Roads to Ruin
Our Roads to Ruin project emphasises the hugely damaging impact that road-building has on our environment and society.
We’re challenging the Scottish Government’s irresponsible multi-billion pound road-building programme.
And calling for these funds to instead be invested in sustainable transport.
What is Roads to Ruin?
Our Roads to Ruin project emphasises the hugely damaging impact that road-building has on our environment and society – both now and for future generations.
The Government can and must do more to revive our planet.
Redirecting investments in road-building towards improving active and public transport will be a significant step in the right direction.
The harms of road-building
Road-building damages our environment, increases emissions, harms public heath, and widens inequalities.
Since declaring a climate emergency, Scotland has committed to be net zero by 2045, with a 75% emissions reduction by 2030. This target is legally binding.
Given that transport is the most polluting sector (responsible for over a third of national climate emissions), the Scottish Government has also committed to cut traffic levels by 20% by 2030 in order to meet its climate targets.
These targets will require great changes, but are fully attainable if the Scottish Government uses its powers to take effective action.
What needs to change?
However, in this key policy area Scotland has consistently failed to make progress on emissions.
In fact, the Government still massively favours the construction of additional road capacity which damages the environment, increases emissions, harms public heath, and widens inequalities.
Road-building programmes are using billions of pounds of public funding. It is therefore essential that accurate figures for the costs are published.
The scale of spending on road-building is a huge commitment, and this money could and should be invested elsewhere, into sustainable transport projects.
If we are to see transport play its part in building a sustainable, healthy and fair Scotland, the Scottish Government’s spending priorities must be align with its stated policy objectives.
Our work
We commissioned research on this topic, with the findings presented in our report: Roads to Ruin: Time for climate-responsible transport investment in Scotland.
Our report provides an analysis of the Scottish road-building programme.
It is the first-of-its-kind, and is an important document for mapping out exactly how much of the Scottish budget is being spent on new road capacity, and what actions the Government should take to reach its climate objectives and make a positive difference.
We found that:
- Road transport accounts for 24% of all of Scottish emissions, with road transport alone a larger emitter than any other sector of the economy.
- Between 2011 and 2021, the Scottish Government spent £4 billion on building new roads.
- The average completion costs of Scotland’s road projects escalated by 86% (nearly a doubling of costs).
- Road-building has significant impacts on health and inequalities (new roads worsen air pollution and contribute to poor public health, and wealthier members of society are more likely to use and benefit from new roads).
- Ongoing or planned projects represent a total spend of £7 billion — yet this does not include likely cost increases or several uncosted and proposed projects.
Watch our video summarising the report findings below:
This first-of-its-kind scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s spending on roads has acted as a platform from which we can amplify our message and challenge decision-makers about their spending decisions.
Any progress?
Despite its climate and traffic reduction targets, the Scottish Government remains committed to its multi-billion pound road-building programme.
However, soon after the publication of our report, a glimmer of hope appeared when the Government – in its partnership agreement with the Scottish Greens – committed to a review of its £3 billion A96 dualling scheme.
Since the launch of our report, we have met with MSPs and prepared policy briefings on this subject in order to further impact change.
Unfortunately, whilst the changes are still slow, we continue to fight against these irresponsible investments being made by Scotland’s leaders.
Repeating history?
Our latest research into the climate-compatibility of transport investment in Scotland’s City Region Deals reveals a disproportionate skew towards high-carbon road-building projects.
Our leaders have the power to affect real, positive change in the fight against climate change. They must take action and not follow a ‘business as usual’ approach, to help our planet and its future.
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