1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214 
Committee brands LRUC as expensive
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Operators who oppose Lorry Road User Charging have the backing of
MPs on the Transport Select Committee. Jennifer Ball repot-3.
FRESH DOUBTS have been raised over government plans for Lorry Road User Charging after a select committee report savaged the current scheme.
It concludes: "The cost effectiveness of the scheme will not be known until the technological system is determined. Ultimately the sums may not stack up. The government should be wary of committing itself to implementation of a potentially very expensive and over-sophisticated system.
"Ideally, the LRUC contracts the government signs should take into account the need for flexibility to meet changing policy objectives."
But Customs has been quick to defend its policies. In its report "Regulatory Impact Assessment: LRUC" it claims the benefits of LRUC will go beyond creating a level playing field with foreign vehicles, citing the advantages of technology such as fleet monitoring.
A spokeswoman says:"We welcome the interest in LRUC and will be responding to the report in the coming months."
The Freight Transport Association is concerned that the differing reports will further confuse and unnerve the industry. Chief executive Richard Turner says: "We know enough about LRUC to be able to criticise it, but not enough to avert these criticisms and be positive about it."
Professor Alan McKinnon, a fierce critic of LRUC, welcomes the report. "It would have been preferable to have assessed all the options more explicitly at an earlier stage. But better late than never, particularly given the huge potential cost and impact of LRUC," he says.