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Scots speak up on charges
Page 15
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• Scottish hauliers have been invited to tell Edinburgh City Council what they really think about its plans to introduce an city centre congestion charge from 2006.
A public consultation exercise involving the distribution of 250,0)0 questionnaires to businesses and residents in the Lothian and Borders regions was launched on Wednesday (12 June).
An Edinburgh City Council spokesman says: "These questionnaires are just the first run. We want businesses and residents to get in touch with us to ask for more."
The questionnaires offer recipients the chance to give their views on two congestion charging schemes—or to suggest scrapping the idea altogether.
Bob Armstrong, Scottish regional director for the Freight Transport Association, says that the consultation gives hauliers an "opportune time to argue our case that charging hauliers in and out of Edinburgh city centre is a pointless exercise".
Thomas Graham, owner of Edinburgh-based Thomas Graham Transport, says his reaction to the proposed charge will be "leave us alone", He fears that the charging scheme will lead to extra costs and red tape for his firm.
"We are the ones trying to deliver important goods into the city centre," he points out 'We have no choice as to whether we go into the centre or not."