The Scottish Government has announced a £15m funding package to encourage more cycling and walking, and to boost the use of electric cars.
£7m will be invested in cycling and walking infrastructure, which could rise to £14m as the Scottish Government is seeking match-funding from partners. £2m will be used to accelerate a scheme to install rapid chargers for electric vehicles up and down the country, and £1m will fund a new fleet of up to 30 electric vehicles for car clubs.
In addition, £5m will be used to develop behaviour change aspects of the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme.
Keith Brown, transport minister, said: “The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to achieving the target of almost total decarbonisation of road transport by 2050.
“Cycling and walking are good for the individual and increase safety on our roads through reduced congestion, which also helps improve our environment. This investment will help make those more attractive options.
“We do recognise that giving up the car isn’t an option for everyone so we are investing in car clubs to help cut the number of cars on our roads, and ensuring that those cars are electric vehicles to help minimise emissions.
“The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) aims to encourage more people to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport.”
The charging infrastructure investment will fund installation of up to 300 additional charging points, taking the total in Scotland to around 1,200. This will accelerate the delivery of a rapid charging infrastructure at 35 mile intervals (or less) on Scotland’s primary road network.
Batteries in electric vehicles are not a source of energy but a means of storing energy generared elsewhere. Do Scottish authorities read the London papers, including usage of London’s expensively installed charging points being so close to zero as to make no difference? And how much CO2 do puffing pedestrians an cyclists emit?
Idris Francis Fight Back With Facts Petersfield
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Road tax rates do not currently relate to the risk represented by individual drivers, insurance rates do. Is Dave suggesting instead a flat rate increase to fuel prices resulting in safe drivers subsidising the insurance costs of dangerous drivers? That, as we know, the most dangerous drivers tend to be young and to drive fewer miles than older more experienced drivers would only exacerbate the problem.
Idris Francis Fight Back With Facts Petersfield
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Surely “almost total decarbonisation” can only be achieved by banning all motor vehicles except for their list of permitted vehicles? Might some consider that an escalation of the war on the motorist?
There is a much more effective, cheaper and honest policy: simply increase the tax on fuel. And, to prevent occurrences of the civil unrest seen in previous fuel tax increases, include in the cost of fuel the cost of the tax disc and the minimum 3rd party insurance.
Dave Finney, Slough
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