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Road pricing policy moves to slow lane

Pay-as-you-go road pricing has been dropped by the government, the transport secretary Ruth Kelly has suggested.

The minister admitted that the nationwide policy had been put on hold due to fears that it would be unfair - and said that road pricing in the UK was "some way" from occurring.

Prior to yesterday's announcement, ministers had planned to introduce motorway lanes for shared vehicles and tolls on more main roads in order to cut congestion.

The policy had been unpopular with many motorists - who saw the toll as an excessive additional cost along with insurance premiums, loans repayments and petrol.

Around two million people signed an anti pay-as-you-drive petition last year.

President of the AA Edmund King, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, commented: "I think this is quite a U-turn. Ruth Kelly has made a pragmatic decision to say 'we cannot do a national scheme'."

However, the announcement was also criticised by green group the Campaign for Better Transport.

"There is going to be a need for road pricing and the government needs to be more proactive about introducing schemes," the campaign's director Stephen Joseph told the newspaper.

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