Courier drivers could face motorway tolls in the future
Date: 31 October 2007
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Courier drivers and hauliers could face charges to drive on some of the country's busiest motorways under new government plans.
The new report by transport secretary Ruth Kelly, 'Towards a Sustainable Transport System', makes it known that toll schemes are being considered for important stretches of motorway linking major cities, the M1, M6 and M40, although no firm decisions have been made.
"While it is possible that road pricing could have the potential to be extended to include parts of the national networks, that is a decision for the future," the report states.
The report also stressed the importance of congestion charging in urban areas, such as the London scheme that has been in place for a number of years.
"Urban congestion charging, backed by investment in public transport, is our priority," it claims. Authorities such as Manchester and Cambridge are among those introducing schemes that would charge couriers and other freight haulage drivers to charge city centres.
As well as this, the government is "working to bring in new European emissions standards relating to air pollutants that passenger cars, vans and HGVs will be required to meet before they can be placed on the market" - something that will greatly affect logistics firms, and will have benefits for the environment.
The government report was partly a response to the earlier Eddington transport report, which suggested that either universal road charging or a huge road-building scheme were needed.
It seems that the government wants to explore options between the two extremes.
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