Blair Defends British Road Pricing Schemes

"Road pricing is not a "stealth tax" on drivers, Tony Blair has said after 1.8m people signed an anti-toll petition. In an e-mailed reply to the signatories he wrote that no decision had yet been made on pricing, but the aim of a scheme would be tackling congestion. Funds raised by pilot projects would be spent on local transport, he added."

"It was set up by Peter Roberts, a 46-year-old account manager from Telford, Shropshire, who says tolls are "sinister and wrong" and unfair to poorer people. Mr Roberts said he welcomed Mr Blair's response but would have preferred a moratorium on road pricing while alternatives are considered. The petition appears on a section of Downing Street's website set up in November to allow anyone to address and deliver a petition directly to the prime minister and calls for the scrapping of "planned vehicle tracking and road-pricing policy"."

"In his e-mail response, the prime minister said: "Congestion is a major problem to which there is a no easy answer. "Let me be clear straight away: we have not made any decision about national road pricing. Indeed we are simply not yet in a position to do so." But he said that allowing congestion to grow unchecked "would be bad for businesses, individuals and the environment", costing an extra £22bn in wasted time in England by 2025."

"He goes on to say: "I know many people's biggest worry about road pricing is that it will be a 'stealth tax' on motorists. It won't. Road pricing is about tackling congestion."

"On Tuesday, Mr Blair's spokesman said the government would press ahead with 10 road-pricing pilot schemes in 10 locations around the country. Plans to introduce a nationwide "pay-as-you-drive" system were unveiled by former Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2005."

"The e-mail comes after 74% of the 1,006 people questioned for a BBC-commissioned survey said they were opposed to charging motorists by the mile. But 55% of those spoken to said they would change their minds and support such a scheme if the money raised was used to improve public transport. More than 25% said nothing would make the policy acceptable to them. Those most in favour of a charging system were 18 to 24-year-olds with 28% of those asked saying the government should introduce one."

The full results of the BBC poll are linked to this article.