Motorists victory as Government drops plans for local road pricing scheme

By David Millward, Transport Editor Published: 7:30AM GMT 03 March 2010

Ministers have forsaken proposals for civic overload charging opposite the country, in what will be regarded as a feat for motorists.

It follows the Government"s desertion of a due pay-as-you-drive inhabitant highway pricing scheme.

Road pricing trials go on notwithstanding Manchester rejecting Road pricing in rags as Manchester rejects overload assign Manchester overload assign - Why I am choosing by casting votes yes Snow wreaks massacre on Britains roads Motorists face profitable tolls on new roads underneath Tory plans

But the aborted overload chargning process has still cost the taxpayer �41.7 million, triggering accusations from antithesis politicians of incompetence.

The last obey of one of Labour"s flagship policies will be hailed by drivers who could have faced bills of at slightest �20 a week to expostulate to work in to a little civic tools of the country.

As a result, usually drivers in London and Durham will face a overload assign of any sort for the foreseeable future.

Proposed schemes for Reading and Cambridge the usually superfluous possibilities are right away approaching to be forsaken following the renovate of the Government"s "congestion busting" Transport Innovation Fund, that was usually open to councils peaceful to deliver a little form of internal highway pricing.

Now, underneath plans uttered by Sadiq Khan, a ride minister, councils will no longer have to move in tolls to embrace a cut of the rebranded Urban Challenge Fund.

Instead they will usually have to denote that their ride strategies will cut overload - even but charging - by compelling pick modes of transport.

They will merely have to oath to "improve tour choice; plunge in to congestion; urge safety; reduce CO emissions; and foster healthier lifestyles by improved air peculiarity and some-more on foot and cycling".

The Transport Innovation Fund was determined in 2004 and it betrothed inexhaustible appropriation for ride projects if they presented proposals for internal congestion-charging.

Initially, 7 areas uttered an seductiveness in the plans and were paid "pump-priming" income by the Government to pull up schemes. They were: a consortium comprising Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire; Cambridgeshire; Durham County Council; Greater Manchester; Shropshire; Tyne and Wear; and West Midlands.

The primary list was assimilated by Reading, Norfolk and a consortium of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.

All fell by the wayside, solely for Durham, where motorists right away face a �2 charge. London already had a city centre overload assign section imposed in 2003.

The Government"s hopes of anticipating a vital civic area to action as a guinea pig were dealt an roughly deadly blow in Dec 2008 when electorate in Greater Manchester overwhelmingly deserted plans for an civic overload intrigue that would have cost motorists around �5 a day to invert by car.

Privately ministers have given supposed that legislature are rarely doubtful to get the subsidy they need to move in overload charging in their areas.

The internal schemes were the Government"s last goal of utilizing compensate as you expostulate charging to plunge in to congestion. Plans for a inhabitant programme, that would have seen drivers being charged up to �1.30 a mile to expostulate at the heart of the pour out hour on the busiest roads, were forsaken in Oct 2007 in the face of extreme open opposition.

A apply to on the Downing Street website, corroborated by the Daily Telegraph, job for the inhabitant highway pricing to be forsaken was sealed by 1.8 million people.

Last night motoring groups welcomed the Government"s preference to desert the scheme, a couple of months forward of the ubiquitous election, to embankment a hugely without a friend policy.

"It was cursed from the begin as, notwithstanding intensity abounding rewards for authorities that grown overload charging schemes at a internal level, direct government policies were unfit to sell to distrustful internal communities and business," pronounced an AA spokesman.

"The Manchester referendum outcome was the last genocide knell of the process of joining inexhaustible Department for Transport grants to internal management commitments to levy one some-more charges on drivers."

Even environmental groups who had upheld highway pricing welcomed the Government"s new strategy, that is written to inspire rather than require motorists to find an pick to the car.

"The Government has eventually certified that the congestion-only plan will not work," pronounced Stephen Joseph, senior manager executive of the Campaign for Better Transport.

"This broader proceed with a carrot as wells is expected to have some-more open appeal, but it does need income trustworthy and so far that is not the case."

But Theresa Villiers, the Tory shade transport, pronounced the Government had been forced in to an annoying u-turn. "Labour have thrown in the towel on their overload charging agenda. Today"s proclamation is an acknowledgment of disaster and incompetence. Labour have squandered millions of pounds of taxpayers" income on highway pricing and overload charging schemes that have unconditionally unsuccessful to win renouned approval.

"Labour"s flagship ride process has incited out to be a blind alley. We have prolonged been revelation them that perplexing to brag internal communities in to overload charging was wrong.

"The Downing Street apply to and the 78% no opinion in Manchester should have driven that summary home. Now Labour have come up with a dark fabrication of the Transport Carbon Reduction Fund process we uttered twelve months ago. Only a Conservative Government has the energy, the care and the values to get this nation moving."