Election consequences for commuters into Edinburgh - your views online

A congestion charge for non-Edinburgh residents driving into the city is one of the main planks of the SNP's plans for the Capital. A Low Emission Zone and Workplace Parking Levy may follow.

Renée La Racineuse

This idea has “unintended consequences” written all over it. Even if it gets more people onto public transport, it’s likely to be unable to cope with demand and be just as expensive. This is a tax on mobility from a city whose centre is already in steep decline.

Keith Robertson

What about workers who commute in from outside Edinburgh and start between 4.30-6am, how will they be able to use public transport? They can't car share either as no set finish time.

Colin Gilbert

If they're going to do this, they need to massively improve public transport.

John Hewit

It’s a good way to discourage visitors.

Jacqueline Bell

This will hit people who have to drive into Edinburgh for hospital appointments because of limited or no public transport. It will hit people who have to use cars for their work including council workers and those travelling outwith public transport times.

Paul Manson

The people who voted this shower in will regret it. Probably half the voters who did are the ones who run their kids to school in their cars.

Leonard Gow

Totally fine by me. I live in rural Argyll but come to Edinburgh usually at least once a month. Park and Ride, or train to Waverley, take the tram or a bus from the outskirts - all good. Edinburgh is well served on transport. Who wants to drive in to the centre unless they really have to? Not sure why the negativity.

Theador Rodriguez

Why do we continue to let this council treat us like fools? it has to stop, this is obviously just fund raising. Why should we have to pay to drive around our own country? it belongs to us not the council and its undemocratic principles.

Anne Rae

I commute into Edinburgh most days for work and will continue to do so unless public transport from Fife gets better and cheaper. I can only use the train as no bus goes near my place of work and the train is too expensive for me.

Sam McIntosh

People have had a difficult time during and coming out of lockdown, so what can we do to help? Let’s put in a congestion charge, a LEZ and a workplace parking levy! Using monetary measures to force people to upgrade their cars or pay more to travel into Edinburgh simply creates a class difference.

Graham Cunningham

I thought the congestion charge was already there in the form of ridiculous parking charges.

Dunc Archibald

Terrible solution. What about all the numerous bus drivers who happen to live outwith the city boundaries? Who will drive the sorely needed public transport? Cars are required for 4am starts and 1am finshes.

Kathy Aliberti

So I'll be charged for bringing my low emission vehicle into Edinburgh to do home visits with vulnerable people, while the yummy mummy 4x4 dropping their little darlings at the school just 10 minutes walk from their mansion will pay zero. Yep, sounds sensible.

Iain Fisher

Notice they announce the penalty charges but refuse to quote the daily charge for the ULEZ which will be on top of the congestion charge. So for someone driving to work needing a space (the £40 a month can’t be charged back to the employee), they will pay, let’s say, £10 a day in ULEZ plus £3 a day in congestion. That’s £286 an average month. The government says, “make work pay”. Well someone needs to tell this lot that people won’t be able to take a job and afford to travel to it, meaning less revenue in the shops and more of a tourist dump left in the centre. Bravo SNP/Greens.

Dean Thomson

Public transport doesn’t take me to my work place, my car does. It gets me there a lot quicker as well and it’s cheaper. Prices are rising everywhere and they want to add to it a swell as the added inconvenience of using public transport and there’s more chance of me catching some sort of illness on public transport than traveling by myself in my car. This is not an environmental issue, it’s a cash raising issue.

Greta Kaceviciute

Half my colleagues come from East or West Lothian to work in a nursery. They will leave if this is introduced because no way they will be able to come to work at 7.45am by bus, having to get up what 5am, work with children till 6pm, get home 8 3 pm and start again 5am. There is already shortage of staff in private and council nurseries, this will cause crisis.

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