Congestion charge for all of Wales to be considered
ACONGESTION charge policy for the whole for Wales is being considered by the Welsh Government.
The idea will be one of many looked at by an independent review, and comes two months after Cardiff council announced it was looking into charging drivers to enter the capital.
In Cardiff, the controversial idea is for a £2-a-day fee for non-residents who drive into the city, money which the city council has said would fund public transport improvements as part of a 10-year package of measures.
Now, the Welsh Government has announced an independent review into whether road users across Wales should be charged.
The review is directly linked to Cardiff council’s plans, consultation on which closes on July 1.
Derek Turner, described as having “considerable experience of providing strategic transport policy advice”, is leading the review, which will report back in the autumn.
It will look at the rationale of charging drivers, and ask questions about the objectives of any such potential policy – for instance, whether it would be to ease congestion, improve air quality or reduce carbon emissions.
It will also look at:
■ If the intention would be to increase rates of active travel or encourage more people to leave their cars and vehicles at home;
■ the options for bringing in road charging, including the cost of the technology needed to monitor the scheme - and who will pay for it;
■ the case for a national policy rather than individual local policies to avoid drivers being charged twice;
■ the other policies that would be needed for the scheme to work;
■ the political, social and economic issues which will have to be addressed by anyone wishing to take forward such a scheme at local, regional or national level; and
■ what will happen at the border with England if nationwide policies are brought in.
Transport minister Ken Skates said: “We must do all we can in Wales to decarbonise our transport network, improve air quality, and reduce congestion. Achieving these objectives will benefit our environment, our economy and our society. Investing in and incentivising public transport and active travel are vital in encouraging people to make less journeys by car. However, demand management measures may also be needed to achieve a significant modal shift from road to more sustainable transport in Wales.
“For this reason, I have commissioned an independent review into the benefits and challenges of different demand management approaches such as road user charging.”
He added: “I am delighted that Derek Turner CBE has agreed to complete this study.
“He has considerable experience of providing strategic transport policy advice and his expertise includes road user charging.
“It is intended that the review will report this autumn and it will help inform our national and regional policy on this issue in the context of the ongoing work of the South East Wales Transport Commission and the consideration of congestion charging by Cardiff council.”
News of review comes as new research revealed Cardiff saw the biggest rise in road congestion of any UK city over the past year.
Rush-hour drivers in the capital lost an average of 87 hours – the equivalent of more than three-and-ahalf days – stuck in traffic last year, a rise of 5%.