Darling's Satellite Road Pricing Scheme Is Condemned

The ABD today condemned Alastair Darling's plans to track Britain's drivers by satellite and charge them per mile.

"Satellite road pricing will be hugely expensive to install, and its effect on people's behaviour has not been properly thought through," said ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries. "It won't work - it will be a huge WHITE ELEPHANT, and hiding within it is a dark TROJAN HORSE for civil liberties, as it means that drivers will be tagged and tracked like criminals. It will just be a giant version of the London Congestion charge - hugely unpopular and full of perceived unfairness and aggravation for drivers."

Many of Britain's roads are congested, that's true enough. But our rail network simply does not serve the needs of the new population and business centres which have been constructed around an inadequate motorway network. Where they do exist, the railways are also operating at capacity.

"Darling is trying to wave a magic wand at this mess," continued Humphries. "But he is not a fairy godmother - road pricing is just an excuse to delay essential investment in transport infrastructure for another fifteen years. Road pricing is just a great big RED HERRING - another way of blaming drivers for congestion when it's really down to the investment and planning failures of successive governments."

This scheme is just tinkering with the problem at huge expense. The only way it can cut congestion is to bring in punitive charges which reduce personal mobilty and adversely affect both the economy and peoples quality of life.

The idea should be consigned to the dustbin before any more time is wasted.