Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Transport Act will have ‘real impact’ on drivers
The recently passed Transport Act may have escaped Advertiser readers’ attention – but it will have a real impact on everyone who drives.
Pavement parking is banned, so anyone living in a narrow street may have to find somewhere else to leave their car – or block the road, which is not recommended.
Councils have also been given the power to impose a tax on workplace parking spaces. Thankfully, North Lanarkshire Council has ruled this out.
But Glasgow and Edinburgh haven’t, so if you work in either city look out – the SNP are after your cash.
I put forward an amendment to the Car Park Tax which would have exempted shift workers and anyone not living or working near a bus stop or train station.
I was backed by the big food firm Brakes, who are based at Newhouse.
The company told me: “The lack of public transport infrastructure outside of major conurbations and the ability to provide suitable, safe and regular alternatives to fit with shift patterns to our site (and many sites like ours) leaves people no option but to drive to work.
“And imposing a further tax on them would be, in our view, unfair and punitive.”
Unfortunately, the SNP and Greens ganged up to oppose my sensible amendment.
In passing this new law, Scots are set to be punished for taking their cars to their place of work, with lower paid workers being hit especially hard.
While I support measures to protect the environment and tackle climate change, the Car Park Tax is not a catchall solution and, ultimately, hurts workers in the process.
Meanwhile, I have been trying to track the progress of the planning application to build thousands of homes on green belt at Calderbank.
There has been very little progress over the last few months and the council has asked the developers for extra information.
Any decision is not likely to be considered until early next year. That will then be the time for possible further action.