Congestion and road pricing

This section of the website contains information about congestion and the Government's work to explore road pricing.

Congestion is a growing problem that affects us all. It causes frustration for people caught in traffic jams and is bad for business. Even with the measures Government is already taking it will get worse without further action. Despite over £140 billion of planned central government transport spending over the 10 years up to 2015, on current trends congestion could get 25% worse. This is why in 2005 the Government called for a national debate on road pricing.

Doing nothing is not an option. So the Government, in the first instance, is working with interested local authorities to bring forward local pricing schemes to tackle local congestion problems. We expect any local authority interested in developing a scheme to do so as part of a package of measures, which could include significant investment in complementary transport measures.

We envisage that, subject to suitable proposals coming forward from local authorities, a local road pricing scheme could be established within four to five years. It is only on the evidence we get from established schemes that any decision on national road pricing would be made. The Government is not rushing into this; we have always said we would need to see how it would work in practice first.

The Government is also consulting on the draft Local Transport Bill from the 22nd May. The draft Bill is a key part of our strategy to empower local authorities to take appropriate steps to meet local transport needs in the light of local circumstances. It deliberately contains a package of measures to address the congestion challenge The draft Bill reforms the existing provisions under which local authorities can introduce local road pricing schemes, increasing freedom and flexibility so that those authorities who wish to introduce local schemes as part of a package of transport-related measures can do so in a way that is tailored to local needs. The draft Bill consultation sets out proposals to enable local authorities to improve the quality of local bus services, building on Putting Passengers First, published last December and proposals to reform the way local transport is managed in our major conurbations.

There are many myths about road pricing. This part of the website sets out the facts and figures. It explains what the Government is actually doing now. The aim is to support an informed debate about the merits - and challenges - involved in exploring road pricing.