Congestion charge proposals dropped

Date: 3/3/2010

Motoring groups have welcomed news that the government is to abandon proposals for urban congestion charging across the country, it has been reported.

The proposed scheme could have seen motorists pay at least £20 a week to drive to work in some urban areas.

It was first put forward in 2004 through the Transport Innovation Fund, which offered transport projects funding if they presented plans for local congestion charging, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Several areas stated their interest in such as scheme, but all proposals have now fallen by the wayside, excluding in Durham and London where there are now congestion charge areas.

Although the proposals were never actioned, they still cost the taxpayer £41.7 million, prompting accusations of incompetence from opposition politicians.

A spokesperson for the AA told the paper: "It was doomed from the start as, despite potential rich rewards for authorities which developed congestion charging schemes at a local level, demand management policies were impossible to sell to skeptical local communities and business."