01/12/2006

Report calls for motorists to pay for road use

Drivers should pay tolls in order to drive on roads in the UK, a new study has suggested.

The report, by former British Airways chief executive Sir Rod Eddington, said that the introduction of road tolls could boost the economy by £28 billion. It would also reduce road congestion by half, Sir Rod said.

The report, which was commissioned by Chancellor Gordon Brown, suggested that road pricing pilot schemes should begin in the next few years.

However, Sir Rod said that road pricing would be difficult to introduce and warned that there would be "significant risks" in developing a pricing policy, particularly around the technology required for the scheme.

He also said that the money raised should be invested back into the transport network, but said that building projects such as new high-speed rail lines was less important than using existing networks more efficiently.

(KMcA)


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