Bosses favour flexible system as reality kicks in

24 January 2007

West Midlands business leaders are favouring a flexible time-and-distance-based charging system, if the conurbation decides to introduce road pricing, Centro’s chief executive said in London on Monday.
Geoff Inskip was speaking in a review of local Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) activity at the 2007 EU Road User Charging conference.
Businesses are concerned that pricing should not damage the local economy, although they acknowledge congestion as one of their biggest constraints. They are firmly against a flat-rate scheme such as London’s.
In another TIF area, almost half of Shrewsbury residents polled by Shropshire County Council are prepared to change their travel habits in response to congestion. Around 60% see the solution lying in some form of new technology, with half indicating support for road pricing. The county is working on a discount scheme for drivers who shop in the city, as part of a behavioural approach to charging.
Flexibility is also on the agenda for Durham County Council, which is working up a new scheme for Durham City. It is investigating the feasibility of part-of-day charging, in a bid to influence driver choice.
Meanwhile, behavioural approaches under way in London include new distance-based charging trials – starting in spring 2007, with refunds for volunteers who drive less, and a summer 2007 consultation on 100% charging rebates for drivers of lower-emission vehicles. However, Transport for London congestion charging director, Michèle Dix, admitted these might not be permanent.
Challenged on the scheme’s current high level of operating costs, she was ‘hopeful’ technology could reduce these. She cited new technology in the Western Extension Zone, which goes live in February, and future use of a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) ‘tag-and-beacon’-based system for both vehicle identification and payment.

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Bosses favour flexible system as reality kicks in

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