The government's proposal to tax vehicles per mile dependent on the type of road they travel will result in vast numbers of vehicles leaving the main arteries to avoid paying the exessive charges. Guided by satalite navigation systems that will automatically pick the cheapest route, this will result in a huge increase in traffic through villages and along less-safe rural roads that were not designed for high volumes. Forget building houses on greenbelt; this is by far the biggest threat to our rural environment.
Add your voice to the one million* who have already protested against this ridiculous plan here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/.
The deadline to sign up by is 20 February 2007.
More information ids available at the BBC website:
Every vehicle would have a black box to allow a satellite system to track their journey, with prices starting from as little as 2p per mile in rural areas.
So why use Mulfords Hill (or the M3/M4 at £1.34 per mile) when Baughurst Road is only 2p per mile?
There is also the privacy issue of our movements being tracked by commercial organizations on behalf of the government. From Peter Roberts, the initiator of the petition:
The idea of tracking every vehicle at all times is sinister and wrong. Road pricing is already here with the high level of taxation on fuel. The more you travel - the more tax you pay.
It will be an unfair tax on those who live apart from families and poorer people who will not be able to afford the high monthly costs.
Please Mr Blair - forget about road pricing and concentrate on improving our roads to reduce congestion.
Here, here!
~Philip
* The petition was at 6,300,000 - I guess there's been a 'clean up'.
Cashing in on traffic congestion
If such a system does eventually force drivers to use our rural roads, you are correct it is a disaster in the making.
I have signed the petition not because I am against the idea of looking at other ways of reducing traffic congestion, such as road charging or maybe improved public transport systems, but because I believe that Government must understand that the public have many concerns. Like the recent ‘flying tax’ increase, this could just be another useless scheme introduced without proper consultation or planning that will just provide the Government with an even bigger pot of cash to blow.
Surely we already have a system that charges motorist for the miles they travel (excessive tax on motor fuel), the more fuel I purchase the more tax I pay. Arguably I do pay the same price whatever time I travel. Leaving aside the environmental issues, as a business person I personally try to avoid ‘down-time’, sitting in traffic and burning fuel is a total waste of time and money, I always try to travel non-peak. Unless public transport facilities greatly improve, it will be almost impossible to change peoples driving habits. It’s not so long ago that even the UK’s postal delivery system found it more beneficial to move from rail to road.