UK 'pay-as-you-drive' schemes will not create 'green dream' » Environment » 24dash.com

Widespread use of 'pay-as-you-drive' schemes in the UK would not result in the 'green dream' of an end to new road building, according to research published today.

Road tolls would have to be levied at an economically damaging level to avoid the need to build new roads and widen existing ones, a study by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) said.

The commission said such charges would raise enough money to put roads in tunnels in the suburbs and fringes of cities where congestion is worst and build roads with better noise screening.

ITC secretary Terence Bendixson said: "This new research is asking, if you like, what is the 'green dream', and that is, if the Government were to introduce road user charging, would it bring to an end the need to build new roads or to widen existing ones? And the answer is a conclusive no, it would not."

Charges would have to be pitched at a level that was economically reasonable, he said, meaning no more than 30, 40 or 50 pence a mile at the most, with the majority of roads charging substantially less.

"Of course, some of the money needs to go towards better public transport services of one sort or another. We have not lined up with the road lobby to say 'let's build roads' but we are saying with charges, you still need roads," he said.

The report comes after research published earlier this year by the ITC which said widespread use of road tolls and congestion charges would dramatically reduce traffic levels without increasing the overall tax burden.

It would encourage motorists into sharing their cars to reduce the impact of pay-as-you-go road taxes on the family budget, the research found.

The effect of a big rise in car-sharing would be quicker journey times, which would have the knock-on effect of improving the efficiency of businesses.

Researchers were surprised to find that comparatively few commuters would start using public transport.

Only 10% of motorists said they would switch to buses if pay-as-you-go road taxes were introduced, and even fewer would switch to trains.

Copyright Press Association 2006.