Road Pricing – Delivering the economy?

Politicians planning for prosperity must work with, not against, motorists, according to Edmund King, speaking at the Liberal Democrat Autumn conference today (18).

The car remains the vehicle of choice for commuters, business travellers and shoppers, because of its unique combination of convenience and flexibility. With 93% of passenger journeys and 67% of freight movements taking place on the roads, Britain’s prosperity depends on realistic planning, not pious hopes of a switch to public transport enforced by punitive pricing.

According to RAC Foundation research*, Britain remains as car-dependent today as we were in the 1990s. The study concludes that only those already using public transport were prepared to use it more – those who had never tried travelling by bus have not been persuaded to give it a go.

- In the  period 1993 – 2005, the percentage of the population with a valid driving licence rose from 67% to 72%, and demographic trends predict continued increases, particularly in the number of women drivers. 
- Only one-fifth of the population frequently use buses. Fifty per cent of the population have never used a bus.
- Only seven per cent of the population regularly cycles.
- The average UK commuting journey is 8.5 miles, and the average business trip covers 20.6 miles **.

Speaking at the Liberal Democrats’ Autumn Conference, Edmund King, executive director of the Royal Automobile Club Foundation, will say:-

“The UK is still a car-dependent nation. Cars could be used less; and we could be smarter about tele-working, home shopping and teleconferencing; but the car will continue to be the workhorse of the economy. Cycling and walking have a part to play in tackling congestion but they are only ever going to be a realistic prospect for a small percentage of business journeys.

“With or without road pricing, it is clear that the UK can only avoid gridlock by investing in additional road capacity.  We need to spend more on mitigating the environmental effects of roads by using tunnels and we need to speed up the introduction of cleaner, greener, safer cars. We don’t need to keep our heads in the sand and just hope that cars will disappear.”

NOTES

Road Pricing – Delivering the economy? will take place on Tuesday 18th September at 1pm in the Glyndebourne Suite, Brighton Holiday Inn. Edmund King will join Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Lorely Burt MP; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Spokesman Lord Teverson; Matt Seaton, Cycling Columnist, The Guardian; and James Hookham (FTA) for the debate.

* Leibling, D. (2007) Trends in Modal Shift: An analysis of the British Social Attitudes Survey.

** Focus on Personal Travel, DfT,  2005

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Blueprint for a gridlocked economy

The RAC Foundation described the road transport aspects of the Conservative “Blueprint for a green Economy” as a “Blueprint for a gridlocked economy” which will stall economic development.

The report falls into the trap of believing all the myths and misconceptions about road improvements. It rules out motorway widening and other road improvements without offering any kind of plan B. It is strong on cliché but weak on practical alternatives.

The report also rules out national road charging. Yet the reality is that even with demand management and other measures in place, more road capacity is needed.  Their policy is influenced by a range of public concerns about the consequences of adding capacity. 

It is important to be clear about the validity or otherwise of these concerns. The facts on some of the most common ones are as follows.

In many circumstances new road capacity can keep pace with growing demand

On many transport corridors it is appropriate to build sufficient capacity to serve growing demand and reduce congestion in the long term, but not in all areas.  Our analysis shows that a programme of investment in strategic road capacity at an annual rate similar to that achieved during the 1990s would provide for growing demand on most of the motorway and trunk road networks at least to 2041, with or without road pricing.

New road capacity does not simply “fill up with traffic”

New road capacity in appropriate locations generally relieves congestion, though by reducing travel times and costs, it also may lead to more traffic.  Some of this is traffic transferring from adjacent roads that are slower or more congested, but there may also be some new traffic.  However, this does not simply ‘fill up’ the additional capacity or move the traffic jam down the road to the next bottleneck.  Instead, there is a new balance between supply and demand in which there is more traffic than before, but less congestion and often less pollution.

Commenting on the report, Edmund king, executive director of the RAC Foundation said:

“If the measures in this plan were implemented it would lead to a gridlocked and stalled economy with more congestion and pollution rather than a “green economy”. Roads are essential for 93% of passenger journeys and 67% of freight movement yet road improvements are ruled out. There is no plan B as the report also rules out national road pricing.

“The recommendations on workplace parking taxes are merely a tax on work and charging for out of town parking will fuel inflation whilst doing nothing for the environment. Their ideas on the road network need to stay in the blue sky rather than becoming a blueprint.”

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