The strategic road network will need new forms of governance to accommodate time and distance-based road charging, which ‘must come’, according to RAC Foundation director, Professor Stephen Glaister.
With ‘no chance’ of a UK Government introducing national charging under the present regime, he asked why roads should not be run and regulated in the same way as other utilities, with rail as a model. ‘That would create a direct connection between value to the consumer and investment in capacity,’ he told a London conference on congestion last week.
Charging also needed to be part of a vehicle tax reform, replacing fuel with carbon duties, and be accompanied by new capacity.
The Highways Agency, said its director of network operations, Derek Turner, is currently researching the feasibility of automatically dimming highway lighting in response to low traffic flows.
Campaign for Better Transport executive director, Stephen Joseph, announced plans for fresh research into the potential for reviving lorry road-user charging. He saw it gaining renewed interest in the light of current EU initiatives on freight vehicles.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
