The government is ready to start on local road charging initiatives in preparation for a national scheme, Alistair Darling said on 9 June 2005.
Darling admitted that implementing a scheme would be a "massive and complex task", but will pick a "major conurbation" as a local pilot. "Large technology projects are always tough to get right. And if we do this we will want value for money. And we will want the system to work. So there is a challenge for industry here as well," he said in a speech to the Social Market Foundation.
No decision has been made on the main pilot but further plans are to be set out over the next two years with a view to tests up and running in five to six years.
As part of the programme, the Department for Transport is to make £200m available for councils to develop their own solutions to tackle congestion. Guidance on allocating the funds is to be available from next month.
At the same time, the department is to start an assessment of the technology.
"A lot of this technology is out their being used for commercial purposes – that is why the DfT will be doing more research here as well as talking with industry," he said.
A national scheme is unlikely to rely on camera technology such as that used in London's congestion charge. The Department for Transport will consider satellite positioning technology in order to "minimise the amount of infrastructure at the roadside," said Darling.
He highlighted work already done by an insurance company to pilot a "pay as you drive" system, which used a satellite box fitted to the car to calculate the cost of premiums on a monthly basis. He said that in 10 years time such technology would be commonplace.
Darling acknowledged that privacy is an area of concern.
"People will need to have trust in the system and be comfortable with the way that it runs," he said. "Making sure that the right technology is available to achieve this part of the work is being undertaken by my department." The planning and delivery of the scheme would span "several Parliaments", said Darling.
The government would first look at the options for different road pricing schemes, assessing the most suitable. Darling said his department would look for an "affordable scheme that would work" from the technology available.
"Public support is important. If you can't persuade the public that there is "something in it for you" then we are unlikely to get off the starting blocks. So building a consensus is therefore important."
The aim is to cut down on congestion as well as meeting environmental targets. "Our objective is not to put people off the roads. It is to enable us to get more out of the network." Charges could range from 2p per mile to £1.34 a mile on the busiest roads.
Darling also heralded existing IT schemes to improve transport. "We are using new technology to better manager the roadspace including piloting a new system of traffic management on the M42 tackling congestion by using new technology in order to increase capacity during the times of the day when it is most needed."
Quelle: KableNET, 10.06.2005
