ditical Commentary By JANUS
Page 45
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No Room for Tolls
VHATEVER may be the case in the U.S.A., the levying of tolls seems a clumsy method of financing roads in Great Britain. Operators uld be discouraged by tolls from using highways that supposed to be built for their benefit. The toll is extra item in the operator's costs, and may require a interpart in increased rates and fares. The machinery . collection is yet another expense, and involves delay' vehicles attracted by the hope of speedier travel. spite of these disadvantages, the American example quoted so frequently that it is worth considering ether the comparison is valid.
t is easy to get the financial picture out of proportion. e Government are making the first real attempt since . war to improve the road system, as part of the teral plan to invest in success, and they deserve our igratulations. But the amount required should not iously deplete the resources of the Exchequer. The nister of Transport has told the House of Commons .t expenditure for the work to be authorized in the U financial year will be about L27m., and about 10m, for the following three years. However, nothing .t the total of £147m. will actually be spent during the ir years.
kit estimate of the outlay is aim. in 1955-56, it 7m. 1956-57, £30m. in 1957-58, and £42m. in 1958-59. is expenditure will be in addition to normal road renditure on maintenance and minor improvements, ich has reached a level of about I:90m. a year, and y rise to f100m. over the next four years. Even in year 1958-59, therefore, actual expenditure will rbably be less than f 1.50m. in all, and in terms of real ues this is no greater than the average annual renditure before the war.
I. Great Magnitude dr. Boyd-Carpenter also mentioned two projects of reat magnitude," the first part of a London-Yorkshire tor road, and a bridge or tunnel over or under the th of Forth. It is apparently the " formidable t" of these projects that "has caused tolls to be isidered for application in suitable cases." The ndon-Yorkshire motor road may cost £45m. in all, . only a third of this will be authorized during the ft four years. No estimate can be given of the cost the Firth of Forth project until it is known what thod will be adopted.
t seems unlikely, however, that actual annual expenire on projects for which tolls are threatened will be re than between flOm. and £20m. for many years come. Such an item is not negligible, but it is tiny comparison with the total national income and renditure. Still less does it bear comparison with the t of roads in the U.S.A. A single highway in that intry may cost as much as, or more than, the whole the British Government's four-year programme.
kpart from the large number of toll roads under istruction or projected in many of the American tes, nearly £700m. is being spent over two years in eral aid to building and maintaining highways, and sident Eisenhower has plans for a long-term 'gramme to cost an additional £18,000m. over the :t 10 years. When the cost runs into billions rather n millions, one can see the argument for making ne direct charge to the road user. The money must come. from somewhere. In the U.S.A. practically the whole of the taxation received from vehicle operators already goes back into road building and maintenance. The average tax on fuel is about 9d. a gallon, and if road users are expected to pay for the roads themselves there would have to be either an increase in taxation or the levying of tolls.
In this country the annual rate of taxation now is about three times what we may expect the entire road expenditure to be in 1958-59, the last year of the Government's new programme. New roads mean more use of vehicles, and therefore more revenue for the Exchequer from licence fees and fuel duties. There is a much stronger case for reducing the tax on fuel than for imposing yet another burden by means of tolls.
The addition to his costs may force the operator to consider putting up his charges. If the customer points out that the use of a toll road is optional, the operator may decide to send his vehicles by an alternative route, an absurd situation when it is remembered that the policy of the Government ought to be by every possible means to encourage the use of the new motor roads. Any disadvantages of an alternative route would generally not be sufficient to deter an operator who is bent on saving the cost of the toll. In the U.S.A., on the other hand, although alternative routes are usually possible, the distances to be covered are so great that the benefits of using the toll road can easily be seen.
New Communities Along the great new roads of America new industries and new communities are springing up. The country still has great potentialities, and the roads are helping to bring them out. From this side of the Atlantic one can see the reason for making a special charge on road users who are now able to go easily where it was difficult, or almost impossible, previously. In Britain, the roads are often inadequate, but seldom bad. The potentialities of the country lie in the character of the inhabitants and in new techniques rather than in the country.itself.
The Government owe the public better roads, and the debt is long-standing. Expanding undertakings require an increased intake of raw materials, and send out a larger volume of finished goods. For both purposes transport is essential, and generally speaking this means road transport. The railways, even when their 15-year plan is complete, do not expect to handle more than about 20 per cent. over and above the volume of traffic they are carrying today, whereas the expansion of production should be very much more than that Unless the new roads are built, industry will slow down. The Government must see clearly what is to be done, and agree to meet the cost out of their own revenue.
The Minister's reference to tolls did not come as a surprise. There had been earlier hints that something of the kind might be suggested. He might at least have waited until he was in a position to announce the ' launching of a really grandiose scheme. To ask for tolls at this stage, when the road problem has hardly been touched, is rather like discussing the spending of a family allowance six months before the banns are put up. Any comparison with what is happening in the U.S.A. only serves to emphasize the extent to which Britain is lagging behind.