The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Protests took their toll but bridge proved vital
When the Skye Bridge opened 25 years ago, it was mired in controversy. Islanders had been calling for a road bridge from the mainland for decades as growing visitor numbers were putting a strain on ferry services.
When they finally got their wish, there was a catch, and a big one – they had to pay every time they wanted to cross the bridge.
The bridge, which had cost £39 million to construct, saw the end of the regular ferry service, and the shiny new bridge and the Mall aig to Armadale ferry were the only year-round connections to the mainland.
The tolls were introduced at midnight, sparking outrage. Car drivers were charged up to £5.20 each way.
When people compared this with the Forth Road Bridge, which was only 40p to cross, tempers flared, even more so when protesters said the charge made it the “most expensive road in Europe”.
When the first cars arrived at the toll booth a storm was raging.
However, the uproar from the community was only beginning to stir.
Driver after driver refused to pay the toll. Those who refused to pay were charged and reported to the procurator fiscal.
From driving flocks of sheep across the bridge to paying the toll in pennies, the protesters sought to create drama as well as a disturbance.
Their actions quickly gained international media attention and sparked political debate.
A protest group, Skye and Kyle Against Tolls ( Skat) was set up while veteran campaigner Robbie the Pict became famous as he sought to prove the tolls were imposed unlawfully.
Among the hundreds of non- payment cases, 130 people ended up with criminal convictions and one man – Skat secretary Andy Anderson – served 11 days in prison.
Even today, campaigners are fighting to repeal those convictions.
Nine years after its introduction, the toll was abolished on December 21 2004 after the Scottish Government bought the bridge from its US- based owners for £27m.
By that time, the tolls had raked in a staggering £33.3m.
In its first year 612,00 vehicles crossed the Skye Bridge, a third more than the ferry’s official numbers.
The numbers have been rising ever since. Transport Scotland data shows nearly 5,000 journeys over the crossing were made each day last year.
Dave Till, the general manager of Skyeskyns tannery, shop and visitor experience in Waternish, says the bridge has been a “welcome addition”.
His first visits to Skye were as a climber and walker in the late ’70s and early ’ 80s before he settled there, always rushing for a ferry.
Mr Till, who is chairman of tourism management organisation Skye Connect, noticed the biggest difference in the island’s accessibility when the bridge became toll-free.
“This removed the psychological barrier from the trip to Skye and began to make it a more popular destination,” he said.
“We think nothing of heading to the theatre, the panto or a show at Eden Court and arriving back in the early hours, a trip that would have taken two days in the days of the ferry.”
Skye councillor Calum MacLeod worked on the ferries, ticketing traffic, while the bridge was being constructed.
Mr MacLeod says there were “mixed feelings” about the loss of the ferries.
“They evoke a lot of nostalgia in this part of the world and there were a lot of men, around 50, employed on them and who had put their lives into the ferries.
“Those who lost their jobs with the bridge either had to find other jobs or move away.”
But Mr MacLeod understands Skye needed the road bridge.
“The ferries had been in service for 20- odd years and were small capacity.
“The volume of traffic even then coming to Skye was quite big, and it was getting bigger.
“The ferries couldn’ t cope. The queues were so long and one chap, a shellfish exporter, lamented he’d sit longer queuing to get on the ferry than to get across the Channel.
“So, yes, some people were desperate for a bridge – they couldn’t get it quick enough.”