Road pricing in the UK - systems and operation

The Eddington study published in December 2005 showed that congestion is set to get worse over the next decade, and will have major costs for businesses and society. The government is currently exploring how road pricing could help to tackle congestion, and is working with 10 local authority areas who are developing packages of measures, and are expected to bid for transport innovation fund money in the summer. The development of local road pricing schemes will help inform thinking on a national scheme. We are also exploring how a more versatile system might work. A programme of time-distance-place road pricing demonstration projects is to be announced shortly, whereby industry will be invited to show that it can deliver TDP style charging in a way that would make it a plausible long-term proposition.