Can pay-as-you-go driving ease congestion?

Question

Today a government commissioned report headed up by the former head of BA, Rod Eddington, will reveal that a pay-as-you-go scheme is the only way to ease congestion on the UK’s road network. This idea is likely to raise concerns that yet another stealth tax is aimed at the UK motorist. However, if the scheme genuinely reduces congestion then most heavy road users I am sure would pay. For those that have experienced the new M6 toll road, it is motorway-cruising nirvana. However, can more be done with our existing network before we commit to drastic and costly changes?

Here are my thoughts: http://www.what-car-to-buy.com/News-Reviews/15/can-pay-as-you-go-driving-ease-congestion

Answer 1

Not in the long run. The cost of living will just go up which will then lead to an increase in wages so people can afford it. Charging us to use the roads is a short term fix. They would be better at concentrating on a long-term solution- getting better public transport! If we had more frequent busses that ran on time which go a variety of routes and if we had better train services then that would ease congestion and be more environmentally productive and it will serve everyone.

Answer 2

No it won't work!! It will take some users off the road, but congestion will still exist, but will just not be as bad. Take the central London congetion charge for example, it has taken some users off the road but congestion still exists. We live in a society where people have become heavily reliant on their cars; if the government wants to reduce congestion they need to start educating people because I believe there are too many people on the roads who do trips that are unnecessary. For example people who take their kids to school when they live only a mile away or so. Or going to visit a friend/family when they live a short distance away. Or people using their cars to go to work when their job is not too far away. I can understand if people have long journeys to make then a car is an effective way of getting around, and I have nothing against people who use their car in a sensible way.



Also another idea is why don't car manufacturers design cars for use by one person. Because there are many people who use their cars to just get themselves around. I am sure if they design something stylish it will hit off and thus could help alleviate congestion.



I don't drive, but another thing I hate about all these charges they introduce to car users is that they say the money will be used to improve train/bus journeys and improve the roads. But I am sorry I don't see any difference. To me it just seems that all this money is jsut being used to create more jobs and more 'fat cats'. And what makes me laugh is those new bendy buses - what is the deal with them? They take up more room on the roads thus create more congestion!

Answer 3

It's been said that if P.A.Y.G. does go ahead, by around 2015 the rate would be approximately £1.40 per mile. Assuming this was on a major commuting route, a driver doing the average annual mileage of 12000 miles could end up paying in excess of £15000 a year just to get to and from work (and that's without the petrol, insurance, etc).



Yes it would ease congestion, but only because no-one could afford to go to work anyway.



Also, once this all kicks in, people will find other 'non-taxed' routes to get around, therefore clogging up the local roads and causing even more congestion that way.

Answer 4

I can't believe that they actually BELIEVE that charging for the roads will suddenly take all the cars from the roads and leave the country green and fresh!



Yeah, right, When you look at what motorists already pay: Road-tax, fuel tax, speed camera tax, MoT (now over £50), over-inflated parking and so on and so on!



What will happen? Will everyone ditch their cars and buy bicycles? Or will the extra money just be found from children's food budgets and from the money normally used to buy insurance etc? I know what I think will happen!



Another example of stealth tax, it will not achieve it's original objective, but it will raise yet more money for the Treasury to waste!



One toll road works because there are other FREE roads to use, how does it work when you pay whatever road you use?



What can be done with our existing roads? Take the Freight off of them and put it back on the railways, improve the railways and make ALL buses FREE! Just to start with I would say.

Answer 5

I'm sort of in favour of this - if people can see a direct link it will make them think about alternative forms of transport. I lot of journeys are less than two miles and should be walkable/bikeable, so I think a pay-as-you-go system to discourage these journeys would be quite good.

However, I have a couple of concerns:

1. Will this be as well as the road tax we already pay? They're talking about £1.50/mile on some stretches of road and I think if they want this AND regular road tax, it's going to cause bad feeling.

2. What effect will this have on people in rural areas and market towns where public transport isn't as good as larger urban areas? In areas such as Norfolk, the rural population is older and has less money than younger people living in towns. Travelling is already a problem and a road charging scheme may disadvantage them further.

3. Is this going to be another stealth tax? Any money raised through this proposal really should be ring-fenced for improving other methods of travel.



I'm also not sure that I agree with his thing about building more airports/ runways. I don't see how this will help - congestion on the way to the airport plus pollution from more flights.

Answer 6

There is no need - one in ten cars are on the road illegally. Just removing them would ease a heck of a lot of problems. Also tougher immigration controls...has anyone noticed how many PL plated (Poland) cars are suddenly on our roads? Whe the hell are these bleeding hearts going to realise that we are a bl**dy island, and this town just ain't big enough?!?

Yes the M6 is a beauty but it would cost the commuting user something like £1500 a year and then the increased cost will have to be paid for through increased rates, be it to the employer or to the consumer.

I remember when the congestion charge was introduced drving in very central London was marginally improved, then they increased the charge from £5 to £8 and now they're doubling the size of the area it affects. Any minute now it'll be £10 a time.

At least though, I can choose to avoid it, unlike the poor residents who are fined £200 per year per vehicle for daring to live there.

The thing with pay as you go though is that your car's only got to roll forward on it's handbrake and they'll be sending you a bill. Our human rights issues are at stake before we even get to the terrifying question of how can we stop them just charging us whatever we like and then putting it up every six months (because believe me, when they see the money rolling into their coffers...)

I like the car colour etc idea, but this has been done in another country and now everyone owns more than one car, and I would too, because I have to go to work every day! I may live in an area that has incredible public transport links, but it also has an incredible crime rate too and there is no way on this earth that I am running the gauntlet of druggies, muggers and rapists to please some chauffeur-driven beuroprat.

Yes, congestion is a pain, but only to those of us who have already paid out to maintain, tax and insure the vehicles that we are legally licensed to drive, while people who shouldn't even be in the queue pick their noses...

Oh man, I've got to go and lie down now.

Answer 7

Personally I would have thought the head of BA was a specialist in planes and not cars, so why is he heading the enquiry?



The M6 Toll is a waste of land. Nobody used it, and it's taken up a lot of prime land. Yes toll roads work in Paris and some other places across Europe, however the places that incorporate this do not have the massive level of taxation we already suffer.



The only way to ease congestion in this country is close our borders to migration (we are too small a country with no infrastructure/ or availability to infrastructure), and invest in public transport and car pool lanes.



Road tolls - pay as you go, are stealth taxes to be embezzled for labours next political campaign.

Answer 8

We already pay as we go, it's called road tax!



Why not raise the driving age, or get rid of four wheel drive vehicles in the cities, or, force one car one home, because some of us just can't afford extra road taxes and yet have been good clean/safe drivers, across decades. Yet we have to endure that our roads get more and more dangerous with foreign vehicles and foreign drivers, all using their own countries codes of behaviour, and making it more dangerous for us.Cutting up on the inside lane may be ok in Europe, but it doesn't work in the UK... since that's our emergency lane and blocking it as an overtaking lane, means in emergency situations, people die!



It's time illegal drivers and fake licences, along with non insured people, were seriously weeded off our roads. I know of all four people who illustrate these instances, within 100 yards from where I sit, but if I raise my head and report them, nothing would be done about it and I would be thought a sad mid life lady!



Last night I reported a local fourteen year old youth revving a car up across our lawns and past my wndow outside my block of flats and driving full pelt through the pedestrian walk way in the dark, where anyone could have been killed, as they left or entered houses. Yet, nothing was done after my call and the police never came back to me about it! So what's the point of reporting illegal drivers anyway?



Those of us who have obeyed the laws and never made a claim, like me, with 33 years clean driving, or, who do not use our vehicles to excess, but need them for our health (I have arthritis and can't carry heavy shopping) can't afford to be priced out like this, since we live alone and have no other way to live our lives without our cars. And we also have a right to use our country's roads, without spending all our pension on the right to do so, over and above our annual car tax.



What a selfish world this is, when the wealthy can merely just laugh and shrug their shoulders and cough up any extra fees, and keep their many vehicles, while we, must choose to pay and go a little hungier for the privilege, or, give them up, and become isolated and helpless.

Answer 9

Lets tax the poor yet again shall we?



So introducing road pricing will bring in £28bn a year for the government? And this helps the environment how? Seeing as the public transport networks are all now PRIVATELY owned, can you see the government handing out cash to these private companies to improve there networks? I think not...



If there really were a genuine alternative to driving everywhere people would use it. Even with the introduction of road pricing, i cannot see how it will stop people using there cars as there is no other viable alternative yet in place.

Answer 10

The roads will stay as they are.

When the crude oil appears to be running out all those patents for "fuel cells"; "batteries"; "motors" and types of "new fuel" will soon be in full production keeping the roads clogged up.

By then the government hope to have the new "road toll" system in full tax raking functionality.



Just think about what you are signing up for before blindly going along with it because it seems like a good idea at the time.



It's not about conjestion charging - It's about raising tax when the Government cant get it from the people charging batteries on their wind turbines and solar panels in their gardens.

Our government finances are like a house of cards and motorist taxation is 2/3 of the bottom tier.



Besides which I want to keep some of my hard earned money to buy myself something nice.

The people in power want to use the money that I cant afford to kill or convert people in other countries who want the same as me but share another belief from the fat monkeys across the Atlantic.



An added bonus for the people in power is knowing where we all are with our ID cards and transponders. So you better convert to New Catholic or else the government will be needing extra taxes soon to pay for concentration camps.

Answer 11

Ihave been driving 60 years this year and i am coming to the point when i will decide i don't wish to drive anymore just for the reason that its completely different on the road than 1946 for many reasons it was a delight but its not anymore and the cost seems to go on upwards without any relief at all Now its road toll and if you drive on the continent it doesn't ease the traffic volume but they don't mind so much they don't pay road fund tax so it levels out,but here it is now so costly it is solely for the greedy MOT to grab more money from everyone and its not finished yet and it will as usual push up transport charges and all related things

Answer 12

This government is completely bananas. We already have a system that taxes us according to how fuel efficient our vehicle is and how many miles we travel and it doesn't cost that much to collect it...Its called FUEL DUTY.



As far as I can see, the only benefit of road charging would be that it would tax at times of peak congestion in order encourage people to switch to alternative times or another method of transport. To suggest that the poor sods who get stuck in jams on our motorways are doing so when they have an alternative is completely bonkers.



I wonder how much it would cost to operate a system that can monitor and correctly calculate charges for every car user on every road in the country. They can't even collect child support effectively.



How about investing in some infrastructure and public transport.



The M6 toll only works because there is a free alternative road route running parallel to it.

Answer 13

In a word NO!

What the government needs to realise is!

We dont drive at rush hour for the fun of it.

We drive because we have to go to work.

Also the governement is hell bent on getting everyone onto public transport - don't they realise if you took all cars off the road the country would come to a complete stop. The money cars generate for the country is huge. If cars weren't around they would have to find something else to cry about.

Before you can start hitting the already kick driver / rider the public transport system needs to be improved (and not by a small amount).



If the governement want to reduce traffic levels, why don't they stop using "tax payers" money on they own cars and use the trains themselves.

Maybe, just maybe the rest of us will follow suit.

Answer 14

The whole point of toll roads (in other countries) is that is replaces road tax....But Tone et al have no intention of doing that. Therefore, the most obvious reason for this IS just stealth taxing.



Let me just check: outrageous petrol price, ever-climbing road tax and insurance....



The govt have f**ked up over so many things and got us in MORE financial problems (as a country) that they are looking for any method of reclaiming losses.



As previously mentioned- those who CAN afford it will still drive (thus no reduction of congestion) and those who can't afford it will be hit hard (thus a negative effect on the economy).



Public transport is RUBBISH and increasingly less safe (or, if you've ever been on a bus when schools finish, just overall a horrid experience).



I tried to get on a London bus, at 4am in the morning, using an allday travel card (valid til 4.30 according to the website) and it was refused. I was advise to buy a ticket at the machine, only to have the bus doors close on me as soon as I stepped off. Nice for young girls to be left in that position, especially if increased charges make taxis more expensive.



Still, one less vote for Labour, eh?

Answer 15

yes, but it should have been brought in about a decade ago 2 make any difference 2 congestion.

it won't b instigated 4 at least a decade & a lot can happen between now & then.

i'm not overly concerned about it.

i just wish they would make more of an effort 2 remove

illegal drivers from our roads. i'm talking about lorries, vans and big business transport, not just ur regular car driver.

1's with no insurance, no road tax, no valid UK driving licence,

people who shouldn't b driving because of medical conditions/old age, unregistered cars and 1's failing MOTs.

taking all those off the road would help right now.

Answer 16

I'm sure it can but what would apply with taxis? For example we take a taxi from our home to Heathrow now and again. 60 Miles of mainly motorway at £1.60 a mile works out at £90.60 each way which means our taxi which now costs £60 would total £241.20 (£90.60 x2 plus the £60 fare).



Charging such as this would put taxis out of business.



Toll roads as we have recently experienced in America are the answer, Charging per mile is yet another stealth tax.

Answer 17

I think that the people it would effect are people on low incomes. I currently drive 75 miles a day. I live in a rural area, so we have a bus service 3 a week, a train station 15 miles away, and that is extrememly expensive and no local jobs or shops.



I drop my youngest sister off at school, and then drive to work, and then pick her up in the evening from a train station. Then drive home. I do drive on main A roads. And if I am going to be charged to drive to work and school, as well as road tax and petrol duty, I would actually be better off being on benifits.



The reason I am not on the dole is because I have some pride, but to be honest this is what is happening to this county. Also if I was on benifits, I would have help with my council tax (another one going up) and other things.



SO please tell me what is the point???

Answer 18

Never, never,never. suddenly 'b' roads will become the new 'a' roads. problem. 'b' roads are bad enough just now without the added pressure of 10s of thousands of new users every day (or hour).

and correctme if i am wrong, but i have been driving now for 15 years and i was kind of under the impression that we were already 'paying as we went'. is it my imagination or do i have to fork out for road tax every year? do i not have to hand over some of my hard earned cash every time i put petrol in the car? do i not have to pay money to insure my car? do i not have to pay someone once a year to tell me that, for at least one day, my car is suitable to be driven on the road, even though he would still tell me this if the car had no engine?

this government (okay, every government actually) can find one solution to every problem, charge people more money, and we are not chargin them any now, start charging them. is it wrong to suggest a civil uprising? maybe.

Answer 19

It's not the best solution, more like the only one the government likes the sound of as it involves more money for them.



it would be expensive to impliment and the cost would surley be passed onto car buyers or tax payers.



Many people like me can barely afford to get into work as it is with current petrol prices, it may be ok for those more well off - but any increase in the cost of my journey to work would mean very severe financial problems for me and due to location public transport is just not an option. These measures may also cause many thousands of small businesses to go under as their costs increase dramatically.

For this idea to reduce congestion the only choice would be to have the cost per mile extremely high and make driving a thing only for the much more well off.



I would be more in favour of more or wider roads/motorways as a solution.



I have many times myself thought of leaving the UK and if these measures would be introduced then it would be the final nail in the coffin of the Britain I used to like, I would be gone within months.

Answer 20

Well if the m6 toll road works why not use toll gates on all major roads and then slash car tax, Toll gates on A-roads as well.



But really better public transport is needed which is affordable; trains for long journeys and public cycle networks for short journeys. Its only the medium length journey that needs a car.

Answer 21

I have to say that, although I sympathize with those who live in remote areas and will obviously be badly hit by such a measure as pay-as-you-go, I look forward to it.



Yes, that would save me a lot of money as I have taken steps over the past two years to avoid using the car.

I have changed jobs to work locally, I walk or cycle there, get my son to do the same for school and we have achieved a much more simple and healthier lifestyle.

We live in a crazy society where everyone is rushing about to... what? End life sooner? Sadly, that works...



People are so busy making money and fitting so much in 24h they don't even think whether they really need to take the car, they just do it automatically. It seems that whatever we do, wherever we go, we can't get there quick enough.

No wonder so many suffer from stress-related illnesses.



Cut down on using the car, take time to live!

Answer 22

we do have a pay as You go system-we also have a pay as You don't go system...so long as Your car's taking up road space,You're paying road taxes,insurance,depreciation..then when You're actually driving,figure in fuel,wear and tear,parking..basically,the motorist is a cash cow.

I don't see new taxes or tolls easing congestion..if You need to get somewhere and the car is the only viable option,You'll have to pay for the privelege.

Initially,I thought the article referred to the "Car pool" schemes being set up-a fleet of cars is time shared among a pool of members...You pay by the hour,and a deduction is made from Your account.This scheme seems feasible from the POV of a city dweller who would have public transport "on Tap" and wouldn't have the need to have a car outside permanently.

Answer 23

Like all labour schemes, it is a short term answer to fill govt coffers and delay its inevitable decline .

The upshot of stifling movement of the workforce is direct increase in cost of living and rising inflation.

Ppl just dont drive up and down our motorways during the week to see their aunt nellys.They are the backbone of the country.

The charges will certainly reduce congestion like a 6pm curfew will reduce crime and amputations will reduce shoplifting.

Its a question of balance,we need the roads , we need to get to work effieciently .public transport is not ready to meet the workforce needs, and to be frank never could match the car as a tool for placing the worker at his place of work.

Are we to be a nation of the govts drones?

it would be a pyrrhic victory to solve the congestion problems by this method.

Perhaps ,dare i say, prevent further immigration as the first method of reducing congestion.Although not all immigrants are driving, 6 million of them are a further demand on the infrastructure that is supported by transport.

The orwellian nightmare has arrived.

Answer 24

No! we already pay a fortune for the use of our cars, the petrol is extortionate compared to America, and the 100 or so pounds for tax is more than enough.

they tried the road tolls in London, it only went down by 10%, why?

because 90% of the people had to be there for either for work or because they were rich!

before people make a decision on this, you have to understand that this is another money making scheme by the government. the government should realise that its not the money coming in that's the problem, its how much they SKIM and spend.

i know for a fact that there a lot of fiddle going on with the government, particularly councils and hospitals. doctors are bribed, the government pays too much for medication, and the council officials are making a mint. i personally know of a woman in the council who profited £475000 in one year due to a land issue! not to mention the MPs getting £140000 PA and 80- yes that's eighty days holiday a year. and your asking why three is no money for education?

i payed almost £160 in tax last week, I'm 23 and don't need extra extortion on my companies work van, oh and PS, I'm not rich!

Answer 25

New charges may seem like picking on the motorist, but if the alternative is further to damage the environment, plus increased congestion then, surely it would have to be done.

It would mean a change in habits, some of which are relatively easy: eg currently many cars travel with one occupant only at peak time to and from work in our major cities.. Introduce a charge of, say, 40p per mile....and start a car pool for 3 others and it is only 10p per mile per person, three less cars on the road, aand three less parking spaces occupied in an inner-city.

Some. at least, of the increased revenue should be used to provide, if not free, then certainly cheap public transport. We could issue passes to essential workers for peak time only, rather like those for Senior Citizens outside peak periods.

We must certainly get over our love affair with the internal combustion engine.

Make electric cars tax free for five years (and thereafter lower than fossil fuel cars) and someone, with that incentive, will come up with a reliable electric vehicle at a competitive price.

Answer 26

No I don't think anyone should have to pay as you drive.They have already made the driving test as hard as possible to pass, Road tax has gone up and they also brought in a law about booster seats which I know that a lot of people had to either buy new cars or end up breaking the law. The laws in this country are absolutely stupid and I for one don't want to have to pay as I drive....

Answer 27

I am so SO SICK of this ******* government, taxing us every whichway! They should stop wasting the money they have got and start spending it wisely. This is effectively a tax to work, Public transport by me is an absolute JOKE, I have no option other than to drive, even though i have 14 years no-claims bonus my insurance has just gone up, and next year, i'll need a newer car - my pay rise hasn't risen about inflation for the last 8 years - I don't know how i'm going to afford it.

Answer 28

When is the British Public going to stop being so Stupid.... Next time there is an Election think about how we are being ripped off .& Vote accordingly... this Summer we were paying £1 a litre for petrol - then the Road tax bands changed - to punish us even more .. what is it in Britain are we all Mugs...? This Moscow state style of Government has to end... They are now Telling us - to get on public transport.. Life is hard as it is ...without standing in the pishing rain, freezing to death - waiting for a crowded Train/Bus - with everyone coughing & spluttering on each other...and having to get up earlier and arrive home later... Who ever thinks this is Good for your health - is Mental . Stop worrying about the Earth Melting in a Zillion years time and try and live your life as easily & happily as possible .

Answer 29

the reports say that it will introduce approx 24 million to fund public transport.



so if we all jump on the bus then they will come up with another tax because they will have just lost the 24 as we are all on the bus.



it will never end they will tax you any which way they can.



read this book it will explain why the world is like it is.



The Celestine Prophecy

by

James Redfield

isbn 0-553-40902-6

UK £7.99



i payed £3 of amazon for a used copy inc p+p

Answer 30

No it wont. The government has figured out that we arent going to stop using our cars. So they add tax on fuel, increased road tax, we have to pay if we want to drive around London and on some roads. In Kingston you are charged extra to park your 4x4 due to its emissions. Odd when you consider a car gives off no emissions when its parked up. They make a packet off the motorist and hide behind a very thin 'its for the good of the environment' arguement.

Rubbish! The environment is not benefiting because no one is stopping using their cars. It is a cynical moneymaking scheme.

If everybody stopped driving, stopped smoking and stopped drinking alcohol as the government claim they want us to do, the economy would go belly up in no time.

Answer 31

port is just not an option. These measures may also cause many thousands of small businesses to go under as their costs increase dramatically.

For this idea to reduce congestion the only choice would be to

Answer 32

so this pay as you go system is not just aimed at london road users. Doses this mean that we would be paying on top of the road tax we already pay and if so they can go to hell im not paying road tax and paying again on top so i can go to work in my own car

And like Corvinus I live in the country as well and we are paying far to much as it is stop all the people with ther big fuel drinking cars from driving in this country and that would help.

Answer 33

no. it won't work, we all like to use our own cars and we all like the freedom cars give us. until someone comes up with a better idea than cars as transport or we build more roads, then the uk's roads are gonna get more and more busy. and anyone who disagrees or thinks thats a selfish point of view, then try cycling to work when it's pissin down with rain in winter, or getting on an old bus with loads of miserable gits first thing in the morning- people will pay the toll's to avoid having to do these things!

Answer 34

The only way to ease traffic problems is to re nationalize the public transport, and make it free. We all pay a bit extra in taxes to cover the cost.

At the moment there is no incentive to use public transport, as the ever increasing cost makes it worse, and due to the companies running the transport system whose main consern is to the share holders, they cut the number of busses so your journey takes even longer coz the bus has to do the job of two or more rounds.

The only way out is to cut the costs of fares and make it a lot cheeper than useing cars. Pay as you go is just going to line more pockets of the yet more companies.

Answer 35

Yes, it absolutely would. However I would also abolish Road Tax, Tolls and charges and make Petrol or Diesel about £12 a gallon.



That way those driving bigger cars or longer distances would pay appropriately and people making silly unnecessary short journeys would think twice about getting in their car. Also the saving in administrating an outdated Road fund licences could be used to contribute to finding a system that properly enforced drivers being legally allowed on the road and having a Valid drivers licence and proper insurance.



Hell never mind £12 a gallon, lets make it £20 and clear the damn roads.



Of course buses would be exempt and bus companies can pay 20 pence a gallon for fuel...



And to answer another question before you think or ask it:- I am a red blooded male driver of a Mercedes E220 CDI. Not a pinko Liberal, vegetarian do gooder ******, who lives for gay rights penal reform and the liberation of salad and whales. I love driving.



I hate other drivers who don't and wont pay for the privilege. And if you by some misfortune live in the country, miles from public transport. then you CHOSE to do so, so pay up and stop damn whining about it commuting 150 miles a day... you are selfish loonies who should be shot.



If taxes were raised from fuel then the people with no access to public transport or With inadequate funds to buy a car, might find things improved.

Answer 36

what a load of nonsense this Government have come up with. It is another money spinner from them to try and pay for the big mess up with the Olympics as they are short of £3 billion to help set them up, also Blair needs money for these ID cards. Charging motorists will not work.

Answer 37

It would only work IF the money raised was hypothecated into public transport.



The first reason it would work is it would quite simply price the poorer motorist out of the market, the question with this is, is this morally acceptable?



The second reason it would work is hypothecating the fund into public transport would make public transport a more attractive option to the road user therefore tempt more users out of their cars and onto public transport.

Answer 38

different countries EITHER have road tolls OR road tax but not both. By far the fairest way is to do away with road tax and road tolls altogether and put the tax on the fuel, that way the people who do the highest mileage pay for the priviledge. It will also make those people who never pay road tax anyway, start to pay compulsorarily. Peter M.

Answer 39

It's likely too as they need the money to pay for building new roads and maintaining the old roads. Motorway tolls ease congestion as long as they don't overprice them.

Answer 40

No. It will just move the congestion from the high-tariff roads, onto the low-tariff roads.



It won't solve the problem. It will simply move the problem.

Unfortunately, it will move the congestion onto roads that aren't as well equipped to handle it, and that will result in worse congestion than we had before, combined with a higher accident rate.



It's a disaster waiting to happen in my opinion.

Answer 41

It is simply another way of getting more money from the easy target motorists.



When will they stop stealing from us?



When fuel goes up, everything in the shops goes up from a tin of baked beans to a 3 piece suit. Then we're taxed on top of that as well.



This country already has the highest priced fuel in Europe.



Grrrrrr!

Answer 42

I deliberately haven't looked at your thoughts yet, but will after I post mine.



Pay-as-you-go, or as I like to call it, P.A.Y.N. (ie Pay-As-You-Need) will undoubtedly ease congestion because all the rich folks will fork-out willy-nilly while moaning about it going from A to B to....wherever and whenever they please whilst the poverty-stricken paupers are, if GPS-controlled, off the roads counting our precious pennies or doing major detours to avoid the tolls by sticking to minor roads (thereby contributing more to pollution, personal costs, back-road wear 'n' tear, increased traffic jams ('cos these roads aren't designed for it), increased road-rage, increased car maintenance and repair costs, etc.).



So, PAYN will be a pain - but more so for us poor than the privileged rich. It's dangerously unfair and socially divisive.



But don't worry, Transport Minister wee Dougie Alexander is my MP and he wont be getting my vote at the next election. Isn't democarcy great!!!





To address your second question, can more be done....? YES, and far more fairly.



I must confess to having stolen this crazy idea from channel Five's Matt Wright this morning, but it's good and much fairer. He reckons that if there must be a scheme to reduce congestion, then lets do it on the basis of car colour, or your registration plate ending in an odd or even number, or something like that where cars are banned completely from being on the road every other day based on the set criteria.



For example, cars with registrations ending in an odd number may travel on Monday, Wed, Fri, Sun, Tue, etc. and viceversa. That way, no-one pays an extra tax and the poor aren't disproportionately disadvantaged.



This way, people will be encouraged to car-share amicably and socially. Not sure if it would work - but I LIKE IT better than wee Dougie's government proposals. OK, I'm going for a read at your blog now....



....and, I approve of almost all that you put, I'm glad not to have repeated anything:))



But (and there's always a "but"), I reckon it's too dangerous Ben to allow people to rely solely on "...common sense..." (Point 3) when in a car. In my experience, sense aint all that common whether someone's behind the wheel or not. Better to make set rules that people can read and break at their (and our) risk, punishable of course by a penalty slightly short of death (please laugh, or at least scoff a wee bit). Keep up the good work Ben, and send your blog to the Minister, local MP, MEP, etc.



Hey, maybe we have to rely on the European Parliament to come up with something sensible - that would be a first, eh?

Answer 43

I personally think before we start to charge people to use roads we should have a viable alternative. Like a public transport system that actually works. We have to give people a chance to get of the roads first before bringing in charges.

Answer 44

its not even for just the motorist, every truck bringing in you food, clothes or whatever will have to pay by the mile, which means everyone who doesn't have a car will still have to pay more for there goods, the firms have to get their money back somehow, then theres company cars, its all paid for them, they won't suffer and all the mp's will no doubt claim it back on their expenses, the main losers are the poor who have saved most of their lives to get a little freedom, now labour take it away, now who voted them in, and i hope your f'in happy

Answer 45

I think so yes. I wouldnt do it. I pay enough to drive as it is, ie tax, insurance, petrol etc. Ths the govt robbing us again.





If they are looking to get more cash, why not charge the immigrants £xxx to come here? Thatll stop 'em! (I am aware they ae doing it for congestion reasons before any one says anything)

Answer 46

It may ease congestion but it would affect many essential services,my wife as nurse already has to pay to park at work the extra burden would make it more profitable to join the dole.

Answer 47

just another stealth tax,seems this goverment is hell bent on charging what they like when they like,there are to many cars etc,the only way foward,is to offer incentives,for people using buses,bikes,green power etc,i hear in london,people clone another cars reg,(two cars on same reg) without the righfull owner knowing,then pay no congestion charges,speeding fines,etc etc,it get WORSE,if you run a 1 litre car,you pay less road tax,insurance cheaper,maybe there should be a free push bike,etc, people get fitter,anybody been to amsterdam,they cycle everware,and there aint many overweight people,perhaps cycle zones etc,are well,thats me done,hope this helps :)

Answer 48

no.. all that will happen is that the rich will continue to drive their vehicles whilst the poorer people will have to resort to other means. Thsi reminds me of the higher car tax rate for 4x4's. This does not dissuade 4x4 owners from selling their vehicles or from choosing not to buy them.. after all if they are rich enough to own and run such vehicles than taxing them or paying a pay as you go charge will prove unproblematic to them....

Answer 49

I would think so, for little use drivers like myself these days. Why pay an annual fee to have the car sitting on the driveway for a lot of time. Pay when in use, surely much easier?

Answer 50

Yes

Answer 51

This would only affect private motorists who tend to be the ones who do low mileages.

'Repmobiles' would reclaim the cost as would trucks etc: which would be reclaimed by increasing prices.

It's another 'Government' Stealth Tax.

Good at them ain't they?

RoyS

Answer 52

change the bl,,,y goverment, all they seem to do is hit the working class. if they want to cut down on emmisions get the rest off the world to do it too, america aint doing it india, china, and what about two jags he lets of more emmisions with running back and forth to no. 10. let the goverment show the way and the rest of us will follow..its another scam so they can have another pay rise..

Answer 53

its just another way of the gov making easy money, they do it on ciggys and drink even thou these kill more people than drugs, they like the tax on it, people will still be using the roads to get to work, bus and trains are already over crowed and smelly also never on time or leave on time, ud always be late

Answer 54

Does having one of the highest petrol prices in the world ease congestion ?.

Answer 55

It's total effing bollocks.

I live in the countryside. Is the bloody government going to introduce a decent public transport system instead for me and countless others to get to work, school etc?

Course it bloody isn't.

It's yet another absolutely stupid idea thought up by a useless, overpaid, fat, git, sitting on his spotty **** squeezing blackheads all day in Westminster.

Answer 56

I maybe stupid but what do we pay road tax for, plus VAT on cars plus God knows how much tax on petrol!

Answer 57

As a frequent user of the M6 toll I dont mind throwing my £3.50 into the pot... it saves so much time, compared to the old route down to jnct 4a crawling through Birmingham ! Bring it on, if you dont want to pay dont use it I say !

Answer 58

Yes ... Pay for use not for one size fits all road tax ...

Answer 59

NO

THE GOVERNMENT ARE BLEEDING US DRY



DID YOU KNOW THIS GOVERNMENT WANT US OUT OF OUR CARS AND USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT?

IN LONDON THE BUS FARE ALONE WILL BE £2.00 IN JANUARY £1.20 IF YOU HAVE AN OYSTER CARD



WHAT EVER WE DO THE GOVERNMENT PINCH US

Answer 60

Only for the rich

Answer 61

no its just another stealth tax on us motorists

what needs to be done is to build more bloody roads

Answer 62

No, it's a load of rubbish. It isn't going to ease anything.

Answer 63

Bring back the horse and cart!

Answer 64

putting a price on everything is not the answer. Tax on roads tax on beer tax on cigs is not the answer

Answer 65

Why won't "the man" build double decker motorways?

Answer 66

yeah thats right. another way to steal our money and spend it on some phoney wars killing innocent civilians and soldiers. thieves!1

Answer 67

no i dont think so its just another way of getting money out of us.

Answer 68

No I wouldnt, although I should, but I wont.

Answer 69

Only for the well off.

Answer 70

no it will be the poor sections of society that suffer with this

Answer 71

I think it will because if you have to pay then you may think twice about going in your car. Maybe it will make us consider the alternatives. Something has to be done and soon.

Answer 72

no chance

Answer 73

i wouldn't pay it. we pay to much as it is