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http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=644303&host=3&dir=66


Satellite toll plan to make drivers pay by the mile


Darling orders nationwide road pricing. Charge of £1.34 a mile on
busiest roads
By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor
05 June 2005

British motorists face paying a new charge for every mile they drive in
a revolutionary scheme to be introduced within two years.

Drivers will pay according to when and how far they travel throughout
the country's road network under proposals being developed by the
Government.

Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State for Transport, revealed that
pilot areas will be selected in just 24 months' time as he made clear
his determination to press ahead with a national road pricing scheme.

Each of Britain's 24 million vehicles would be tracked by satellite if
a variable "pay-as-you-drive" charge replaces the current road tax.

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Mr Darling warned that
unless action is taken now, the country "could face gridlock" within
two decades.

Official research suggests national road pricing could increase the
capacity of Britain's network by as much as 40 per cent at a stroke, he
said.

The rapid uptake of satellite navigational technology in cars is
helping to usher in the new "pay-as-you-drive" charge much sooner than
had been expected. Figures contained in a government feasibility study
have suggested motorists could pay up to £1.34 for each mile they
travel during peak hours on the most congested roads.

Although a fully operational national scheme is still considered to be
a decade away, Mr Darling said local schemes could be up and running
within five years. Manchester is considered a front-runner, with local
authorities in the Midlands and London also pressing to be considered
for a £2.5bn central fund to introduce the change.

Most of the necessary technology already exists. Lorries will be
tracked by satellite and charged accordingly from 2007. The main
obstacle to constructing a scheme to track Britain's 24 million private
vehicles is public opinion, and Mr Darling is determined to start
making the case now.

"You could dance around this for years but every year the problem is
getting worse," he said.

"We have got to do everything we can during the course of this
Parliament to decide whether or not we go with road pricing. Something
of this magnitude will span several parliaments and you need 'buy-in'
not just from political parties but also from the general public.

"Drivers have got to see that they benefit," he said, adding that one
of the "weaknesses" of the congestion charging scheme introduced in the
capital by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, was that it delivered
a "general benefit not a particular benefit". Motorists could feel they
are paying a penalty to support buses they do not use.

The national road-pricing scheme, by contrast, has got to work so
there's "something in it for me", said Mr Darling in advance of a
keynote speech on the issue this Thursday.