By Andy McCue, 21 July 2004 11:35
NEWS Motorists face charges of up to £1.30 a mile as part of the government's new congestion-busting plans to use satellite tracking technology to monitor vehicles. But the scheme would require £10bn to fit all cars with on-board tracking devices and government research conducted by a panel of independent experts warns the annual cost of running the system would be around £3bn.
Transport secretary Alistair Darling unveiled the car-tracking scheme in his Future of Transport white paper and said that simply trying to build our way out of congestion is no longer an option. The scheme would raise around £9bn a year in revenue and lead to £12bn in time savings for the UK economy through reduced time stuck in traffic jams, according to the government.
Deloitte Consulting provided the government a model of the system architecture required for a national and local interoperable road-charging scheme. Charges would range from 2p a mile to £1.30 a mile depending on the road and time of day.
It would involve all cars being fitted with an on-board unit (OBU) that can be tracked by satellite, or by microwave receptors or electronic beacons on the roadside. Drivers would set up a road-charging account with one of a selection of payment service providers such as utility companies, which would register the vehicle details and the OBU.
On the road, the OBU would automatically record which charge zones or charge roads the car used, the distance travelled and time of day. This would be transmitted to a central Communications Gateway, which would pass the details to the on-road service provider who would calculate how much it was owed. This would be forwarded to the data clearing operator. At this point all personal details would be removed with just the OBU number and charge forwarded to the payment services provider, who would then bill the driver.
Automatic number plate recognition technology would also be used for the enforcement of charges.
Darling said in a statement to the House of Commons: "The Road Pricing Feasibility Study concludes that a national scheme has the potential to cut congestion by about a half as well as providing environmental benefits. It says that road pricing is becoming technically feasible in the next 10 to 15 years. But for a scheme to work it would need general public acceptance and a great deal of preparation work over a number of years."
Comments
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1. Carl
Yeah good idea! Lets raise loads of revenue under the banner of road improvement. At which point will the government actually realise that until viable alternatives exists then people have no choice.Train fairs are horrendous and seem to change everytime you phone up! Buses fairs work out to nearly the same cost as running a car. Use a bike at your own risk as no bike lanes exsist. So instead of resolving this problem they decide to just raise revenue instead. Most people have no choice but to use a car. It's not their fault. If I caught the bus it would take me at least an 1.1/2hrs to get to work, on a GOOD DAY! It would also cost me more than it costs to run my car! What's the alternative ?
2. simon warne
Darling is off track again! He should finish what he started with public transport before moving onto another hair-brained idea. Here's an idea for commuters that might work: Create 'road-train' style coaches and give them a designated lane on the motorway network. Car drivers could access them at services and get into special coach stations in Cities. The motorway network has far better coverage than the rail network and cost-per-head would be much lower than rail. Anyone think this is a good idea let me know and we'll lobby Darling!
3. jon
Cant help wondering if; when we all adjust our meeting times to avoid peek hrs, peek hrs will suddenly change.
Also will we get a refund if the travel time is just as long as before.
Who is it that thinks we all choose to travel at the worst time of day, rather than in a quiet period, I would much rather arrive at work for 10am instead of 8.30 (I remember, its not my choice)
They might as well up the minimum age of driving to 21 and force young people to use public transport, that would boost our options and perhaps a bus/train would be running at convenient times, without needing to be economic on every trip.
Its just another tax, none of us are going to change what we do, were just going to factor the cost into our pay negotiations.
Anyway why is it we are taxed on the money we spend getting to work.
wouldn't it be better if we deducted the cost of doing the job before we pay tax
thats it gripe over
4. Mike Hills
OK in principle it's a good idea, but I live 2 miles from the nearest bus stop, and work about three miles from one....
What's needed is better (or even some!) public transport before trying to price the motorist off the road...
5. Dave Trotsky
This scheme sounds odious in so many ways. Firstly, us motorists have always payed our tax up front, on the petrol we use and on our tax disks. Tens of thousands of motorists will be faced with hefty monthly bills, and potentially CCJs under this scheme. Imagine the scenario, you drive hundreds of miles to visit a sick relative at short notice without thinking of the consequences, congestion bill comes through, bailiffs steal your telly.
Imagine the other worse case scenario. You join a peaseful enviromental, anti war or prisoner support campaign group. Special branch will be able to add a list of all the journeys you have made to your file.
Motorists have long been the badies in the enviromental arguments. When Blair shows me he's not in the pockets of the airline industry I'll accept his poll-tax-on-wheels with good grace.
6. anonymous
While I see no mention of it yet, I find it hard to imagine them not incorporating automatic speed enforcement into the system. Probably no penalty points, but an extra pound per mile for every MPH that you exceed the limit by. You'll still be able to go as fast as you like, as long as your wallet is large enough.
And as the authorities seem to believe that speed is the be-all and end-all of bad driving, that'd totally remove the need to police the roads, thus saving more money. Maybe you'll be able to defeat the system by driving down the wrong side of the motorway. And why not? There'll be no police around to stop you.
7. Andrew Lewis
Another hair brained idea from the morons in Westminster. Here are a few ideas for consideration:
The public transport here is very bad and very expensive. Go to France, Germany or Italy and you will be impressed with their public transport, both quality and price.
This charging idea could be used as another Big Brother spying scheme to track you on the roads. This could result in a total invasion of personal privacy!
The cost of living will rise dramatically with this new tax as road freight costs will rise. Hauliers will have to pass this addtional cost on. You will be taxed by the mile and everything that you buy in the shops.
Alistair Darling needs to have his head surgically removed from his rear end. Is the current government trying to finish the country off? They need to pass the brain cell around the Cabinet table a bit more often and think things through.
All this adds insult to injury in a week where Labour want to tinker with Council Tax and take more money out of our pockets.
No I will not vote Labour at the next election.
8. Richard
Why Use Such Complex Technology?
We already pay for congestion through a much simpler tax - fuel duty!
1. Vehicles stuck in traffic use more fuel.
2. Most fuel is bought at UK filling stations, rather than abroad, so is already highly taxed by UK government.
There is no need to introduce this expensive, complex and highly intrusive technology.
Is the government's actually trying to stop people travelling and to monitor their movements? Sounds rather like the USSR.
Perhaps government ministers should set an example by using public transport rather than being driven at illegal high speeds?
9. Simon
I suppose all the issues CAN be overcome, but I have a few concerns :
1) If it relies on roadside bases, that's one hell of a lot of infrastructure to build (and repair when it inexplicably 'fails'). Also, it will lead to lots of 'rat runs' as people learn where the beacons are and find back roads around them.
2) Any in-car system is open to tampering. Speedo cables can be disconnected, GPS can be blocked very easily.
3) Who is going to pay for it all ? I have a sneaky suspicion where that cost will lie !
4) Will it deal with a number of common situations such as a friend who rallies ? He does many miles on private tracks, will the system be able to work out that he isn't on the road ? His car also does many miles to/from events on a trailer, will that get charged ?
5) Who will decide what roads are congested, and when ? Up here in Cumbria, many journeys only have one practical route, and if we aren't free to choose our journey time then there won't actually be any change in congestion, only in what we pay.
On the whole, I can see it being a major driver for living pattern changes, if it makes people consider travelling mode when choosing a house and/or job. And once again, only the well paid will be able to afford to live where they want. Oh, so no change there in fact.
10. David Cantrill
I know it is going to sound very left wing and environmentalist, but why doesn't the government start giving people incentives to use alternative transport. I for one would be more than happy to ride my bike to work if I was paid £5 (or £5 less tax) per day for doing so. There would be no infrastructure cost to worry about (buses, trains) apart from the roads, and we would all be fitter and better off for it. It would also be quicker for most people than sitting on a train/bus/tube for an hour and a half each way. You would be more refreshed, more alert, and probably much more productive. Of course, this all assumes that our employers have shower facilities etc. Another battle in itself. Just a thought.
11. anonymous
BIG BROTHER IS MOVING CLOSER EVRY DAY. PEOPLE MUST START TO SEE THIS FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS......LETS NOT ACCEPT THIS.
12. anonymous
The scary part is when you add this to the ID Card scheme. They will know you are and where you have been. Anyone remember Stalin and Hitler, imagine what they could do with all this info.
13. anonymous
Its about time people in goverment stopped getting paid so much and started living in the REAL world!
A charge like this would be firstly unworkable, and secondly would make the country go bankrupt.
Now I personally live in the country and I have to travel 28 miles round trip each day to go to work. Is this because I live way out in the sticks? NO! This is because of the way the country is. The council has no money to work with, because it is all poured into the south east.
The roads are full of pot holes - the public transport is virtually non-existant (unless you have a very understanding boss who will let you work from 10-4 each day, and you are prepared to take at least two buses and travel 4 hours a day - providing they run on time).
With the amount in road tax and petrol that the goverment currently makes they should be able to provide better raods and transport, but at the moment I would be surprised if anything more than 30% of what they make goes back into the roads and transport, or if it is, it certainly is not being spent here!
(As you can tell this is a touchy subject!)
14. lee
wow lets just vote for monkeys next time, are these people for reasl? yes it wont hurt themm, they rich but better still they would just claim it back, problem is i just about afford to run my car as it is and this would finish me as it works out cheaper using my car than public transport, please remove these people from power, they aint humans.. no heart no clue