On the right road?

A poll has been issued by the Institution of Civil Engineers this week.

Accompanying the institution’s annual ‘state of the nation’ report, it found that of 3,000 people surveyed, some 60% thought that road user charging was a ‘fairer car’ tax.

Also, 83% of those questioned would leave their cars at home it public transport were improved.

Half felt they would use their cars less is a national system of road user charging was implemented.

It is tempting for the car-bashers (and I would regard myself as a ‘moderate’) to get overly excited about these findings, though.

Small sample aside, presenting road user charging in an environment where vehicle excise duty is reduced or axed is bound to appeal as most people blindly believe that they don’t use their cars that much.

Paying for your behaviour will always be more palatable than the blunt, blanket VED tool.

However, it would be wrong for people to surmise that they will be better off under this kind of regime.

If applied correctly, people who genuinely rely on their cars in more remote rural areas should feel they are getting a better deal. Commuters in congested zones will feel the pinch and either stomach the additional charges or switch to public transport (which should improve in accordance with these ‘demand management’ techniques).

All this is a fanciful notion, though. As ably demonstrated in London and now being tested in Manchester, congestion needs strong political leadership otherwise all the consultation and sound technical reasoning behind schemes will fall on deaf, or unwilling, ears.

And where is this political leadership coming from the at the moment?