MPs today urged the government to consider tolls on all busy motorways and charges in big cities - in a bid to halve congestion.
The Commons Transport Committee said that road pricing was the best way to tackle congestion and the government must not duck its responsibility for imposing tolls on the busiest roads.
But the committee urged the government not to rush into plans for an expressway along the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester without a proper study.
They say the existing M6 toll road has proved successful but warn that it would be a costly experiment if the government had to buy out the firm which runs it. And they say that while congestion charges have worked in London, ministers must not bully local councils into accepting them.
Labour MP Graham Stringer, a member of the committee, said: "From the point of view of Manchester our report says clearly that the government must not impose congestion charges on cities or penalise them if they don't do it."
He added: "We also say "the government cannot build their way out of congestion."
The committee chairman, Labour MP Gwynneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich), said traffic was expected to grow by a staggering rate in the UK, which already has the worst levels of congestion in Europe. .
She said: "Road pricing is not pie in the sky. Local authorities should decide whether urban charging schemes would reduce congestion on local roads but motorways and trunk roads are under government control and they must not duck their responsibility for charging on the most congested parts of the network."
System
She added: "We face a stark choice between a gridlocked road system for changing the way we pay for road use."
A national road pricing system could move away from the current system of motoring taxes.
The MPs suggest a phased introduction of small scale road charging schemes on trunk roads and in urban areas.
But they say this should be one part of a package of measures to reduce congestion, including better public transport and road improvements.
The MPs cautioned against commissioning more privately operated toll roads like the M6 Toll, run by private operators. They said that a number of different pricing systems could be a "recipe for disaster".
The government announced last summer that they were considering plans for an M6 expressway between Birmingham and Manchester.
But the MPs say they are concerned that this is being based on the success of the existing M6 toll road.
"The Department of Transport must wait for a proper assessment of the full and long term impacts before deciding whether to move ahead with more private tolled motorways," the MPs said.
They say that congestion charges have worked in central London but in Edinburgh there was a referendum which gave plans for congestion charges the thumbs down.
"It is not certain that the reduction in congestion achieved in central London would be repeated in other cities. Local authorities should not be penalised if they decide not to introduce such schemes," adds the report.
What do you think of road charges? Have your say.
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Hey, what a great idea - tax and charge the motorist off the roads then they won't be congested anymore. Wow, I should be a politician....
It has to be a big NO to congestion charges.
Just how stupid do you have to be to become an MP?
This morning, my journey to work (and not all the schools have finished for the Easter break) was cut by some 35 minutes and all because the lack of the "school run".
There were no people carriers with one child strapped in the back blocking up the roads and, if I'm honest, it was actually a pleasure to come into work this morning.
Instead of slapping charges on the poor old road user (we seem to be the easiest group of people to get yet more money out of), why don't ministers come up with a plan whereby school times are altered - say 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - thereby taking a heck of a lot of this traffic from the roads and allowing the workers to get on with keeping the country going?
This is another case of MP's, who's travel for work or pleasure is subsidised by the taxpayer, shirking their resposibilties in providing a proper rail transport system including rail freight transport with local distribution centres.
In the forthcoming elections the general public should make this a vote looser by not voting for any candidate who will not support a prooper future integrated transport system without raising taxes. The present government has squandered billions of pounds on 'knee jerk' projects including the war on Iraq which is at least 3 billion and rising
The only way to get people out of their cars & onto public transport is to put public transport back in the hands of public authorities & out of the hands of the firms now fleecing us for every penny they can wring out of us for the privilege of using their dirty, stinking, unreliable services. Road charges would just be another form of backdoor tax. I use public transport for work but need our car for shopping & getting out for some relaxation. When the government stops granting the retail giants permission to build their shopping centres in area's only accessible by cars we might be getting there, because as it stands now with these retail giants forcing the closing down of local shops with their buying power we have no other option but to use cars for shopping & recreation. How many supermarkets do you know with bus services to ? plus where would we put our goods with today's criminal element given free rein to attack & rob us at will.
I am a huge supporter of reduced traffic, but I also a realist. Having travelled to work for years using Manchester Metrolink, I am now seriously considering getting a car as if I have to hear 'while most services are operating normally, some passengers may have to wait up to 20 minutes' and then have to cram in and travel home with my nose in someones armpit any longer I think I will go completely bezerk and do something completely mad! Like raise the road tax and force more people to share my misery! Mwa ha ha ha ha!
"I use public transport for work but need our car for shopping & getting out for some relaxation." says Elaine below. You do not need but choose to use your car, just as some people choose to use a car for work.
I would vote for a government that encourages better design of roads to ensure a better flow of traffic, instead of the stop-start approach we have now.
So cars and congestion causes pollution. Why have we not come up with a cleaner fuel that everyone would love to use? Less tax revenue or fear of offending big business maybe.
What about this as the best idea yet - let MPs introduce a congestion charge, then all workers can say that they can't afford the cost and so will be handing in their notice and living off State benefits - that way the only people working will be MPs (if you can believe that they actually do any) and, for once, they'll be keeping us!!
The government should stop its attempts at 'social engineering'. They never work. They should also stop penalising the motorist. If the motorist has to make a choice, as will inevitably be the case, it should be whether to sit in a jam or do something else. Perhaps work places and shops will then become spread throughout the local area, as they once were, allowing workers and shoppers to walk or take short trips instead of blocking roads. We could then make the areas around schools 'resident traffic and pedestrians only'. This would negate the need for the chelsea tractors at school times.
Great one. I run a service company and if they start charging more for road usage you can expect me to have to increase my costs to cover this which in turn will be added to the end consumer - YOU. So even if you don't have a car - You, the carless consumer will end up paying the supermarket (through increased prices) more which in turn filters through to the government.
Also have you noticed that the signs for the toll road stretch of the M6 never state if the traffic is clear on the old stretch.
All a big con and just another ploy to stealth tax. Road tolls won't decrease traffic - motoring just gets more expensive.