Investment Needed for Transport Alternative

Motorists could be left “high and dry” by road pricing unless more money is invested in public transport alternatives, local council leaders will tell the Government today.

Road pricing represented a real opportunity to ease congestion and help the environment, the Local Government Association (LGA) said in a letter to the Westminster Department for Transport.

But council leaders warned that pricing schemes would simply not work in parts of the country because public transport in its current state did not offer drivers good enough alternatives.

The LGA said town halls were concerned that the money on offer for the first round of road charging trials was unlikely to be enough. While pounds 1.4bn has been set aside for all potential schemes, Manchester alone estimated that the cost of introducing an effective road pricing scheme could top pounds 3bn.

Allowing councils to borrow money against revenue raised from road pricing would be an effective way of allowing councils to invest in better public transport.

The LGA is calling for an overhaul of public transport that would allow councils to develop a genuinely integrated transport system that would link up all kinds of local public transport, which would allow rail and bus services to link up more effectively and give councils the power to step in to guarantee important local bus services.

LGA transport spokesman David Sparks said, “Councils want to be able to make road pricing work. But, it would be grossly unfair to force people out of their cars if there are not enough buses, trains and trams to give road users a viable alternative.

“This would simply be leaving drivers high and dry and force them into paying an unwanted tax. Local schemes represent a real opportunity to cut traffic jams and help in the fight against climate change, but they won’t work unless more money is put into public transport.”

He added, “This isn’t just about local government demanding more money from Whitehall.

“Allowing councils to borrow against the revenue raised by road pricing would mean that significant amounts could be ploughed back into bringing public transport up to scratch.

“Any scheme needs to convince local people that the benefits of road pricing will outweigh the costs and make sure that it is not seen as stealth taxation.

“Different types of public transport operate in complete isolation in many parts of the country. This must change to allow councils to change the services that people use for the better.”

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