According to a BBC survey 74% of the public are against the proposals for pay-as-you-go roads that will charge motorists by the mile. However, the Government has still pressed ahead with plans to do just that.
Draft legislation, the Local Transport Bill, has been published that will allow interested local authorities to implement the scheme on a trial basis.
It is easy to understand why there is so much oppposition to the plans. One of the reasons for the state of the traffic on British roads is the very poor standard of public transport. With trains and buses being over-priced and rarely punctual who can blame people for using their cars instead.
The scheme will just be another excuse to raise tax revunue from motorists. The very same motorists who pay through their teeth for petrol, MOT and insurance.
1 comment:
I think public transport is a key issue here. Perhaps some form of road pricing may be justified IF there was a large scale investment in public transport. If the trains and buses were comfortable, suitably priced and reliable then I'm sure many people would use their cars less, as they would know that they could quickly get from A to B by public transport. Also, charging drivers on a 'pay-as-you-drive' basis unfairly penalises the poor. Wealthy people will not be deterred from using their cars as they can afford to pay, whereas those who are economically less well off would be forced to abandon their cars as the charges would be too punitive. But I'm fortunate to live and have grown up in London, where the bus service is superb, not to mention the Underground network. Because of good public public transport, people in some parts of London can get by without needing a car, but for many who live outside London owning a car is a necessity.
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