OmniCognateNeutronRangler
Senior Member
Oh joy, just read this on MSN. As if we don't pay enough to drive already. I wouldn't want to live anywhere around the M25, the A/B roads will be dreadful once the M25 is deserted.....
The government plans to charge drivers for every mile they travel on Britain’s motorways in a bid to beat jams.
Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has instructed the Highways Agency to identify a suitable stretch of the country’s 4,800 mile strategic road network on which to carry out a trial.
Leading contender is the M25 London Orbital, one of the most congested roads in the country. One option under consideration is to charge for access to a fourth lane once the entire ring road is upgraded from its current three lanes. A nationwide scheme could be in place as early as 2015 with charges of up to £1.34 a mile on Motorways and A roads. A Department for Transport study published in 2004 claimed this would cut congestion by a third. Traffic in the UK is forecast to rise by a third by 2015 and by over 50% on the motorway and A-road network.
Yesterday the Department for Transport raised the charge for the M25 Dartford crossing by 50% to £1.50 despite previous assurances that the toll would be scrapped entirely once the bridge and tunnels had been paid for, which happened three years ago. Since then the Department for Transport has raked in £200 million from the charge. The toll will be scrapped between the hours of 10pm and 6am to encourage freight transport to travel at night and drivers with an electronic tag in their windshields will continue to pay the old £1 rate.
The government is promising £200 million to cities that follow London and introduce their own congestion charging schemes. Currently vying for the cash windfall, which is supposed to go towards improving public transport, are Manchester, Birmingham and Cambridge. The schemes look set to be in place by 2010.
The government plans to charge drivers for every mile they travel on Britain’s motorways in a bid to beat jams.
Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has instructed the Highways Agency to identify a suitable stretch of the country’s 4,800 mile strategic road network on which to carry out a trial.
Leading contender is the M25 London Orbital, one of the most congested roads in the country. One option under consideration is to charge for access to a fourth lane once the entire ring road is upgraded from its current three lanes. A nationwide scheme could be in place as early as 2015 with charges of up to £1.34 a mile on Motorways and A roads. A Department for Transport study published in 2004 claimed this would cut congestion by a third. Traffic in the UK is forecast to rise by a third by 2015 and by over 50% on the motorway and A-road network.
Yesterday the Department for Transport raised the charge for the M25 Dartford crossing by 50% to £1.50 despite previous assurances that the toll would be scrapped entirely once the bridge and tunnels had been paid for, which happened three years ago. Since then the Department for Transport has raked in £200 million from the charge. The toll will be scrapped between the hours of 10pm and 6am to encourage freight transport to travel at night and drivers with an electronic tag in their windshields will continue to pay the old £1 rate.
The government is promising £200 million to cities that follow London and introduce their own congestion charging schemes. Currently vying for the cash windfall, which is supposed to go towards improving public transport, are Manchester, Birmingham and Cambridge. The schemes look set to be in place by 2010.
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