Road user charging “could finally be about to take off” in the UK, thanks to new technologies and mobility solutions, argues a transport financing report.
Published by the London Transport Museum and Arup in collaboration with law firm Gowling WLG and Thales, the Rethinking transport finance and funding report said road user charging could fund maintenance and development of new transport infrastructure across the country.
Mark Garrity, strategy director at Thales, said: “With increasing numbers drawn towards seeking prosperity in our great cities, there is mounting pressure on infrastructure.
“This report shows that a radical rethink is required if we are to keep up with demand and identify sustainable ways of recovering the investment required from those whom benefit most.”
The report suggested that a Mobility-as-a-Service tax could replace fuel duty, which accounted for some £28.4bn – or 3.5% – of all UK tax income in 2018/19, but is projected to decline with the increasing fuel efficiency and take-up of hybrid and electric vehicles.
“With the advent of Mobility-as-a-Service, there may be a chance to introduce [road] user charging in a manner that is more socially acceptable. The charge could be one of a series of payments that are made when booking a journey.” said the report.
However, the report also warned that commuters would expect a return on the charges, such as increased reliability of public transport.
“Any road pricing scheme must be ‘sold’ to the public and this requires identifying the problems that different users may experience and responding to them positively,” said the report.
It also encouraged cities “to move quickly” to develop their own viable road pricing solutions before central government is “tempted to introduce a national scheme and keep the money raised for itself”.
Want to learn more about the latest advances in road pricing and tolling? Arup is speaking at the 17th annual Road User Charging Conference, which takes place on the 4th and 5th of March at the Steigenberger Wiltcher’s in Brussels, Belgium. Register your interest to attend at www.roaduserchargingconference.co.uk
