Background Information
The car ferry that took you to Skye from the Kyle of Lochalsh was unreliable, expensive and could delay you by three hours or more in peak summer periods. This all changed with the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995. A sweeping concrete arch set in stunning scenery, it was built with an especially high clearance, to allow the royal family to cruise their favourite route on the Royal Yacht Britannia, and linked Skye to the mainland for the first time since the last Ice Age.
The reasons for and against a large modern construction in an area of stunning beauty have aroused much passionate debate. Some said it would destroy the romance of the island and dominate the landscape, while others felt it would reverse the long-term decline of the local economy.
Many consider the design unsympathetic and a protest group has been formed to protest against the high level of tolls. ‘Skye and Kyle against the tolls’ (SKAT) have been condoning a policy of non-payment of the tolls and believe the bridge should be free. They claim that the toll charges make the new crossing ‘one of the most expensive and unjust toll bridges in Europe’.
The cost of a single trip over the bridge is £5.70 for a car, £37.50 for a coach and £25.40 for a goods lorry. Comparable prices on the Forth Bridge for two trips are 80p for a car and £1.00 per coach and goods vehicle.
The Council is to commission an economic study to establish the effects of the tolls and its impact on the economy of the area. The Labour Party promised before the last election to abolish the toll, but so far have not kept their promise.
A central issue to be explored is whether the residents of Skye should have to put up with a higher cost of living because they have a better quality of life, or whether we all bear a responsibility to support the remoter communities and keep a spread of population throughout the country.
