Car dependence in rural Scotland: transport policy, devolution and the impact of the fuel duty escalator

Abstract

This paper examines dependence on the car in rural Scotland, assesses the impact of the fuel duty escalator on rural communities and discusses the role of the new Scottish Executive in shaping future rural transport policy. Questionnaires, interviews and travel diaries were used in five areas and revealed that households in rural Scotland enjoy high levels of car ownership, and that the car is used for over three-quarters of all journeys. Isolation and income levels are the most significant predictors of car use. Those living in ‘removed’ areas — i.e. locations distant from main roads and/or bus routes — are more likely to own vehicles and make a higher proportion of their journeys by car. Affluent households enjoy higher levels of car ownership, and make more journeys over greater distances by this mode than those on low-incomes. Less affluent households are also more likely to have disposed of a vehicle without replacing it, suggesting a more fluctuating dependence on the car. Although those living in rural Scotland appear to count on the car, a distinction is made between those who have no alternative (structurally dependent) and those who have alternatives but rely on their vehicles. It is difficult to predict the exact impact of the fuel duty escalator, but it is argued that the majority of households will cope with increases in the cost of motoring, while a significant minority of low income households in isolated areas will struggle to absorb the extra cost. The study highlights the need for the Scottish legislature to secure additional funding in order to sustain rural communities in the face of the rising fuel costs and suggests that an appropriate policy response might be to support isolated shops and services, i.e. subsidising alternatives to the journey as well as alternatives to the car.