Birmingham faces charges
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I by Guy Sheppard
3irmingham is under pressure to become the iext city after London to adopt congestion :barging, following a government commitnent to extend its Metro light rail network.
But the city council says it will only lecide whether to pursue the idea after he results of a feasibility study are pubshed this autumn.
Electronic tolling is unlikely to be .dopted in Birmingham until its worth has ■ een proved in London, where motorists nd hauliers will be charged £5 to enter the entre during the day.
A spokeswoman for Birmingham con
rms that the council has been under oresure to pursue the idea following the gov
rnment's commitment to extend the letro through the city centre in December. The pressure intensified during the General Election campaign, when transport was seen as one of the key issues that the government has yet to deliver on.
"There is a funding gap in the govern
ment's 10-year transport plan which is intended to be plugged by congestion charging or whatever people decide to do," says the spokeswoman.
She adds that Birmingham Council is currently working in tandem with Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Dudley councils to tackle traffic congestion in the region. It is possible that these authorities will be included in any charging scheme.