Conventionally powered cars should be banned from the roads by 2040, according to the Liberal Democrats. The party is coming up with several transport proposals ahead of its annual conference in Glasgow next month, including an extension of road tolling.

A working group has put a policy paper forward for consideration at the conference as part of the Liberal Democrats’ aim to ‘de-carbonise’ the economy.

The document points out that the average British car lasts for a little over 13 years and says that changing from the usual petrol or diesel engines would take some time.

Therefore “motorists, the automotive industry, scientists and researchers investigating low carbon transport all need as much long-term certainty as possible as to the direction of Government policy.”

Only cars powered by electricity, hydrogen gas or with hybrid drive would be permitted to use the road system under the plans, although goods vehicles would be exempt.

The Coalition Government has recently promised £37M to pay for more vehicle charging infrastructure and hybrid and electric cars are already exempt from London’s Congestion Charge.

Road tolling was proposed by the last Labour Government, but the plans were dropped. However the Coalition Government announced in June that a tolled road to lessen congestion on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge will form part of improvements to the route costing £1.5Bn and planned to start in 2016. For its part the UK Independence Party opposes road tolling and has called for all toll roads to be nationalised.

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