Evaluation of Edinburgh Residents' Attitudes to the Proposed Road User Charging Scheme

The Scottish Executive Transport and Planning Research Team commissioned Ipsos Scotland to conduct a programme of research to understand the underlying reasons for Edinburgh residents' rejection of the City of Edinburgh Council's Preferred Transport Strategy, which included introducing a road charging scheme. The research focuses on a number of issues relating to the public's knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the proposed Edinburgh Road charging scheme (congestion charge), alternative road charging schemes and wider issues of car use such as congestion and pollution. The research comprised two main components, a series of nine focus groups conducted in various locations across Edinburgh and a representative survey of 1,002 Edinburgh residents.

Main Findings

The vast majority claimed they understood at least a little about what the scheme would have meant to them. However, the research highlighted common misconceptions as to the level of the charge, times the scheme would have operated and location of the inner and outer cordons. This suggests many made their decision on the principle and not on the details of the proposed scheme.

No single source of information was considered useful by a majority. It appears unlikely that information sources (either for or against) significantly influenced the result of the referendum.

A third of residents agreed the scheme would have been an effective way to reduce traffic (only marginally more disagreed).

Residents did not readily place blame on their own behaviour for the cause of delay on Edinburgh roads. Twice as many said the problem was too many cars being brought into the city as said it was too many local people making short trips.

While residents accepted the need to tackle congestion and air pollution, they did not agree that paying to use the roads would address them or that they have responsibility to finance them.

Very few always use the car for city centre shopping. Substantially more said they always use their car when going to 'out of town' shopping centres and the supermarket.

Trust was clearly an underlying driver of opposition -- trust in both the reasons for introducing the scheme and confidence that the money raised would go towards improvements in public transport.

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Technical details

Focus Groups: Nine focus groups in total were conducted between 18th August and 1st September 2005 comprising Edinburgh residents aged 18 and over but from a range of age groups.

Edinburgh Residents Survey: IPSOS interviewed a representative sample of 1,002 Edinburgh residents between 18 September and 17 October 2005. All interviews were conducted face-to-face in respondents' homes, and data were weighted by age, gender and tenure using 2001 census data.