How should we pay for the roads? What will be the impact of mass electric vehicle (EV) adoption? Who do we charge for this societal change? And will there be a big government push as we head towards net zero?
 
So many questions, so little time. To help answer them, Bentley Systems is supporting a new CIHT study into this topic. The process began with a roundtable, counting members from the Transport Planning Society, the Head of Future Mobility, WSP, and the Head of Roads and Freight Policy, Transport for London among its number.
 
Afterwards, we caught up with Mark Coates, senior international director of infrastructure policy advancement, Bentley Systems; Andrew Crudgington, climate change associate, CIHT; and Andy Graham, CIHT technical  champion and managing director at White Willow Consulting, for a quick Q&A about mobility pricing, its role in paying for roads, and the wider benefits it can bring to challenges, such as net zero, congestion, and air quality.

Talk us through the role that CIHT will have in mobility pricing

Andrew Crudgington: “There is a big professional community who've been working on this for years, if not decades. So, I really see our role, as I said a few times, as being a convener, bringing this sort of coalition together. 
 
“In the short term, [we will release] a white paper, which will hopefully articulate clearly the case for road user charging.”
 
Andy Graham: “We want to make sure that any road user charging scheme is not just a way of raising tax. Because we've seen that tried before. I think we must make sure that whatever comes up, it solves a transport problem and not just raises revenue.”

If there is a change in government, do you think that a new party will be more aligned to this kind of scheme?

Mark Coates: “No matter who gets in, it's an issue that we're all going to face in the long term. It's not going to go away. What I did find interesting today was the comparison between the NHS and national highways, both services we pay for but [while] we accept waiting on the motorway, we don't accept it in the NHS.”
 
Andrew: “I suppose you would imagine a Labour government being more willing to be interventionist in this way. Although, several people around the table alluded that they are, at the moment, worried about being seen as anti-motorist. 
 
The conclusion we came to was, perhaps, it may be better to push at what look like open doors in Wales and Scotland.”
 
Andy: “Just to go back many years; the Liberal Democrats had, in their manifesto, a distance-based lorry road usage charge about 13 years ago. They didn't get elected, but they were part of the coalition government. And at that time, a number of us thought, ‘That's good.’ But it never came to fruition.” 

Have we got the technology in place for a successful mobility pricing scheme?

Andy: “Yes, absolutely. The tech that your Uber driver has is a road user charging system. Most people have a mobile phone. We seem to be stuck in this quote that the technology is only a few years away. Technology has been only a few years away for about 10 years, and it's here now.”

How can mobility pricing best be marketed in the U.K. to lessen pushback from the public?

Andy: “I think it’s all about fairness. There are people who are driving electric vehicles that pay very little for their electric charging, because they charge it up at work [and]. if they bought it a few years ago, they even got an incentive to buy it. They’re not paying for their mileage in the same way as people who put diesel or petrol into their tank. So, my personal view [is the scheme] would be about levelling up the costs of using roads.”
 
Mark: “This is going to produce revenue. I think we need to explain what that revenue is going to be used for.”

Do you think there really is a public mood to move towards mass EV adoption?

Andy: “The market is turning. There are more and more affordable EVs coming out, but I'm not convinced that everyone is sold on it yet particularly if you live in a rural area or where you want to tow a caravan.

Mark: “I think it's a time thing. I think now with everybody facing a cost of living crisis, [EV buy-in] has slowed down. But it will come.”

And finally, does the current road structure need to drastically change for mobility pricing to work?

Andy: “Not the physical infrastructure, but the digital modelling of it does. Because if you can't clearly and accurately define which elements of the network you're charging what rates for, then you've got no hope of ever keeping your charges defensible in court.”
 
If you wish to get involved in this vital project, please contact: technical@ciht.org.uk.

Mark Coates is the senior international director of infrastructure policy advancement at Bentley Systems, working with governmental, financial, legal, and leading sector organisations to consult on digital transformation strategies in the construction and infrastructure industry. 

CIHT Statement

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the CIHT or its members. Neither the CIHT nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Image: M1 motorway at sunset; Image credit: Shutterstock