Motorists will judge road pricing on how it will impact on them individually, says The AA Motoring Trust. Many motorists would be willing to rearrange their travel to cut their motoring costs, and others would be willing to pay more for faster journeys and reliable roads.
But road pricing must not be viewed in isolation as a solution to a transport problem. Our congested roads are the result of a complex range of factors – where people work, where they live, where their children go to school, and their leisure and social lives – that have created a spaghetti of journey patterns, many of them essential journeys for most people.
"The key to public acceptance will be how individuals and families will perceive its effect on them. It must be seen as fair and sensible, better than the present system of road and fuel taxes, and result in less congestion," says Bert Morris, director of The AA Motoring Trust.
A major issue will be its cost to administer. Three pounds of London's 5 congestion charge goes to administer the scheme. With national road pricing, running costs of that magnitude would kill any scheme.
