Road Pricing Looks A Certainty

Saturday, 7. November 2009

Whilst the Government has said that they would not be introducing road pricing until after the next parliament at the earliest, the Conservatives have kept the idea completely off its agenda and the Liberals of course would like action immediately the influential Committee on Climate Change has put road pricing firmly back on the agenda for immediate consideration. They have dropped the idea of increased fuel duties in place of road pricing through tolls as a way of decreasing emissions. They are also dismissing the idea of balancing the road tolls against reduced fuel duty and decreased road fund licence duty, preferring to leave them alone with road pricing being an additional cost. It isn’t known whether the road pricing will apply to just M roads or will include other major A roads but it is starting to look more likely that road pricing, in some form, will be introduced, given the Governments financial problems, the need to reduce congestion and the need to drop emissions. As a result we may now expect an announcement from the Chancellor regarding road pricing in his pre-budget report during this month. As expected the motorist will be at the forefront of financial recovery for this or any other Government come the next election. By Graham Hill