Local road pricing to inform Government decision on national scheme

Local road pricing schemes across the country will inform a decision on a possible national scheme, Government has said.

The news came after Bristol and Bath joined Manchester in submitting a bid to Government for funding to carry forward draft road pricing plans which include no exemption for motorcycles.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said that local schemes ‘should inform how road pricing might develop in the future, and contribute to the debate on a possible national scheme’.

The comments came in a DfT response published today to a parliamentary committee’s report on the Draft Local Transport Bill, which paves the way for local government to introduce road pricing.

The response said: ‘No decisions have been made on national road pricing. The Government is clear that any such decision would need to be informed by experiences from local charging schemes and should only come after a full and informed public debate.’ 

The DfT is to make £200 million a year available for local road pricing schemes from a special Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

The Transport Committee’s report criticised the TIF plans for making road pricing a condition of funding. It said: ‘This risks blackmailing local authorities to conduct road pricing trials on behalf of Government in advance of a possible national scheme.’

The DfT rejected the claim, saying local government first had to demonstrate a congestion problem which can be tackled by charging.

It said: ‘While local pricing schemes will inform the wider debate about road pricing we are not looking at road pricing trials or experiments; indeed we will not support schemes unless there is robust modelling to show that schemes will be beneficial.’

Cambridgeshire yesterday became the latest area to confirm an intention to bid for funding, after unveiling draft plans for a pricing zone in Cambridge with no exemption for motorcycles in July.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “The council has decided definitely to put the outline proposal for funding in to Government.” She said a public consultation on details of the plans would begin next month.

“One of the areas we’ll be looking to draw information from people on is who do they think should be exempt,” she said.

A document outlining Bristol and Bath’s bid says: ‘The operational details of these schemes are still under consideration.’

A spokesman for Bristol City Council said the bid was submitted to the DfT last week and that plans included no exemption for motorcycles “at this stage”.

MCN and rider’s rights group Rider Connect are calling on motorcyclists to join a ride in London this Saturday to oppose congestion charging for motorcycles. 

 
For more details, go to www.rider-connect.com/rideforrights2007