Road pricing 'could be the only way to tackle congestion'

Date: 18/3/2010

The only real way to deal with the sort of congestion that the UK is currently facing is some kind of road pricing system.

This is the view of Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which is a leading UK road safety charity.

He added that the problem with this kind of congestion-reducing solution is that it is very hard to sell to voters.

Mr Delaney proposed that the only way that road pricing could have some kind of impact is if it was done locally.

"That's the only way that the people who are paying it are going to see any benefit for them personally. There has to be commitments that the money raised will be put back into local projects, safety improvements, public transport improvements, et cetera."

However, he added that even if these steps are taken, the government is still likely to face difficulties selling the idea.

Mr Delaney's comments follow the release of a report by the Confederation of British Industry, which states that radical changes will have to be made to the way in which people in the UK work and commute if congestion levels on the roads are to be cut.