BBC News Sunday, 5 June, 2005
'Pay-as-you-go' road charge plan
New charges could be used to tackle road congestion Drivers could pay up to £1.34 a mile in "pay-as-you go" road charges under new government plans.
The transport secretary said the charges, aimed at cutting congestion, would replace road tax and petrol duty.
Alistair Darling said change was needed if the UK was to avoid the possibility of "LA-style gridlock" within 20 years.
Every vehicle would have a black box to allow a satellite system to track their journey, with prices starting from as little as 2p per mile in rural areas.
Mr Darling has outlined his proposals to the BBC - previewing a speech he will give to the Social Market Foundation on Thursday.
"The advantage is that you would free up capacity on the roads, you would reduce the congestion that we would otherwise face and you would avoid the gridlock that you see in many American cities today," he said.
"This is a prize well worth going for. We've got to ask ourselves: would it work. Could it bring the benefits that I believe it could bring, because it would make a real change to the way we drive in this country."
A satellite tracking system would be used to enforce the toll, with prices varying from 2p per mile for driving on a quiet road out of the rush hour to £1.34 for motorways at peak times.
Fewer helmets, more rests 1794Me personally, I love helmets and dislike helmet laws. The biggest problem I see with your statement is that once we start accepting the "financial burden on society" justification, it can be used to deny...
The Department of Transport says the scheme would be fairer because those who travel greater distances would pay the most.
(snip)
In other words, another tax that favors the rich. I don't know how it is in England, but a similar road use taxing scheme in the U.S. would hit the poor and middle-clbutt HARD, while the rich would hardly pay anything at all.
In the U.S., most people can't afford to LIVE anywhere near where they WORK. That's because the employers are in areas where housing prices are sky-high. The rich will have condos or houses near enough to work that they can walk or ride a bicycle. Everbody else (the middle clbutt and down) have to commute to work, most driving a half hour or longer one way.
Result: Almost all road maintenance paid by the poor and middle clbutt, and almost NOTHING paid by the rich for maintaining the roads. Great ystem. -Dave
