- This topic has 45 replies, 25 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by kcr.
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Bring back the Skye Bridge toll!
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13thfloormonkFull Member
I actually think, properly implemented, this could be a good idea, just a shame the ‘tourist tax’ moniker is out of the bag, they could have called it something a bit better, like ‘Highland Pass’, or something.
But how to do it? Seems like a blanket tax on shops and services on the island wouldn’t really work, lots of visitors might get bussed on and bussed back off again, also the locals get stung.
A toll on the bridge? A bit stark, but they do something similar in the US and the Rockies (toll booths on the roads).
Use of permits for tourists visiting attractions or the island might be the best way, they do this for honey spots in Yellowstone and in B.C. Canada.
It would take some pretty dedicated marketing to overcome the initial revulsion at the idea, showing that the ‘tax’ is being used to improve facilities for everyone, and make sure these improvements are obvious and visible!
Also, maybe spreading the love a little to incorporate other areas like the NC500 etc.
thegreatapeFree MemberHas Robbie the Pict died? If not I can’t see that wanting to open that can of worms again.
onehundredthidiotFull MemberNC500 needs something as well. Possible just a noticeable police presence. A lot of fast cars seemed to think parts of it was a race track.
Charge seems reasonable. Mind you I thought a charge for Edinburgh and/or forth bridge seemed reasonable.
cchris2louFull MemberIt does exist in France and is applied to accommodation. Taxe de séjour.
philjuniorFree MemberI’m happy to pay for services in remote locations through general taxation.
I don’t want to have to pay to go nice (natural) places, maybe chip van guy could charge each customer £1 extra and pay someone else to clear up full-time. I wonder how that would go. There’s a **** tonne of rubbish out in the countryside near me, sometimes I take bits home, but I don’t think asking tourists to pay more would sort that out.
I sort of see this as the thin end of a wedge for paying for stuff in the way that they do in the US, where many visit national parks without getting out of the car.
bigjimFull MemberNC500 needs something as well
I think there’ll be a bad accident soon, though apparently single track sections grind to a halt when two opposing convoys of idiots refuse to let each other pass!
kcalFull Memberw.r.t. NC500 and more generally singletrack road systems, I guess they will tend to grind to a halt when there are two convoys in opposite directions, usually it’s 1:1 or 1:many scenario..
gordimhorFull MemberFrom what I’ve seen and heard rubbish in lay bus is an issue.
There’s no bins these days so if you brought stuff in with you, take your rubbish back to the nearest town. It’s easy.
Secondly some folk are camping overnight in laybys …fair enough. Some folk are camping overnight in passing places …grrrrrrdovebikerFull MemberIt was noticeably busy in May – hate to think what it’s like now. I think a per-night levy would be reasonable if the money is genuinely used to fund infrastructure improvements. In some of the North American National Parks they have strict quotas on things like RVs.
It was also noticeable on the Outer Isles – some of the campsites were full.
As for the NC500, perhaps they might introduce light-controlled one way on some single-lane sections like they do on some continental mountain roads?epicycloFull Memberdovebiker – Member
…As for the NC500, perhaps they might introduce light-controlled one way on some single-lane sections like they do on some continental mountain roads?No need, just a few reverse camber bends with big dropoffs. It would benefit the local motor industry and the rest of the country would benefit from the reduction in bellends.
The NC500 is starting to make it bloody unpleasant to ride on those roads now.
maccruiskeenFull MemberI think the problem is trying to gauge whether the increase in tourist traffic is going to be sustained. Interest in Skye has ramped up really quickly in the last few years. To my mind its not the best bit of scotland and I wonder if its going to drop off again pretty quickly – if everyone’s memory of the island is that its overcrowded and underwhelming and they communicate that then any infrastructure improvements would come too late and just result in lot of white-elephants spoiling the character of the place. The problem for Skye is you drive past a lot of much better Scotland to get there and back again.
Its using the place as filming locations thats boosted the interest but there soon won’t be much of that as we can’t get the accommodation we need when we go there and its getting harder and harder to get the control of traffic and walkers that filmmaking requires.
I was there in Octobe/November last year working (the burger van mentioned in that article was still trading months after what would normally have been the end of their season) and the crew accommodation was spread across 30-odd miles because the place was still so busy – and there wasn’t a lot of us. I’m filming there again soon and non of the crew are going to be staying on the island at all, we’ll have to commute on from the mainland, and not even that near to the bridge. We’ll spend more of our working day travelling than filming.
glasgowdanFree MemberFeeling quite sad about the way Scotland is getting so busy so suddenly, and NC500 etc.
scotroutesFull MemberIt’ll peak and fade. FWIW, I drive all over the North of Scotland regularly as part of my job and while there has been an increase in traffic, it’s not so bad as some make out. Some of it is self-limiting in any case – there are only so many hotels and B&Bs and the seasonality of it prevents many more from opening up. Of course, campervans/motorhomes are another issue but they’ll all disappear in September.
Looking at some stats for this year, I reckon our bike hires are up by around 20%…..
We’ll just have to up the midge scare stories a bit more and/or reopen the secret midge breeding factories in Lochaber.
scuttlerFull MemberNC500 does sound like a cross between an indycar and a motorcycle road race.
scotroutesFull MemberUnfortunately so. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen two McLarens together (other than a GP). Ferraris, Astons, Lambos etc. are just so common now you hardly notice them. Not seen a Veyron yet.
FunkyDuncFree MemberMy parents were up in Scotlandshire last week. They had hoped to go on to Skye but apparently tourist were being turned back at the bridge if they didn’t have booked accommodation as there wasn’t any available on the whole island
What would a tax do? All for taxing if it’s to repair damage from tourism, but if it’s to improve roads and increase tourist accommodation then I would be very much against it.
gwaelodFree MemberOn Harris at moment,would happily pay few quid per night tax to fund infra. Seems a few folk here reckon fast internet connection would help a lot of folks and businesses..seems fair enough. Came thru Skye, lots tourists from Eurozone lured by falling pound value…may be different in couple of years if they have to sort out visas or our immigration people are turning away teenage backpackers
scotroutesFull MemberYeah our bike hire prices probably look cheap at the moment but they’ll like;l have to go up next year to cover the increased cost of new bikes so it might be a short term thing. I’m guessing other providers will be similarly affected.
gordimhorFull MemberI can’t see a tourist tax working. I’m sure the NC500 will be a blessing to folk along that route, although business will surely settle at a lower level than it currently is.Just doesn’t seem like “joined up government” Visit Scotland were caught out by its success, and those responsible for road maintenance were caught totally unaware/unprepared.
Looks like something similar has happened with RET as wellscotroutesFull MemberThe NC500 is promoted by a private company, nothing to do with VisitScotland.
And many of the locals are already fed up of it. 😆
bigjimFull MemberI’m sure the NC500 will be a blessing to folk along that route
It’s good if you run a cafe/pub/shop etc and can cash in but many locals are getting pretty fed up.
gordimhorFull MemberDidn’t realise that it was privately promoted. My daughter is certainly fed up with it and she lives in Lairg. 🙂
Though work takes her to both east and west coasts.fanatic278Free MemberIt’s exactly this type of short sighted attitude that prevents Skye from being a decent holiday destination. For better or worse.
Skye has minimal facilities. No bins. No public toilets. No hotels. Few restaurants. It’s popular at the moment, but if the council won’t invest in a bit of basic infrastructure then it will start to dwindle. At which point pissing off the few remaining tourists by charging them to cross the bridge will finish it off nicely.
Put some bins and public loos around the place, then the increase in tourist income will pay back the investment. Basic economics. Saying that, lack of accommodation is something the council can’t fix. If the locals wanted to they’d cash in and open up their houses and build some of their own b&b’s. As it is, it seems to me that the greater proportion of b&b owners on Skye are not originally from Skye. The feeling amongst the b&b community is that the locals can’t be bothered.
epicycloFull Memberscotroutes – Member
The NC500 is promoted by a private company, nothing to do with VisitScotland…Overall no doubt it will be a good thing for the region, but as a grumpy old cyclist who isn’t too nimble anymore, riding the single lane roads is getting a bit unpleasant when a stream of “enthusiasts” come through on their penis substitutes.
Just as well there’s hundreds and hundreds of miles of offroad. 🙂
scotroutesFull Memberfanatic278 – Member
It’s exactly this type of short sighted attitude that prevents Skye from being a decent holiday destination.Skye has always been a decent holiday destination. More =/= better.
mikewsmithFree MemberI actually think, properly implemented, this could be a good idea, just a shame the ‘tourist tax’ moniker is out of the bag, they could have called it something a bit better, like ‘Highland Pass’, or something.
But how to do it? Seems like a blanket tax on shops and services on the island wouldn’t really work, lots of visitors might get bussed on and bussed back off again, also the locals get stung.
Take a look at the US system…
Tax at a state level, additional by counties for some reasons, extra for tourist towns because – all in a nightmare.A bridge toll for visitors would be one solution, a residents pass issued and means for delivery and other vehicles to be exempted, perhaps make it seasonal or offset it against say 3 nights accomodation
duckmanFull MemberI was in Skye at the start of June for the first time in 13 years. Campervans…that is all…bloody campervans…on a serious note, it was super,super busy.
epicycloFull MemberWhat all these toll ideas boil down to is an exclusion tax.
Monetising access won’t go down well in Scotland.
km79Free MemberAs it is, it seems to me that the greater proportion of b&b owners on Skye are not originally from Skye. The feeling amongst the b&b community is that the locals can’t be bothered.
Maybe the feeling amongst the locals is that they are fed up with people moving to the island and changing the way the place is for their own selfish reasons.
paladinFull Memberduckman – Member
I was in Skye at the start of June for the first time in 13 years. Campervans…that is all…bloody campervans…on a serious note, it was super,super busy.I was there last week, in my campervan, and won’t be rushing back. There was things we wanted to see, like the fairy pools, but the volume of vehicles parked along the verges, and what looked like a queue of people snaking along the path put us off. Will go back in winter probably.
If someone could hand out leaflets on how to use passing places at the tollbooths, that would be handy
maccruiskeenFull MemberWhat all these toll ideas boil down to is an exclusion tax.
They also boil down to a tax to pay for infrastructure on one side of the bridge but not anywhere that the tourists crossing that bridge are passing through on the way there.
The infrastructure on Skye is paid for by the same governments and same council as the whole of the rest of the Highlands and Islands. If Skye’s facilities are particularly lacking then its more a problem of the distribution of current resources.
I think the real problem though is the private sector and local community not really stepping up to the plate. Like I say – I was there in Oct / Nov last year, the island was still busy, the little burger van was still on the top of the Quarraing but the majority of the (pretty modest selection of) facilities and attractions were shut. So the the little van had a queue of bedraggled customers pretty much from dawn tll dusk as it was the only place on the whole peninsula to get anything to eat or drink.
fanatic278Free MemberMaybe the feeling amongst the locals is that they are fed up with people moving to the island and changing the way the place is for their own selfish reasons.
This may very well be the case. But the locals don’t really sustain their old ways of living anymore either. They only keep their small crofts to maintain EU funding, and don’t really run them properly. Without tourism Skye is a drain on the Scottish economy.
As has been said above, there are much nicer places to go on holiday in Scotland. The bridge toll would help the tourists decide this for themselves.
km79Free MemberBut the locals don’t really sustain their old ways of living anymore either.
The old ways of living relied on pretty much everyone in the community pulling together and doing their bit, when a big chunk of the population these days are incoming retirees or people upping sticks and moving there for the lifestyle jobs then the old ways dont survive.
fanatic278Free MemberThe old ways of living relied on pretty much everyone in the community pulling together and doing their bit
I don’t think much of that happens amongst the locals anymore. Although my perspective is from my in-laws who had retired to there and started a b&b. They’re leaving to open up a b&b in Speyside instead. As are their neighbours who also felt the same. In a decade or so, the way things are going, Skye won’t have any b&b owners or tourists. They be left with their crofts and no EU subsidy. I imagine they might look back at this period in time and wish they had capitalised on the opportunity…
Edric64Free MemberI cycled across Skye from the Uig ferry to Armadale to get the ferry to Mallaig .I found the road really busy and unpleasant .It was a shock after the peace of Barra and Uist .I want to ride further North next year but think the NC500 route may make it a less pleasant experience .We may go to Shetland instead
fanatic278Free MemberBecause it’s all about money….
It’s all about sustainability.
The bridge tax isn’t going to happen for the legal reasons outlined in the article. It was just one bloke moaning and the BBC putting it on their website. But even if it was, it would not have the desired effect.
km79Free MemberIn a decade or so, the way things are going, Skye won’t have any b&b owners or tourists.
Then maybe the locals can get the place back to what made it so good before. Only this time I would give them indigenous people status and any protection required on that basis.
NobeerinthefridgeFree MemberIn a decade or so, the way things are going, Skye won’t have any b&b owners or tourists. They be left with their crofts and no EU subsidy. I imagine they might look back at this period in time and wish they had capitalised on the opportunity.
The feeling amongst the b&b community is that the locals can’t be bothered.
Some pearls of wisdom there….
fanatic278Free MemberThen maybe the locals can get the place back to what made it so good before. Only this time I would give them indigenous people status and any protection required on that basis.
Eh? The ‘locals’ are Scottish, same as everyone else. If the community can’t sustain itself then it will die, same as dozens of communities around the UK. With coal mining or steel communities you could not put any blame on the locals, but in this case I think the locals may have control over their own destiny. If they want to go back to how it was before then they need start farming again, and accept that lovely new schools like the one in Portree won’t ever be built again.
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