heart of our priorities. Although I am pleased that the SNP shares my concerns about EV issues and agrees that the roads need to be upgraded and maintained, I do not get the sense that it understands the urgency for that, or that our communities are crying out for help right now.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises the importance of Scotland’s road network to delivering enhanced connectivity and economic growth across Scotland; urges the Scottish Government to accelerate the upgrading and dualling of key roads such as the A75, A77 and A96, and to adhere to its promise to dual the A9 by 2035 or earlier and to ensure that this project is finally completed by not rejecting private funding; believes that improved connections across Scotland can be enhanced through the provision of more safe and secure rest stops, particularly for the logistics sector; rejects the UK Labour administration’s planned imposition of a pay-per-mile tax for electric and hybrid vehicles, and urges the Scottish Ministers to undertake greater efforts to futureproof the EV charging network across Scotland’s key roads, and urges the Scottish Government to commit to ensuring that the upgrading of Scotland’s roads remains central to future economic and social development.
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