The effects of road pricing - good and bad

Apart from the car enthusiasts amongst us, most UK drivers don't want to pay any more for running their vehicle than they absolutely need to. As a result, millions of us search about for cheap car insurance quotes, choose more fuel efficient cars and use tactics like buying a year's road tax instead of two sets of six months in an effort to save money.

However, a plan by the government to introduce another driving-related money pit may soon have us searching even harder for the cheapest car insurance quotes. Road pricing for the UK seems to be on the horizon, and with proposals revealing that the most unfortunate of motorists may have to pay £1.34 for every mile they drive, it hasn't been well received.

Road pricing has been labelled as the answer to congestion, as the costs should persuade some drivers to abandon their cars during rush hour on the busiest roads. So what will these drivers do instead? Some may decide to drive later or earlier, some will take an alternative (and less expensive) route, whilst others will explore the possibilities offered by walking or public transport.

However, many will feel that their circumstances prevent them from altering their route or the time at which they travel. A lot of those who sit in traffic jams on the way to work every morning will have already considered alternatives because, as we all know, sitting in traffic jams just isn't that much fun. Whilst it may prompt some into giving these alternatives a go for the first time, it may be that some will have already tried them and found them to be unacceptable, either because of time or money.

If road pricing does offer a solution to congestion, it simply means that the people who can most afford it will be able to drive where they want, when they want whilst those who do not have much money to spare after they have paid for motor insurance, fuel, tax and MOT will be forced to compromise their travel habits in some respect.

However, the benefits which come out of reduced congestion may be worth this inequality in road access. Assuming that people will leave their cars at home rather than take longer but cheaper routes to work, we will hopefully see a drop in vehicle emissions. At a time when climate change is one of the fastest growing issues which affects our lives in many ways, this is a bonus that cannot be ignored.

Those who try out taking public transport or who try travelling to work under their own steam, be it by foot or by cycle, may find it to be better than taking the car - and not just at the most congested times or on the most congested routes. They might use their newfound emission-free form of travel at times when it would cost very little to use the road, so reducing the effects of their travel on the environment.

If drivers find themselves reducing their mileage significantly, they could even find that their car insurance quotes get cheaper. This is because motor insurance companies partly base their rates on how long a car spends on the road, as it is clear that vehicles that do more miles have a greater chance of being in an accident.

Despite the benefits to the environment and to some motorists' car insurance quotes, the idea of road pricing is highly opposed by many in the UK. 1.8 million, for example, signed an e-petition to the government demonstrating their distinct dislike of the proposal. Some of these were driven by the fact that they felt tax on fuel already does the job of road pricing, whilst others hate the idea of having tracking technology in their car.

It is not yet clear what tracking technology will be used to measure where and when motorists go. However, the government has stated that it will not be designing the technology with the intent of gaining information for prosecuting drivers over law infractions such as speeding. It has also stated that ensuring motorists' privacy is an important aspect of whichever tracking technology they choose.

It is doubtful that this will be enough to convince those who have concerns about 1984-esque government surveillance. If road pricing becomes a reality, some of those who object to having their vehicle tracked may start driving illegally. This is certainly not a desirable consequence, as it could well have an influence on other driving offences, such as the number of people driving on UK roads without valid car insurance.

It seems very likely that road pricing is going to go ahead, despite the massive opposition to the prospect. However, as has been seen in the past, people do adapt to new driving laws over time and with motor insurance firms offering cheap car insurance quotes to those who have tracking technology installed, the prospect of being under surveillance may not seem so bad after all to some of those who were initially opposed.

 

 

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