Freight group wants to see road pricing benefits
Date: 11 September 2007
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The benefits of any road pricing schemes proposed by the government must be made clear, a logistics group has claimed.
Responding to the refining of existing powers for local authorities to establish road pricing schemes, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) maintained that any project must have obvious benefits.
Current schemes being considered are a central congestion charging zone in Manchester, which will require couriers and freight haulage drivers to pay a daily charge in a similar fashion to the London C-charge.
The FTA notes that road pricing can bring some benefits to the freight industry, so long as it is not seen as "a panacea to solve the overall problems of congestion".
Schemes must be accompanied by road infrastructure improvements, as well as an open-minded attitude to issues such as delivery restrictions.
"Our members have been very clear that they want to see up-front evidence that charging schemes are going to have the positive effects councils are saying they will," said the FTA's James Firth.
"If in five years' time commercial vehicles have to pay £5 or even more to make city centre deliveries, yet still find themselves sitting in traffic jams, road pricing will simply inflate the shelf price of the products they are delivering.
"Commercial vehicle operators are entitled to expect a return on any access charge they might have to pay."
It is also important that schemes around the country are similar to each other, that changes are made to number plate recognition systems so that foreign vehicles do not escape payment, and that freight haulage companies and couriers do not face any hardware costs.
Greater Manchester could receive £1.2 billion in grants from the transport innovation fund for a central congestion charging zone.
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