The Congestion Problem

Congestion is a growing problem that affects the economy and is frustrating for roadusers. Despite over £140 billion of planned central government transport investment over the 10 years up to 2015, The Eddington Transport Study published in December 2006 predicted that congestion could get 25% worse if nothing more is done. This is why the British Government called for a national debate on road pricing in 2005, and the role it could play in helping to tackle congestion.

Signalling the costs of travel leads people to decide that for some of their journeys they will change the way in which they make those trips, if that is at relatively little inconvenience to themselves. Modelling using the Department for Transport's National Transport Model (which covers Great Britain only) on the basis of 2010, shows that a carefully constructed national scheme using marginal social cost pricing has the potential to reduce urban congestion by nearly half, through an overall reduction in urban traffic levels of only 4 per cent.

The Government considers that the systems and technology that could enable a road pricing scheme charging by time, distance and place (TDP) could encourage more efficient use of the road network.