Road pricing in the UK

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Road pricing in the UK

• Ian Drummond
• Head of Road Pricing Framework Division
• Department for Transport
• United Kingdom

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Road pricing in the UK
Steps along the way

• The current situation
• Tolling or charging
• Systems in use in the UK
• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
• What next?

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The current situation

• Congestion is an increasing problem for the UK
• Causes are economic and geographic
• We are a small island with increasing levels of
  car ownership

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The small island - things are close to hand
UK unlike most of Europe
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Road user charging in the UK Where we are today

• London congestion charge
• Introduced 2003, extended 2007

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London
Start of congestion charge

• London Scheme has cut congestion
• Small area, extended 19 February 2007

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Road user charging in the UK Where we are today

• London congestion charge
• Introduced 2003, extended 2007
• Durham
• Very local scheme, introduced 2002

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Road user charging in the UK Where we are today

• London congestion charge
• Introduced 2003, extended 2007
• Durham
• Very local scheme, introduced 2002
• Tolled roads and crossings
• Dartford, Mersey Tunnel, M6 Toll etc

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Local schemes

• Local authorities lead on analysing problems and
  devising solutions
• Variety of places
• Big conurbations West Midlands, Greater
  Manchester, Tyne Wear
• Mixed areas Greater Bristol, East Midlands 3
  cities
• Cities towns Durham, Cambridge, Reading,
  Norwich
• Proposals expected to cover road pricing linked
  to local transport investment

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Local pathfinders - places we are working
with to explore possibilities
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Tolling or charging

• Policy is to deal with congestion
• Charge for driving in congested areas
• Tolling for specific projects only
• Estuarial crossings
• M6 Toll
• No general policy to toll for infrastructure
• provision or maintenance

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Systems

• Barriers
• Cash or Tags
• Automatic Number Plate Readers

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SWOT analysis Strengths of the UK position

• An incremental approach
• Learn from experience
• Reduced risk of systems failure
• No big bang
• Growing support for charging from reports
• Eddington, Stern
• Business sector support for exploration of road
  pricing

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SWOT analysis Weaknesses of the UK position

• Debate is still ongoing
• Presentational issues challenges for decision
  makers
• Experience in running schemes is limited
• Designing and costing operational systems is
  proving to be a challenge
• Narrow supply base
• Potential monopolistic supply market

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SWOT analysis Opportunities for the UK position

• Transport Innovation Fund
• Significant funds innovative approaches
• Demonstration projects
• Advances thinking on issues of concern generates
  real world experience
• International collaboration
• Stockholm Group working with and learning from
  others
• Traffic growth
• Increased congestion will stimulate better debate

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SWOT analysis Threats to the UK position

• Public backlash
• Projects cannot get off the ground
• Local experience is not gained
• Cost of complementary transport investment
• Key to providing alternative means of getting
  around
• Part of package
• Complexity of running sophisticated schemes
• Experience only comes with experience

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Road pricing in the United Kingdom Next steps

• First TIF Business cases expected in the summer
• Proposals take greater shape
• Time-Distance-Place Demonstration Project
• Enable learning involves industry
• Local Transport Bill
• Greater scope for LAs to tackle local congestion

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Road pricing in the UK

• Ian Drummond
• Head of Road Pricing Framework Division
• Department for Transport
• United Kingdom