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Road Charging

Answer

In the Future of Transport White Paper (Cm 6234) the Government set out that, without radical measures, including more effective demand management, road congestion would get worse. That is why we need to look at whether road pricing would allow us to get more out of the network, particularly at peak times.A national scheme of road pricing which covered all roads, charging motorists on the basis of distance travelled and varied according to how congested a road is, could potentially cut urban congestion by nearly half. But moving to a national system of road pricing would be a huge and complex task. That is why the Road Pricing Feasibility Study, which was published alongside the White Paper, recommended that local or regional schemes should be used to pilot approaches to road pricing.The Secretary of State announced on 5 July 2005, Official Report, column 172, that the Government would ensure that up to £200 million would be available from the Transport Innovation Fund to support local pilots that combine demand management, specifically road pricing, with better public transport. If more good schemes emerge, then more would be made available. The Transport Innovation Fund guidance, Official Report, column 66WS, 27 January 2006, sets out how local authorities and areas can bid for this funding.Because the development of these schemes will be a complex undertaking the Government have made £18 million of pump priming funding available between 2005–06 and 2007–08 to help support the work of local authorities in developing local demand management schemes. The first allocation to seven areas was announced in 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 4WS.Local highway authorities in England and Wales already have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 2000 to introduce such road user charging (road pricing) schemes. For a scheme to come into force an Order has to be approved by the appropriate national authority, which is the Secretary of State for transport in England.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

46692; 442 c296-7W;442 c296-7W

Session

2005-06

Related items

Transport Innovation Fund
Tuesday, 5 July 2005
Parliamentary proceedings
House of Commons

Transport Innovation Fund
Thursday, 26 January 2006
Written statements
House of Commons

Transport Innovation Fund
Monday, 28 November 2005
Written statements
House of Commons

Subjects

Local government Roads Tolls

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk