A STUDY that could pave the way for London-style congestion charging is being carried out in Greater Manchester.

The £61,000 investigation, commissioned by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, has just started and will take up to a year to map out the worst congestion hotspots.

Chris Mulligan, director general of the GMPTA, said the study was "a necessity" but said it wouldn't automatically mean congestion charging was imminent.

And he made clear that the public would be fully consulted before any plans for road charges were introduced.

He said: "The Secretary of State has been very vocal in his support for road charging and we have to be in a position to discuss it with all the information prepared. This is a fact-finding study, we need to know where we have congestion problems in Greater Manchester and where it is likely to get worse.

"We want to have an open debate about congestion and what we are going to do about it. There is no question of congestion charging being introduced without the fullest consultation with the public and businesses.

"We have always said in order for us to even consider introducing road charging in Greater Manchester we would need significant investment in the transport infrastructure."

Consultation

He said there would "almost certainly" be another study to explore a range of solutions, including congestion charging, once the findings of the initial study are published.

He also denied congestion charging would be introduced as a "trade-off" to pay for the Metrolink expansion.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, which represents the 10 local authorities, has given its backing for the study which will include the M60.

The London-based Jacobs Consultancy, a specialist in transport studies, won the contract after a tender was put out.

Its previous studies include looking at the design and impact of the Western Extension to London's congestion charging scheme as well as the Cross River Tram scheme in London and the Las Vegas Monorail.

The study will be based on existing data including roadside surveys and the 2004 census.

Its brief is to identify existing congestion, predict future growth and identify potential impacts particularly on the economy, business and the environment.