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A FAIR DEAL FOR THE MOTORIST |
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A BLUEPRINT FOR UNIVERSAL
ROAD PRICING... The government wants us to believe that it does not want
to toll existing road capacity for private vehicles (at least before 2015). However this is
not the view of the European Commission, which sees UK roads as
part of a ‘Trans
European Network’ (TEN-T) governed at EU level. |
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On 28 March 2011, the European Commission released a
transport White Paper "Roadmap
Towards a Single European Transport Area". |
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This is essentially a political
initiative, pushing towards a single European approach, including ‘new
congestion and 'climate change' taxes such as road pricing’. A bit of an early April
Fool's joke - the EU has long been pushing for road pricing to pay
for its Galileo satellite, which has had financial problems. (Media coverage typically missed this,
instead focusing on the well-spun distraction of plans to ban
cars from cities in several years' time). Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas was not credible
when he said that 'Curbing mobility is
not an option' or was the press release that hints that any moves towards
road pricing are for national
governments. The Executive
Summary (on page 5) compares 4 different policy options (including a
do-nothing) - the EU's preferred policy options (#4 and #2) both are scored
as markedly REDUCING 'citizens'
mobility'....and at the same time improving 'choice'! |
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READ THE SMALL PRINT... The small print makes it quite clear that the Commission
is going to push for European road user charges for 'all vehicles'. (Relevant
phrases - 'demand management', p8; 'all
vehicles/passengers cars', p15; 'full
and mandatory charging', p29). The White Paper warns that transport users are likely to
pay more than today. Ironically both options are scored as
reducing household cost(!) and assisting economic growth, though again the
small print admits to 'a significant degree of uncertainty' and 'factors that
are difficult to predict or quantify'. Both options #2 and #4 rely on what is
euphemistically called ‘managing mobility’ and on carbon pricing (probably
pricing people off the road like Labour's former proposals, but based on
questionable assumptions about 'global warming'), although the less drastic, #4,
is more about urban restrictions.. The EU rejects a policy option (#3) which
seems to be based mainly on 'cleaner vehicle technology' as it is technology
dependent, although quirkily, the EU would need a lot of journey tracking and
pricing technology for the others. In making a recommendation, it adds
'Policy Option 4 would avoid the creation of a pervasive command and control approach to mobility' but the small
print says it reserves the right to go for the more drastic option (#2). The general thrust indicates road pricing ambitions for
major routes (TENs) and other main roads that 'compete' with them, and by implication more local roads that take
displaced traffic. So fair to read that the plans are for all vehicles on all roads. Transport measures are typically now decided by majority
voting, without a national veto. Interesting also that compulsion is intended after 2015, the date before which David
Cameron has been reported as ruling out wider road pricing. |
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LORRY
CHARGE THE TROJAN HORSE? Local Transport Today magazine (17 Feb 2012) regarded the UK
government’s plans for road pricing for lorries (in England after
2014) as a stepping stone. The latter is subject to consultation
(to 18 April 2012), and interestingly the EU wants ‘distance-based charging’
not a daily rate (‘time-based’) proposed by the UK government. The EU approach would require detailed journey tracking and recording. (NB
Introducing road pricing for lorries might be a softly-softly way of
installing the nationwide tracking and charging technology, which could then
be extended to all vehicles). By pure coincidence, in March 2012, the UK government
announced a study
into the leasing of roads in return for ‘private capital investment’, with
tolling an option. If main roads (motorways, highways) were leased to private
operators on the blueprint of the ‘independent’
Highways Agency report, they would almost certainly consider maximising
their profits through wider tolling. As they would already be geared up to charge lorries, what
would be to stop operators from charging smaller vehicles? Would the
government regard this as a private sector matter and disown responsibility,
as the HA report hints? FOOTNOTE The EU moved
forward with proposals
in May 2017. |
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References: EU White Paper documents – COM(2011)144 etc http://ec.europa.eu/transport/strategies/2011_white_paper_en.htm EU Presidency and European Parliament looking at road
pricing for cars as well as lorries EU general blueprint for main routes, air, sea and land –
is in several documents, mainly Common Transport Policy, European Commission
Consultation on Trans European Network - Transport Policy. Useful starting
point: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/transport/intermodality_transeuropean_networks/l24481_en.htm The road pricing (‘ITS’) technology blueprint is diversely
covered in European Commission documents COM(2008) 436, 886,
887; SEC(2008) 304 covers the ‘EU right to act’ This page compiled on 12 March 2012 with a link to an
update on 15 Jul 2017. |
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