Transport Just Transition Plan: Consultation Analysis

7. Other Feedback

7.1 Other Issues

Several issues were raised across the consultation. Often these points had more general relevance to the Plan, or were relevant to all of the main sections. These are outlined below.

It was noted that any changes to the previous (and now scrapped) Scottish Government commitment to reduce kilometres travelled by car by 20% by 2030 would need to be addressed in the Plan. A few respondents were also disappointed about the previous downgrading of this target (i.e. becoming a 20% reduction in car use), and that this and other targets were under review^[7]. Similarly, there was frustration that existing targets had been missed. These respondents urged the Scottish Government to retain targets to reduce car use and increase sustainable travel.

There was said to be a need for the Plan to consider the misaligned pricing in transport - it was felt that action was needed to bring about fair pricing. A few saw this as requiring serious consideration, assessment of, and introduction of traffic management options. If this issue was not addressed, it was felt that a move to EV ownership would dominate the transition, with public transport remaining unattractive and inequalities being exacerbated.

The need to tackle the decline in fuel duty revenue as EV uptake increases was also a significant concern and priority issue for a few respondents. It was noted that the decline in this revenue would result in public expenditure restrictions. In turn, this would have a negative impact on public transport and active travel investment.

Several respondents, including the Just Transition Commission, advocated for greater focus on tackling frequent flying and private jets within the Plan. A few were also keen to tackle SUV use in urban areas. In relation to these issues, respondents were generally supportive of demand management measures to address these sources of emissions.

There were also repeated calls from a few respondents for public transport, including buses, trains and ferries, to be brought into public ownership.

A few respondents also warned that consideration of Scotland’s current transport infrastructure was needed. This would help to determine whether the current provision can accommodate the necessary changes, and to identify any upgrades needed to cope with climate change and support a net zero transition. Indeed, safety concerns were noted about the ability to deliver current services (particularly in rail), with increased funding and investment said to be needed.