Hansard

It is not an omission, Mr Cole-Hamilton. The point is about roads across the country generally. We did not want to specify and single out individual roads because we wanted to make the debate relevant to all of Scotland and not just those who rely on some of our rural connectivity.

The insidious drip-drip effect of anti-car policies is hampering our economy and connectivity, and punishing Scots who are already hard pressed. The SNP must stop viewing car drivers as bogeymen and end its war on Scotland’s motorists by moving away from those damaging policies. After all, the SNP scrapped its target to reduce car use by 20 per cent by 2030 after Audit Scotland said that there was no costed delivery plan or clear milestones. That is a stark admission of failure, but one that was entirely foreseeable. The Audit Scotland report confirmed what many of us suspected: that there was no costed delivery plan, no measurable milestones and no realistic understanding of how such a dramatic reduction could be achieved without crippling those who rely on cars daily.

What we need is a pragmatic shift in approach—no more fines, zones or restrictions. We should be encouraging positive change, through investment in electric vehicle infrastructure; incentives for greener choices, including public transport and park and rides; and proper road maintenance that makes driving safer and more efficient, not more difficult.

SNP ministers need to show some common sense and focus on incentives rather than penalties to encourage motorists to be part of an affordable transition.

The implementation of low-emission zones has hindered businesses, residents and motorists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee. Fines in Glasgow and Edinburgh are extremely punitive, starting at £60 and doubling with each repeat offence, up to a cap of £480 per day. That places a disproportionate burden on low-income drivers who cannot afford to replace older vehicles. The reality is that the low-emission zones have cost more than £13 million of taxpayers’ money to set up in Scotland but are making a minimal difference to air quality. It is important that ministers review their effectiveness before any new zones are proposed or the current ones are expanded, and we must reconsider the punitive fines.

Unbelievably, the SNP has spent three years and £500,000 of taxpayers’ money on its plan to cut national speed limits on single-carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph, yet there is no clear evidence that a blanket reduction would deliver significant safety benefits. Such a reduction would impact commuters and significantly impact the agriculture, haulage and logistics sectors across Scotland, placing further strain on productivity.

Scotland’s road network is in a state of steady decline, and motorists are paying the price. Almost 500,000 potholes have been reported to Scottish local authorities since 2021, and Edinburgh has been named as Scotland’s pothole capital, with more potholes that Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow put together.

Resurfacing rather than refilling is the best solution to tackle Scotland’s pothole problem. That is obvious when we consider that almost half a billion pounds has been spent on fixing potholes since 2022, yet our roads are still in a terrible condition. That must be backed by a more co-ordinated effort among the Scottish Government, the Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, local authorities and utility companies.

Too often, road works sites sit idle, causing needless congestion and frustration. When one utility company has finished, it is often only a few weeks, sometimes days, before the next company comes in and digs up exactly the same stretch of road. No wonder it is frustrating for residents and drivers. Ministers must seek ways to discourage inactivity on road works sites and to incentivise finishing road works ahead of time.

Finally, we are calling for greater action to future proof Scotland’s electric vehicle charging network. “Just Transition: A Draft Just Transition Plan for Transport in Scotland” acknowledges that increasing EV car ownership alone is not enough. The charging infrastructure must be put in place if more people are to start using EVs. Motorists cannot be expected to shift to EVs without confidence that charging is accessible, affordable and convenient. I am an EV user, but charging issues were the biggest barrier when making the choice to get an EV. That is the case for many people, especially those who do not have home charging and who rely on the public charging network. Our charging network has different kilowatt chargers, all with differing fees and differing penalties for overstaying. Those factors are contingent on the decisions that are taken by local authorities.

We have lodged a motion that calls on the SNP to finally end the war on motorists. Its anti-car policies are damaging our economy and punishing hard-pressed Scots.

I move,

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.