The cost of this installation should be borne by the Government, along with the costs of the rest of the basic infrastructure for a road pricing system – especially satellite technology and data centres. [...] A communications campaign should be launched immediately to make it clear that the objective of the scheme is to reduce congestion and improve the experience of drivers; that the system seeks to change the way motorists are taxed, not the amount of taxes levied on motorists; and that it will lead to the majority of road users paying roughly the same or less in motoring taxes. [...] Anyone who chose to pay the per-mile charge would receive a rebate equal to the value of the fuel duty they have paid at the pump, worked out according to the fuel consumption of their vehicle and the mileage they declared, or were tracked doing. [...] The history of the idea The idea of charging for the use of roads is an old one. [...] According to Munroe et al1, toll roads were in use in India in the 4th century BC, in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries and in the US in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Related Organizations
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Table of Contents
- Roger Bootle Andrew Gilligan Ben Sweetman and James Vitali 1
- Foreword by Edmund King OBE 1
- Roger Bootle Andrew Gilligan Ben Sweetman and James Vitali 3
- Foreword by Edmund King OBE 3
- Endorsements 4
- About the Authors 5
- Contents 6
- Foreword 7
- Edmund King OBE 7
- President of the Automobile Association writing in a personal capacity. 8
- Executive Summary 9
- Policy Recommendations 12
- A Principles and Practice 14
- 1. The history of the idea 14
- Managing Our Roads 15
- 2. Quantifying the costs of congestion delays uncertainty and environmental damage 20
- The Economic Costs of Road Traffic 22
- Congestion 22
- 3. International examples of road pricing schemes 26
- B The Practicalities 34
- 4. The technology of road pricing 34
- 5. The variability of charges 35
- 6. What would the implementation costs be 37
- 7. What would happen to existing congestion schemes such as the London one 39
- 8. How much would different motorists pay 39
- C The Economic Effects 46
- 9. The wider knock-on effects on the economy. 46
- 10. Making the fiscal numbers add up. 47
- 11. The effect of road pricing on electric vehicle uptake 47
- D Policies and Politics 49
- 12. A changing political calculation 49
- 13. Public opinion is up for grabs 50
- 14. A range of voices support change 50
- 15. Road pricing is controversial until it happens 52
- 16. A manual for making road pricing politically feasible 53
- 17. A national scheme in one fell swoop or better to move gradually 60
- Conclusion 65
