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Government denies road pricing plan is 'in tatters'
Page 10
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by David Harris THE DEPARTMENT for Transport (DfT) this week denied that plans to expand the use of motorway hard shoulders meant that proposals for road pricing had been abandoned.
After Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly revealed that hard shoulders would be used on many motorways to cut congestion. both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats criticised the government's congestion plans, with Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers suggesting that the policy is "in tatters-.
But a DfT spokesman says: "We haven't abandoned road pricing. The Minister is just recognising that the public has yet to be convinced about it, and that more discussion is needed. Meanwhile, using hard shoulders — for some roads — offers a quick and green solution to congestion."
The decision to use the hard shoulders on parts of the Ml, M6, M62, M27, M4 and M5 was partly prompted by a feasibility study that showed 500 miles of road could benefit from using the hard shoulder as an extra lane. There has also been a successful trial on the M42 near Birmingham.
The DfT spokesman added that the government is also committed to road building alongside using hard shoulders wherever possible. He says: "Nobody is suggesting hard shoulders can provide all the answers, not least because not all roads have them, but they can help in some cases." The next stage for road-pricing plans is a series of demonstration projects, which the EMT says will start in the autumn, but public opinion remains a big obstacle. Last year, a record 1.8 million people signed a Downing Street petition opposing any form of road pricing.
The government is due to publish a Green Paper on congestion this summer.
The DtT is also delaying any decision on whether or not foreign hauliers might have to pay for a vignette in the UK. A spokesman says: "No decisions have been taken on implementing a vignette. Our freight data feasibility study is ongoing."
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