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‘Price the poor off the roads' scheme is flawed and doomed to fail
Road pricing is in the news again.
Safe Speed discovered critical flaws in the very principle of road pricing that render the entire megabuck system null and void.
Congestion SELF REGULATES.
The primary regulator of road use is, and always will be journey time. If congestion increases, some people don't have time to travel and congestion eases.
If congestion reduces some people find that they do have time to travel and congestion increases.
The threats of gridlock are false.
Suppose it took four hours to drive to work; what would you do?
Sit in traffic for four hours?
Of course not.
You might change your job, move your house or make alternative travel arrangements, but one thing is certain - NO ONE will sit in such traffic every day.
So there will never be gridlock.
They say that congestion costs business £20 billion per annum.
Isn't that a congestion charge?
Isn't it in the nature of business to control costs and maximise profits?
If they could avoid the £20 billion costs then they would.
How are they supposed to be 'more motivated' to manage the costs imposed by a congestion based road pricing charge?
Countless thousands of businesses have already re-located away from congested town centres to other places with better road connections, and by doing so have REGULATED the costs that they suffer from congestion.
It's this that has created an 'M4 corridor',
Road pricing is REGRESSIVE
Suppose we price the poorest drivers off the road - and that's what would happen on some busy routes.
Immediately the roads are clearer and journeys are quicker.
Wealthier people who were time-constrained from using the roads soon take advantage of the improved conditions and congestion is restored to previous levels.
Paul Smith, of the Safe Speed road safety campaign (www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "Road pricing is fundamentally flawed and will never deliver an improvement in congestion. Congestion is already regulated by journey time - if it takes too long to travel then we make alternative arrangements. It really is as simple as that. There is no sustained gridlock anywhere in the world and never will be simply because people are not stupid enough to sit in gridlock."
"Road pricing is also a tax on the poor - technically a regressive tax - it may alter the average wealth of those stuck in traffic but will NEVER ease congestion. It is also massively complex and expensive. It would burn massive amounts of money and deliver no significant benefit."
"Congestion in London has been self-regulated for 30 years with just about zero traffic growth. Ken Livingstone's congestion charge has NOT reduced journey times or reduced the number of vehicle movements; although you do have to read Transport for London's self-congratulatory reports very carefully to find out!"
Paul Smith investigated road pricing in 2004 after the House of Commons Transport Committee called for information.
Their memorandum is published Here
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