Public 'backs road charging'
Updated on 14 October 2008
Three in five people reckon road charging based on vehicle usage is fairer than the fixed vehicle excise duty (VED) car tax, according to a new poll.
And 86% consider reducing car use as important or very important in combating climate change, the survey from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) found.
And a similar number believe public transport costs are either high or very high, the poll of 3,000 people indicated.
While 60% believed a system of road charging where you pay depending on how much you use your car would be fairer than the current VED system, more than 50% reckoned such a road pricing regime would make them use their vehicles less.
In addition, 83% would be happy to reduce car usage if public transport was improved.
The poll accompanied ICE's report on transport. The report called for political consensus on transport strategy and a 30-year national transport strategy, as well as changing public behaviour and a link between spending and funding.
ICE's transport board chairman Alan Stilwell said: "The results of this poll are very interesting as it demonstrates the public's willingness to consider new options to combat congestion and climate change.
"Road user charging is by no means a silver bullet, but may need to be part of a mix of initiatives that starts shifting the costs of motor transport onto actual journeys, allowing people to make sensible choices about how they travel. If this is offset by reductions in fixed costs such as VED there is a good chance it will be acceptable to the public."
He added: "What is clear is that the two biggest challenges facing our transport system are reducing congestion and cutting CO2 emissions. Both of these clearly point towards reducing car dependency and at the same time increasing public transport use. Our plan sets out the direction in which we need to travel to achieve these goals, but all of us - the Government and the public - need to play our part."
"We must redress the balance by thinking creatively about how we can effectively and equitably manage the demands placed on our road network, as well as improving public transport so that we can offer the public a real alternative to car use."
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