Motorcycles ditched from road pricing trials

Motorcycles will not be among vehicles to take part in trials of road pricing technology due to begin this year, Government has said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) had originally said motorcyclists would be among 1000 volunteer road users to take part in tests of pay-per-mile tracking technology that could be used in a national road pricing scheme.

But a newly published DfT document states that only cars, light goods vehicles and lorries are likely to be included in the trials. Motorcycles are excluded along with large passenger vehicles and vans up to 12 feet long.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) said it could indicate an intention to exclude motorcycles from any future scheme.

Campaigns manager David Short said: “It could mean they’re just going to charge motorbikes irrespective of distance travelled or it might mean that they’re not even considering charging motorcycles. I suspect the latter.”

The DfT document invites private firms to tender for contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds to help create the new road pricing system.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said in March that a national road pricing scheme could not go ahead until public concerns had been addressed.

Her announcement came after a petition on Number 10’s website against national road pricing gained 1.8 million signatures.

A DfT spokesman later said that road pricing “demonstrations” – first revealed by MCN last June – would nevertheless go ahead this year.

Ruth Kelly also announced another four years’ funding for local road pricing pilots from 2012.