Transform Scotland report highlights the country’s transport failings
Transform Scotland, an alliance for sustainable transport in the country, have published their latest report on the Scottish Government’s performance in achieving the sustainable transport commitments it made in the Programme for Government 2021-22.
The title, In Reverse, somewhat foreshadows its findings, these being that of the ten main commitments made in the Programme for Government 2021-22, only three appear to be achievable at the current rate of progress..
The 2023 report was equally despondent, being titled Off Track, while the previous year it was Stuck in Traffic.
The findings can be summarised as follows:
Progress good and/or target likely to be reached
- Under 22s Free Bus Travel
- Phase Out of ICE Vehicles
- Low Emission Ferries
Progress slow and/or risk of missing target
- Fair Fares Review
No progress and/or target is unlikely to be reached
- Bus Priority Infrastructure Investment
- Decarbonise Rail Services by 2035
- Increase the Active Travel Budget
- Decarbonise Bus Fleets
- Bus Priority on Glasgow Motorways
- Car Traffic Reduction
In last year’s report, only three of the above commitments were in the ‘red’ category (the bottom three as listed above). The lack of progress on active travel has seen it relegated from ‘green’ to ‘red’, because of a £100 million shortfall between what was announced in the December 2023 Scottish Budget and what has been spent.
The only improvement from last year’s finding concerns the country’s ferries. The government had committed to ensuring that 30% of state owned ferries would be low emission by 2032. Progress was classed as ‘amber’ a year ago but has been promoted to ‘green’ because six new major vessels are due to be delivered by 2026 and ten, smaller battery-powered ferries are also being introduced.
The ambition to reduce emissions from Scotland’s railways to zero by 2035 has already been described as being off track by a government report, so slips into ‘red’.
There was also a commitment to spend over £500 million on improved bus priority infrastructure but, without explanation, funding was suspending in January of this year and only 12km of bus lanes have been delivered. Inevitably, this is another commitment that has dropped into the ‘red’
In conclusion, Transform Scotland ask John Swinney who became First Minister of Scotland in April 2024 to “to turn his attention to why his executive agency, Transport Scotland, is concentrating its new investment on traffic-generating roads when its mission should be on rebuilding public transport patronage, transforming conditions for active travel, and addressing the surge in car use.’
The full report can be read here.
Transform Scotland is a sister organisation to the Campaign for Better Transport and a member of the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E)
