Charging motorists per mile 'inevitable'

The issue of pay-as-you-drive motoring has been put back in the spotlight with this report from the RAC which considers the outcome as 'inevitable':

Charging motorists for each mile they travel is "inevitable" if future traffic gridlock is to be avoided, a report from the RAC Foundation said today.A "pay-as-you-go" system could be the answer to congestion, said the report from the foundation's director Professor Stephen Glaister. 

What was needed was a fundamental shift in the way England's roads were managed and paid for, he said.

The launch of the report coincided with an Ipsos Mori report for the RAC Foundation which showed that 58% of drivers agreed that a per-mile, pay-as-you-go system across all roads would make them think about how much they drive. 

Prof Glaister's report identified a series of problems facing road users and governments in the future.

These included a lack of vision for the road network, a 33% increase in traffic by 2025 and reduced spending on road infrastructure because of financial and political constraints.He said a system of charging motorists per mile travelled had to come with:

:: A cut in fuel duty and road tax;

:: A governing body to develop and implement a long-term strategy for maintaining and enhancing the road network;

:: A guaranteed sum of revenue put aside to pay for the work and a regulator to ensure the work was done efficiently;

:: More reliable journey times and compensation for delays.

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