Brakes On The Jam?

‘THE bad news for drivers this morning comes in reports that they will have to pay up to £1.30 a mile as part of a nationwide congestion scheme proposed by the Government.

‘I haven’t even got up to 5p yet’

The good news is that, given the average speed on Britain’s roads, that only amounts to about £1 an hour. Boom, boom! Or parp, parp (if you’re reading this in a gridlocked car)!

The Times says fuel duty would be reduced or scrapped to compensate for the charges, although the total tax burden on the motorist would rise significantly.

According to a study by a group of experts, journey times would fall by 22% as a result of the tolls, which could be introduced as early as 2014, saving £10bn a year.

About half of all drivers would be better off as a result of the changes, while only 0.5% would pay tolls at the highest rate.

The study claims that a road pricing system (which could cost as much as £3bn a year to operate) would make us think more about the way we travel and how we organise our lives.

‘Paying the family road bill,’ it says, ‘would probably be like paying the phone bill.’

In other words, hours of arguments about who spends most time in the car and who was driving from 10.31am to 11.36am on the 15th…’

Posted: 21st, July 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink