Motorists to face nationwide road tolls

[Honda News Feed]

Drivers should pay per mile to drive on Britain's road network, a government report has announced this morning. The plan is expected to generate £28 billion a year.</img> </img>


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[allan40alt]

Why don't they just put an extra levy on fuel per litre? That way high mileage drivers will pay more for using the roads (as will people driving fuel guzzlers), whilst the more frugal/low mileage drivers will pay less.

The M6 Toll Road is increasing charges to force heavy vehicles to use the 'public funded' M6 so as to save wear and tear on their 'privately funded' road. What cost controls are there to prevent Councils charging what they like? Deliveries still have to be made to City centres so will that mean an increase in the cost of goods?

AND.....

...what right do Councils have to tax us anyway for driving on roads that we have already paid tax on to use. The Road Tax Duty we pay enables us to drive on ALL roads so how can they legally demand more. European Court anyone?

[Pottsy]

Originally Posted by allan40alt

Why don't they just put an extra levy on fuel per litre? That way high mileage drivers will pay more for using the roads (as will people driving fuel guzzlers), whilst the more frugal/low mileage drivers will pay less.

Possibly because this penalises less wealthy people who live miles from anywhere (where there is no public transport) and doesn't deter the guy who drives 2 miles down the road in his V8 where there are plenty of buses and cycle lanes.

Originally Posted by allan40alt

...what right do Councils have to tax us anyway for driving on roads that we have already paid tax on to use. The Road Tax Duty we pay enables us to drive on ALL roads so how can they legally demand more. European Court anyone?

Absolutely. One fifth of the tax we pay on fuel and VED goes to roads (and their policing), the remaining 4/5ths goes to funding all the other worthy causes our fine government elects to spend our money on.

Grrrrrr

[generationgav]

Originally Posted by allan40alt

What right do Councils have to tax us anyway for driving on roads that we have already paid tax on to use. The Road Tax Duty we pay enables us to drive on ALL roads so how can they legally demand more. European Court anyone?

I really wouldn't mind this at all if we weren't already paying a stupid amount of tax on both petrol and general car tax.
Owning and driving a car is so much cheaper in a lot of European countries; not to mention that they mainly use toll roads and their roads are amazing quality and silky smooth to drive on.

I'm not bothered about being charged the more I travel; that is completely fair enough, I'm just annoyed that I pay much more to drive than in most other European countries and yet we still get worse roads!

[allan40alt]

They all seem to have more space than us. Take France, similar size of population, but the country is 5 times as big.

[Bungle]

Something has to be done, the congestion on our roads is terrible. But I don't think this is the answer.

Personally, I think we pay too much tax on fuel as it is, and those of us who earn a living on the roads will be hit too hard.

Part of me thinks road taxes could be put up more, with bigger polluters paying more than they already do. But what about those who don't do much driving, they won't like being charged more tax. And what good will generating more money actually do? Fill the pockets of government leaders?

I see it as we are in a stale-mate. There needs to be fewer cars on the road. But people won't give their cars up for public transport, because it is rubbish. Wat can be done?

[generationgav]

Originally Posted by Bungle

I see it as we are in a stale-mate. There needs to be fewer cars on the road. But people won't give their cars up for public transport, because it is rubbish. Wat can be done?

Well there's another comment; I spent last week in Barcelona and the whole of the time there I used public transport (one taxi I think)
It cost me about £1 per journey anywhere on the metro network; in Manchester a similar journey would be £2+
A 180 mile train journey cost £6 and was perfectly on time and smooth. Last time I got a train in the UK that far it was running 30mins late and cost closer to £60.

[Tomthumb]

Good affordable public transport is the only answer.

So there is no hope for this country.