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ABD: Minister 'doesn't understand why road pricing won't work'

10/03/08

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly does not understand why road pricing will not work, the Association of British Drivers (ABD) has claimed.

The organisation's comments, which are likely to be pertinent to car insurance customers across the UK, follow Ms Kelly's decision to delay the commencement of a national road pricing scheme.

According to the ABD, this move is "welcome" but it shows that the government still do not understand why such a set-up would work. It cited the M6 Toll as an example, as the toll road is "struggling to pay its way" and remains empty much of the time but the free equivalent is a high priority for using the hard shoulder as an extra lane.

Ms Kelly announced new plans this week for a feasibility study into more hard shoulder usage.

"Road capacity is to be increased on one motorway whilst the alternative route is running empty - that's the nonsense of road pricing," said ABD policy advisor Nigel Humphries.

Whether road pricing is nationally rolled out is yet to be seen, but car insurance customers may want to keep an eye on developments in this area, as more congested roads could mean a higher likelihood of crashes and bumps with other vehicles.

The ABD also said that this type of scheme has only had a "minimal" effect in London and claimed that motorists seem to be paying only to drive in traffic.

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