Pay-as-you-go system for charging drivers inevitable, says RAC

A "pay-as-you-go" system could be the answer to congestion, said the report from the foundation's director Professor Stephen Glaister.

He said a fundamental shift was needed in the way England's roads were managed and paid for.

The launch of the report coincided with an Ipsos MORI report for the RAC Foundation which showed that 58 per cent of drivers agreed that a per-mile, pay-as-you-go system across all roads would make them think about how much they drive.

Prof Glaister's report identified a series of problems facing road users and governments in the future.

These included a lack of vision for the road network, a 33 per cent increase in traffic by 2025 and reduced spending on road infrastructure because of financial and political constraints.

He said a system of charging motorists per mile travelled had to come with:

A cut in fuel duty and road tax

A governing body to develop and implement a long-term strategy for maintaining and enhancing the road network

A guaranteed sum of revenue put aside to pay for the work and a regulator to ensure the work was done efficiently

More reliable journey times and compensation for delays.

Prof Glaister said: "Some form of 'pay-as-you-go' system is inevitable because of the benefits it will deliver for motorists and the country, and the lack of a credible alternative.

"Our poll shows that most people are instinctively opposed to road charging when they think it is an extra tax. But when the details are explained and they realise the benefits then the opposition falls away dramatically.

"It is also telling that less than one per cent of those opposed to pay-as-you-go see invasion of privacy as a major reason for objection."

He added: "Motorists are resentful of the relentless rise in the cost of fuel and feel short-changed by the amount spent on the road network. But these proposals address such issues. People are very familiar with the principle of pay-as-you-go. For example we are already charged for gas and electricity on the basis of how much we use.

"If politicians shy away from making difficult choices then so be it, but it will be the next generation which has to live with the consequences."