Spy in sky plan for road fees
Spy in the sky road pricing could be launched to monitor drivers in the West Midlands amid speculation a London-style congestion charge is to be dropped. Spy in the sky road pricing could be launched to monitor drivers in the West Midlands amid speculation a London-style congestion charge is to be dropped. The pay-as-you-go option would see drivers forking out in relation to the time, length and destination of their journey, if the proposals being developed by council leaders get Government backing. The system, which would most likely use satellite tracking of vehicles, would allow the flexibility to take account of local traffic patterns, giving much fairer charging. The idea comes from the seven West Midlands district councils and passenger transport authority Centro. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
The pay-as-you-go option would see drivers forking out in relation to the time, length and destination of their journey, if the proposals being developed by council leaders get Government backing.
The system, which would most likely use satellite tracking of vehicles, would allow the flexibility to take account of local traffic patterns, giving much fairer charging.
The idea comes from the seven West Midlands district councils and passenger transport authority Centro.
Wolverhampton Council chief executive Richard Carr said today a report by consultants, would be presented to council leaders in the next few weeks. The councils and Centro then have only a short time to decide whether to go ahead with a road pricing scheme in order to meet a Government deadline of July 31.
If the region goes for road pricing, it will be able to apply for additional cash from the Government's Transport Innovation Fund to pay for road, rail and metro improvements.
But, said Mr Carr, the councils had still not decided whether the extra Government cash would be worth the cost of setting up a road charging scheme.
"What is clear is that a London-style one-size-fits-all system will not work in the West Midlands," he said.
"We need to come up with a system that takes account of local issues.
"For instance, in the Black Country there is frequent use of the motorway system for short journeys."
Last September the region's Gridlock or Growth green paper warned congestion on major roads and motorways already costs the regional economy £2.2 billion a year.
Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip said any road charging scheme would need to be accompanied by significant improvements to the public transport system.
