Edinburgh News: Motorists’ biggest gripes revealed as drivers in Capital take part in new survey

Edinburgh motorists have revealed their biggest gripes in a new survey – and it won’t come as much of a suprise that potholes are most drivers’ number one bug-bear.

Temporary motor insurance specialist Tempcover asked motorists in and around the Capital about their biggest issues and desired solutions, the pros and cons of switching to electric vehicles, attitudes to driverless cars and smart motorways, and views on traffic controls and enforcement.

The Tempcover Future of Motoring report revealed that motorists in the area want to ditch their petrol and diesel cars for electric vehicles – but are put off by high prices and a lack of charging points.

The report also revealed that drivers are calling for a cut in fuel duty and for oil companies to be forced to reduce profits to drive down fuel prices.

Edinburgh motorists have revealed their key gripes in new survey – and it won’t come as much of a suprise that potholes are most drivers’ biggest bug-bear.

Seven in 10 respondents who identified Edinburgh as their closest city feel positively about electric vehicles – 59% would consider switching from fossil fuels if costs and other barriers were put aside, while 11% already owned or were planning to purchase an electric vehicle.

However, the vast majority (84%) are put off by the cost of buying electric vehicles.

Another 60% believe that charging points are not accessible enough to justify making the switch to an electric vehicle.

Meanwhile, 81% of motorists said they do not trust the concept of driverless cars, with 44% stating that they would never travel in one, and another 37% revealing they would only use one if there was a human driver as backup.

Somewhat unsurprsingly, potholes are the biggest gripe among motorists, with 85% of motorists identifying them as the biggest issue on the roads.

Alan Inskip, Tempcover CEO, said: “Most motorists showed a willingness to embrace a green revolution – but they are frustrated by perceived barriers related to costs, policy and infrastructure.

“At a crossroads, there is always a choice to be made about where to go, and we believe the responses to this survey help point us in the right direction.”

The Tempcover Future of Motoring report has been sent to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, to ask that the government listens to the views of UK motorists.

Last month, it was revealed the cost of fixing potholes on Scotland’s roads is almost £1.7 billion, with the City of Edinburgh Council facing a repair backlog worth just over £77 million.

In February, it was reported more than £65,000 had been paid out by Edinburgh City Council in compensation for damage from potholes over the past four years.

Lib Dem transport spokesman Kevin Lang said the state of Edinburgh's roads was “nothing short of shameful”.

He said: “Everywhere you look, there are potholes and broken surfaces across the city causing a danger to cyclists, drivers and public transport. These new figures also show how they are costing the council eye-watering amounts in compensation payments.

“Maintaining our roads is one of the simplest, but most important jobs for any local council.

“Yet even on this most basic of tasks, the SNP and Labour coalition has failed miserably. It shows why we desperately need fresh leadership on the council which focuses on getting the basics right.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.