Report recommends road charging

Road charging came a step closer today after an official report said it should be used to pay for better bus and rail services.

Motoring groups broadly welcomed the report and environmental groups said any money raised from charging motorists to use roads should not be used to fund more road schemes.

The report was from former British Airways chief executive Sir Rod Eddington, who was asked to complete a transport study by Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Sir Rod said charging motorists by the mile would raise £28 billion a year and help to cut congestion and harmful carbon emissions.

He also recommended the expansion of international gateway airports favoured by business travellers, such as Heathrow.

Sir Rod argued that a new high-speed railway line between London and Scotland was not a priority, stressing that lots of small schemes such as cycle lanes were better than grand, futuristic plans.

Sir Rod set out the need for additional capacity on roads and railways and at airports.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said the report was in danger of overlooking the simple reality that road congestion is often caused by crashes - 90% of which are avoidable.

An IAM spokesman went on: "We broadly welcome this report as congestion is costly, not only in environmental terms but it has a major negative effect on road safety. Extended, unpredictable journey times do nothing to encourage responsible road use.

"Longer journeys cause driver fatigue, and tired drivers are more likely to crash - so it's a horrible, vicious circle. Around one in five motorway crashes is a result of driver fatigue."

The spokesman added: "However, any long-term solution to the congestion problem must embrace measures to reduce crashes because they are caused by driver error.

"The Eddington Report's anticipated emphasis on using the existing infrastructure better is a move in the right direction - as long as there is recognition that lane closures don't just happen.

"Measures to improve driving standards could reducing the number of crashes that close roads and leave congestion misery in their wake."

Environmental group Transport 2000 said: "We will support Eddington on road pricing, but only if revenues go back into public transport and other measures to give people real choice, and if pricing helps cut overall pollution levels as well as congestion.

"We will oppose funding going towards big new roads programmes."

Transport 2000 added: "We support improving existing rail lines and creating more trams and are running a 'Growing the Railways' campaign which is gathering widespread support nationally and across the country for upgrading and expanding the railways for passengers and freight.

"The Government says it agrees, but in practice is putting up rail fares and in some areas cutting or downgrading train services.

"But we also think that small-scale improvements to the railways won't be enough. We will need some big increases in rail capacity, especially if we get road pricing and plan new developments around public transport to cut carbon emissions.

"High speed rail lines are one option, and would clearly offer an alternative to aviation, but big improvements to the existing network are all options that need to be considered."

On aviation, Transport 2000 said: "We think that the growth in aviation and its greenhouse gas emissions require a complete rethink of the Air Transport White Paper. Rail and other options (for example, more video conferencing) need to be promoted as alternatives to flying and caps on airport capacity are needed."

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "A commitment to road user pricing is welcome but it is not enough.

"Radical improvements in the nation's railways and bus services must also be part of the package.

"To speak of continued expansion at airports like Heathrow is environmental madness. It is not consistent with the findings of the Stern Report.

"I guess that is what happens when you put a former chief executive of British Airways in charge of long-term transport policy."

The Conservatives will use today's publication to accuse the Government of failing to get to grips with Britain's "urgent" transport problems.

The Tories have released their own strategy document setting out their priorities for the system.

The party called for a programme of rapid action to ease pinch points in the system, along with major longer-term projects to make a lasting difference to the traffic infrastructure.

And it said a much stronger green dimension and a more integrated approach to transport planning were needed.

The Conservative Strategy Document - entitled Getting Around: Britain's Great Frustration - sets out an initial foundation for the policies expected in the party's next election manifesto.

Shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "The Government has clearly failed to follow through on its stated aim of improving our transport system - and for most people travel has become more difficult in the past 10 years.

"We have trains that are getting more and more overcrowded and roads that are getting more and more congested.

"The Government's latest report on transport - the Eddington Report - is the eighth major document they have produced on transport, and yet virtually all the improvements they promised in their 10-year plan for transport have been cancelled or kicked into the long grass.

"Our document sets out a clear direction for future transport strategy in Britain.

"We need short-term and urgent improvements to ease congestion and overcrowding, and then a proper longer-term programme to ensure we have a transport system that is more environmentally-friendly and can meet the needs of a modern economy.

"The truth is that we do need an integrated transport policy but we're still not getting one."

Today's Tory document called for the development of a less fragmented railway where the track and the trains are run in an integrated way, in order to tackle overcrowding and encourage train use.

It acknowledged that road pricing and tolling were likely to play an increased role in the strategy of any future government.

But it added: "We certainly would not want to see premature moves to an untested national scheme and we believe that congestion charging and road pricing should be used to generate additional transport capacity rather than to price people off the roads altogether."

Areas the Conservative plan says are particular priorities for transport improvements are: :: Transport capacity for commuters into and around the City of London and Canary Wharf; :: Transport provision in the designated growth areas in the South East, such as the Thames Gateway, if the major development plans for those areas go ahead; :: Trans-Pennine links between Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire; :: Inadequate capacity on transport links into the West of England; :: Congestion in and around central Birmingham; :: Access to public transport in rural areas.

9:10am Friday 1st December 2006

Tolls for the Severn Bridges will top £5 from next year, causing outrage amongst motorists who say they should now be allowed to pay by card.

Louise Goodman, 25, used the bridge for her daily commute to work from Bristol to Cardiff. She said: "I think it is a disgrace that they keep putting up the tolls on the bridge.

"It is hitting us motorists hard in the pocket, and I can see the tolls, continuing to go up over the years. "The most ridiculous thing is that they still do not allow us to pay by card, and we are forced to scramble around for change. "Now that the charge is over £5 they can surely enter the 21st century and let us pay by card.

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM of South Wales East Mike German has slammed the Severn Bridges act for the constant rise in tolls.

He said "The Severn Bridges Act is an ass. Every year it forces the tolls up regardless of need, or whether people's incomes have risen. The same act also stops us using credit cards to pay this ever rising tax on entering Wales.

"The toll charges are getting so high, that they can no longer be routinely settled with pocket change. The act must be altered to allow debit and credit card payments. "It's also time we started a proper debate about the future of the bridges.

The time is coming when the government has to decide what happens when the private company that operates the bridges hand them back. That could happen as soon as 2010, depending on traffic volume over the bridges. "We need to know whether benefits of scrapping the tolls would offset the cost of maintaining the bridges, and how the bridges will be maintained in the future.

"These are important questions, with major implications for Wales' business and tourism sectors as well as individuals travelling across the border"

Severn Bridge Crossing's general manager, Jim Clune, said "SRC amends the tolls at the start of each year in strict compliance with the Severn Bridges Act 1992 and upon an Order from the Secretary of State. The act sets down the precise method and base prices for setting toll levels and the adjustment to the next year's toll level is in accordance with the retail price index.

"The new toll levels are confirmed each year by a parliamentary order made in December which authorises SRC to adjust tolls to the revised levels."

Chepstow and Caldicot Free Press 15 November 2006

Toll Prices - 2007 (13/11/2006)

New toll prices for vehicles crossing the Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing will be
introduced on 1st January 2007.

The increases are stipulated in the Severn Bridges Act 1992 and adjusted by the Retail Price Index published last month.

The new prices will be: (New) (Current)

Category I Cars and Motor Caravans £ 5.10 £ 4.90

Category II Small Goods Vehicles and Small Buses £ 10.20 £ 9.80

Category III Heavy Goods Vehicles and Buses £ 15.30 £ 14.70

link: http://www.severnbridge.co.uk/news.shtml

Traffic experts are discussing the merits of introducing congestion charges on roads in south Wales including in Cardiff.

photo: The bendy bus can carry 135 passengers in one go

The city has been criticised for having some of the most congested roads in the UK despite efforts to cut car use.

Bendy buses have been introduced and in certain parts of the city controlled parking zones are planned, as well as high priced city centre car parks.

But the measures have brought with them their own problems.

The 18m (59ft) long bendy buses which can carry 135 passengers have been introduced in the city's busiest routes including along Cowbridge Road East and have themselves been blamed for causing traffic build ups.

Motorists have complained the buses are too long to overtake and have said traffic build up occurs as the buses try to manoeuvre around some junctions.

But officials say some of the blame must lie with people illegally parking along the route and in June police were dispatched to ride the buses to catch illegal parkers who caused problems for the buses.

The council has said it will spend £1m of public money to try to address the issue

A police community support officer will be brought in specifically for the area.

As well as work on making bus stops more prominent, making on-street parking clearer and introducing more bus lanes.

There are also plans to modify certain junctions to enable buses easier use.

The route is considered one of the busiest with 13,000 passengers using the buses daily.

The council is also trying to bring in controlled parking zones into this area - a move which has proved unpopular among many residents.

But the proposals cover just one area of the busy roads in the city which thousands of motorists use every day.

Cardiff council see transport remaining the city's "single greatest challenge to Cardiff's competitiveness on a European stage."

And it admits the scale of the transport challenge is "vast".

A range of schemes are being prioritised by the council including better road links into the city centre and the bay from the east.

A regional park and ride facility is to be set up which will eventually be linked to the new Cardiff City Football Club stadium development.

The main bus station will be replaced as well as High Street and St Mary Street being a no-car zone.

And better links with Cardiff Bay being set up.

Cllr Elgan Morgan from Cardiff council said: "Transport and connectivity remain the single greatest challenge to Cardiff's competitiveness, and that the status quo cannot sustain the region's economic growth and our aspirations to be a European capital.

"Professor Michael Parkinson of the European Institute of Urban Affairs has told us that the costs of moving 70,000 commuters into the city are huge and unsustainable and that Cardiff has prestige projects and excellent facilities but not the underlying infrastructure to sustain them.

"We are approaching a tipping point in this regard as Cardiff may lose significant advantages over some competitor regions.

"The scale of the challenge is immense and we have to be realistic."

Schemes

He admitted that previous transport plans for the city have not been realised because "undeliverable" aspirations had been set out but said the current plans were achievable.

Some of the plans are already underway, with a new park and ride facility being set up especially for commuters from Monday, to ease pre-Christmas congestion.

Commuters can park their cars at Leckwith athletic stadium from 0700 every day with regular buses transporting people into the city until 1800 at night.

Jane Winston, 38 from Porthcawl who travels to work by car every day will try the new Leckwith service, which will operate until January.

"I travel into the city centre by car at the moment but the traffic adds time onto my journey," she said.

"I am going to try the park and ride service from Leckwith as it will be cheaper and hopefully save me time. I think it is a really good idea."

Other park and ride schemes are also operating around the city.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Plans to roll out traffic charge

Congestion charging may be extended across England under government plans to adopt a "sophisticated" version of the London system to cut road use.
Seven areas have been given £7m to develop schemes, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has announced.

They are Durham, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear, Shrewsbury, Cambridgeshire and Bristol.

The scheme will be rolled out over the network over the next 10-15 years, according to the Times newspaper.

Mr Darling told the BBC unless something was done the UK faced "absolute" gridlock.

Speaking at the CBI conference on Monday, Mr Darling said: "Local and regional pilots are essential if we are to explore and understand the possibilities of road pricing at national level."

He also announced the government had invited the seven authorities, along with Transport for London and Cardiff, to join a liaison group examining road pricing.

Satellite tracking

Mr Darling said a national charging scheme would replace either fuel duty or vehicle excise duty but could result in an increase in the overall sum paid by motorists.

Since the introduction of the congestion charge in London in February 2003 there has been a 1.5% decrease in the number of miles travelled by cars in the capital.

But Mr Darling hopes more "sophisticated" systems will be tested under the new study - such as electronic tagging and satellite tracking - that would allow the amount charged to fluctuate, according to the level of traffic.
Not all areas involved in the study would bring in a charge, he added.

But the first scheme would be announced within 18 months with one or two areas bring in charges by 2009.

Toll opposition

Mr Darling told the BBC new ways had to be explored to tackle local congestion.

"Unless we look at that, we will have huge problems - absolute gridlock - in 20 or 30 years' time," he said.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme he acknowledged people wanted to see faster progress in improving transport infrastructure.

He said more was being spent on the roads, railways and other parts of the system.

The first stage will be a major feasibility study to develop a congestion management strategy expected to be published next year.

The government has allocated up to £200m a year from 2008 to help local authorities introduce charging systems.

John McGoldrick, of the National Alliance Against Tolls, said the money would be better spent on solutions to current traffic flow.

"Almost no one wants tolls," he said.

Story's from BBC NEWS: