Falling revenues from fuel duty associated with more efficient vehicles and a continued growth in electric car sales are likely to prompt the Government to introduce road pricing sooner rather than later, a former Transport Minister predicted yesterday.

 

Steven Norris (pictured), the President of ITS(UK), told delegates to the Traffex show in Birmingham that the £30Bn annual income from fuel receipts is in decline and will lead the Treasury to take action to protect spending across all departments.

 

“The sooner we can introduce road pricing the better,” he said. “Fuel duty contributes not just to transport but schools and hospitals too. If we are going to keep spending on services we see as essential we are going to have to find another source of funding.”

 

He added: “In the past all road pricing was a figment of the imagination and creativity of technologists and was deeply anathema to politicians. Even now politicians say privately that they understand (the issue) but publicly say it is not on the table.”

 

Providing financial incentives through road pricing for motorists to drive outside of peak hours and on more appropriate routes, such as motorways and trunk roads, would allow the highways network to be better managed, he claimed.

 

Steven Norris was challenged to explain how he thought the public will accept a system of road pricing when recent years have seen the people of Edinburgh and Manchester vote against such proposals. He replied that Government needs to be “completely open about the economics”. If you are able to show that the average motorist will not pay any more “you can bring the public with you”, he added.

 

On the subject of Brexit he remarked that the pledge from the Leave campaign to take back control of borders and laws “is an admirable proposition” but said when it comes to migration “we will control our borders, but won’t close them because to do so would be economic suicide".

 

He added that Britain will need a flow of migrant assistance to help the country to deliver not just in the transport profession but in areas including hospitality, advanced engineering and science. On the railways, he went on, the country needs 3400 highly skilled electricians but has 1200. “The rest come (largely) from Spain and Romania and without them HS2 may never be delivered”.

 

He went on to say that fears over cuts to maintenance and renewals on the railways could dissuade the next generation from joining the sector. Continuity of investment allows young people to take an interest in a profession, he added, and “if we are not careful we will find this migrant issue is two way and people go elsewhere” to find work.

 

♦ Also at the Traffex show, CIHT today launched its National Young Professionals Network (NYPN) to give younger persons in the sector an opportunity to come together and discuss key issues and initiatives and make a positive contribution to the work of the Institution at a national level.