Downing Street Says » Road Pricing

Asked to comment on the story in today’s Times that Councils were complaining that access to money to fund transport projects would only be given if linked to road pricing, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that without commenting on the story, what we had said all along was that we were going to carry out 10 pilot schemes, and discussions about those were ongoing. It was important to keep stressing that these pilots schemes were precisely to work out what was possible in tackling congestion, how we go about it, and to learn from the experience. This was not a one step to a national road pricing scheme. Doing nothing was not an option. If we did nothing, the figures showed that there would be a 25% increase in congestion by 2010, a 30% increase in congestion by 2015, and a 40% increase by 2025. People needed to recognise that doing nothing was not an option.

Asked how journalists would be able to access the Prime Minister’s response to the road pricing petition, the PMOS set out the technical process. With any large response to a petition such as this, the response would go out in batches. So it would take some time, possibly a few days, and not everybody would get the response at exactly the same moment, as technically this was not possible. What we would try to do was begin the process of releasing the reply to people before it was given to the media. So at least some of those who petitioned would get the reply first. We would then inform the media, through the normal ways. But all of those who signed the e-petition would get a reply by email from the Prime Minister. We wanted to make an effort to get a reply to those who organised the petition first.

19 Comments »

How many more taxes can we pensioners take, Mr Blair you will never be in the position of the pensioners who have to make every penny count. Your pension in one year will probabley be more than we have in a lifetime. I say no to roadpricing. A)Public transport not sufficient
B)Taxes on cars are already high and fuel charges limit us to the amount of travel
Comment by B.Mould — 20 Feb 2007 on 4:04 pm | Link
How many more taxes can we pensioners take, Mr Blair you will never be in the position of the pensioners who have to make every penny count. Your pension in one year will probabley be more than we have in a lifetime. I say no to roadpricing. A)Public transport not sufficient
B)Taxes on cars are already high and fuel charges limit us to the amount of travel
Comment by B.Mould — 20 Feb 2007 on 4:05 pm | Link
What a load of crap. Sending out 1.5m emails these days is easy peasy and takes no time at all. Its not as though they have to do any segmenting on te email universe.

Any half competant email supplier could knock them out in less than a morning
Comment by Nadders — 20 Feb 2007 on 4:12 pm | Link
Ridiculous.
we will be taxed for walking along footpathes, next.
The public transpot would have to be improved and cheaper.
we have new rates and water increases here. he is making another hardship for many people.
Comment by gillian quinn — 20 Feb 2007 on 6:11 pm | Link
"Ridiculous.
we will be taxed for walking along footpathes, next."

Probably. I’m only surprised this hasn’t happened yet. Still, when we’re all microchipped, it’ll happen, without a doubt – just wait for measures such as a penalty for every blade of grass stepped on, pavement maintenance tax, breathing tax, and so on. All, no doubt, in the name of "security".
Comment by TheTruthWillSetYouFree — 20 Feb 2007 on 6:18 pm | Link
Remove illegal cars & motorists from the roads ie: Disqualified drivers, those without a licence, under-age drivers, those without ROAD TAX, No insurance, no MOT ect: in other words those that are not paying anything to use the roads or are unable to pay for damage they cause in accidents, and we would have less congestion, less polution and safer roads. Why can’t insurace companies be required by law to issue a disk similar to a road tax disk with the same conditions of display, and the same with the MOT. No disks, illegal car, confiscate & crush. Those that do drive while uninsured, [or with no MOT or tax and their insurers refuse to pay out] should be forced to pay for all costs involved including the cost of the three emergency services, and I mean ALL OF THE COSTS. After a few successful prosecutions, well publised, I’d be amazed if those types of drivers didn’t drastically reduce or disappear altogether.
Comment by John Harries — 20 Feb 2007 on 6:32 pm | Link
Remove illegal cars & motorists from the roads ie: Disqualified drivers, those without a licence, under-age drivers, those without ROAD TAX, No insurance, no MOT ect: in other words those that are not paying anything to use the roads or are unable to pay for damage they cause in accidents, and we would have less congestion, less polution and safer roads. Why can’t insurace companies be required by law to issue a disk similar to a road tax disk with the same conditions of display, and the same with the MOT. No disks, illegal car, confiscate & crush. Those that do drive while uninsured, [or with no MOT or tax and their insurers refuse to pay out] should be forced to pay for all costs involved including the cost of the three emergency services, and I mean ALL OF THE COSTS. After a few successful prosecutions, well publised, I’d be amazed if those types of drivers didn’t drastically reduce or disappear altogether.
Comment by John Harries — 20 Feb 2007 on 6:32 pm | Link
Road Pricing will cost a ridiculous amount to set up, from drivers’ own pockets as well as the public purse. Yet more money wasted, and we don’t even know if it will work. Don’t do it.
Comment by G Martin — 20 Feb 2007 on 7:22 pm | Link
Road Pricing will cost a ridiculous amount to set up, from drivers’ own pockets as well as the public purse. Yet more money wasted, and we don’t even know if it will work. Don’t do it.
Comment by G Martin — 20 Feb 2007 on 7:23 pm | Link
Is’nt it time that Road tax is scrapped altogether
and the tax added to the fuel cost’s. this option would obviously incure higher cost to those who use the roads the most.

Why are successive governments opposed to this obvious option ???

CS
Comment by colin sampson — 20 Feb 2007 on 10:34 pm | Link
I’m looking forward to my email from Blair. I don’t get many communications from war criminals.
Comment by tony — 20 Feb 2007 on 10:34 pm | Link
Is’nt it time that Road tax is scrapped altogether
and the tax added to the fuel cost’s. this option would obviously incure higher cost to those who use the roads the most.

Why are successive governments opposed to this obvious option ???

CS
Comment by colin sampson — 20 Feb 2007 on 10:35 pm | Link
Mr blair should try and live on \xA3100 a week.no more taxes of any kind
Comment by janet nash — 20 Feb 2007 on 11:02 pm | Link
Mr blair should try and live on \xA3100 a week.no more taxes of any kind
Comment by janet nash — 20 Feb 2007 on 11:02 pm | Link
To reduce congestions you could ask the large supermarkets to stop using their lorries are warehouses which clog up main roads and motorways, not to mention causing traffic chaos in towns and cities.

Start to look after the ordinary taxpayer Mr Blair and stop befriending the multi nationals.

We already pay road pricing, its known as the Road Fund Licence and fuel duty which the Chancellor has benefited greatly from. The mystery is what has he done with all the money.

Will MPs have to pay road pricing – or will the taxpayer have to pay theirs as well??
Comment by ann west — 20 Feb 2007 on 11:16 pm | Link
> Any half competant email supplier could knock them
> out in less than a morning

If you don’t care about delivery or recipients then yes.

You do realise that the people who built the petitions site for downing street are some of the same people who run this site, don’t you?
Comment by Sam — 21 Feb 2007 on 1:19 pm | Link
I’m a nurse living in Harrow, I cannot afford to live here anymore as property prices are beyond my reach. Most of my colleagues are moving further out of London as far as Milton Keynes and they drive everyday to work. I’m thinking of doing the same. Getting another job is not an option as there hardly any vacancies in my field. Using public transport is very expenisive it would cost over \xA3125 per week. What I’m supposed to do? Nurses are already the lowest paid public workers. Is it my fault that I can’t afford to live in London? I agree that something needs to be done about congestion but road pricing is only going to hit the poorest! If this is going to happen I would be better off giving up my job and going on benefits! We are taxed to our eyeballs in this country, what next? Will I be taxed for walking on the street?
Comment by uktrini — 22 Feb 2007 on 12:13 pm | Link
Charging motorists by the mile to ease congestion.

One never seems to spot the reason for this proposal, is it to raise money? or is it to price drivers off the road? or is there some detailed analysis, I have yet to spot, that shows such a plan will hold out success?

Can you enlighten me please.
Comment by Douglas Law — 22 Feb 2007 on 9:27 pm | Link
Charging motorists by the mile to ease congestion.

One never seems to spot the reason for this proposal, is it to raise money? or is it to price drivers off the road? or is there some detailed analysis, I have yet to spot, that shows such a plan will hold out success?

Can you enlighten me please.
Comment by Douglas Law — 22 Feb 2007 on 10:30 pm | Link

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Road Pricing

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