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Anyone got an idea when it will be rolled out big time. Can we expect an announcement at the emergency budget what will take place the day after England qualify for the knockout stages of world cup. The lib dem's were all for it in their manifesto. £1.46p per mile quoted i believe. Motorists to pull us out of deficit eh.
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I doubt road pricing will arrive, the costs of implementation are too great and the timescale and payback too long. The only way to do it at the moment (with capital spending frozen) is to privatise the roads, and the private companies to implement it.
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Zero, how does it work on the continent do you know are they nationalised or private. Makes you wonder why Lib dem's put it on there manifesto don't it. Do they know what there doing.
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to bring it in, they need to invest in the technology. That means ANPR cameras to a giant computer or GPS or toll booths or sensors. the billing process and the admin. That means a lot of money to invest in infrastructure all paid for by the state, who dont have the money to pay for it.
The only way to do this is to sell existing roads to the private sector. They can then invest and recoup the profit.
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It will come in by one route or another (groan)...encouraged by the state hundreds of thousands of tiny cars and a few thousand hybrids have been sold, as well as being almost if not free VED these cars use little fuel so lost tax revenues there.
The state will not allow the proletariat to have cheap unregulated movement, and they need to claw back the lost fuel and VED taxes.
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Thats why it was in lib dem manifesto transport policy. To improve transport and its structure. Part of it was road pricing and a big part was rail networks quicker better (and i bet expensive for a ticket). Massive lost revenues from the motorist correct GB will they allow it.
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The major issue is privacy. It's all very well having a stretch of road that one is charged for using, like the Severn bridge, for instance, where you pay (or paid) a toll at a booth, but it's quite another to be monitored, recorded and charged for usage. I would not object so much were the details not recorded and not accessible for any other purpose whatsoever than "road pricing".
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It won't happen for the following reasons:
1. Massive public resistance.
2. It wouldn't be profitable. The infrastructure costs would be massive and the cost of collecting would probably equal the revenue. A typical nu-labour 'jobs for the boyos' idea that would create more jobs just to churn money around the economy without creating wealth. Look at how little money the Congestion Charge has made (and that was about revenue raising!)
3. If it is applied to all national roads (M & A) as was mooted, with variable charges at different times of days and for different cars depending on their CO2 output, how on earth would you know you had been correctly charged? Any law that is thought unjust would be ignored and there would be ever wider avoidance. It's complexity would be its downfall.
How tolls work in France is you have a fixed charge for a fixed length of autoroute depending on type of vehicle. Simple, and easy. Or a sticker to use motorways (Switzerland). Again, simple.
Not everything in political party manifestos comes to bear, you know!
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I heard a few days ago that the coalition wont be going ahead with it.
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That's a good point FT. Remember my post what i thought of the DVLA knowing my info and giving it out like confetti to whoever asks and pays the obligatory 3 quid. Slightly different to what you see. Big brother will know your whereabouts and the times you were there.
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Was watching a police programme earlier. They had a static ANPR which flashed up a warning about a known drugs carrier passing through the area, so they sent out a patrol car to catch him up and as a result seized over £2k of cocaine and other stuff. I don't really have a problem with that.
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I've got an idea - what about a tax on fuel?
Then those who drive a lot will pay more in proportion to their road use use. Then you don't need any infrastructure at all.
Or has someone thought of this before? :)
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They want more tax monies, not less... the current system gets you both ways!
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Fuel tax is the fairest way of all the possibilities. Losers are rural car owners but they get to live somewhere pretty, so tough. If they hate it so much then they can move to a town. Fuel tax is linked to how, when and what you drive. It is completely equitable which is why them in charge hate it because it doesn't give them a chance to penalise people for buying a nice car or a larger car just for having it rather than how much they use it.
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A weakness of the fuel tax only argument is you still need a car registration system which costs a lot of money to administer.
That has to be paid for somehow, so it is unlikely registration discs would be free.
Last edited by: ifithelps on Thu 10 Jun 10 at 10:02
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So just add a few p to the fuel tax! Simples :-)
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>> a known drugs carrier passing through the area, so they sent out a
>> patrol car to catch him up and as a result seized over £2k of cocaine
>> and other stuff. I don't really have a problem with that.
Neither do I. However, what you are talking about here is not what I was talking about up there ^.
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Road Pricing - Zero
