Leading transport academics have sent an open letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin recommending the introduction of road pricing to cut congestion and carbon emissions.
They warn the Government against simply throwing more money into new road building projects, arguing that more road capacity will simply generate more traffic to fill it up.
Instead, the letter, signed by 32 academics including Prof David Banister of Oxford University and Prof Peter Mackie of Leeds, calls for a radical overhaul of how Whitehall tackles transport issues.
According to The Telegraph, the letter reads: “Our cities are simply not equipped to take further growth in road traffic and the benefits of faster journey times on the strategic network risk being lost in greater congestion on local urban roads where the majority of journeys are undertaken”.
Instead so-called ‘smart demand management’ measures, in particular road pricing, could enable us to better manage traffic flow on our roads.
Such a ‘pay-per-mile’ approach to road taxation has always been controversial. The previous Labour government toyed with the idea, but ditched it after a nearly 2 million people signed a petition against such a move.
The academics called for an acceleration of what they describe as “smart demand management measures” to deal with the problem, in particular road pricing.
However, it is largely thought to be an inevitable move, so claimed the RAC Foundation in 2010, as technology to monitor cars and their mileage improves and as our roads become ever busier.
Even Norman Baker, a current Liberal Democrat transport minister, has said he supports the policy.
Source: The Telegraph
Faye has been writing about cars and environmental issues since 2007. A suspected eco-warrior working on the corporate inside, Faye mainly likes the weird, quirky vehicles that show a distinct environmental advantage. Her ideal car has enough room to fit a bale of hay in the boot. When not working, she likes nothing better than to head out on her bicycle and explore the countryside.
Faye Sunderland
January 22, 2013
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