Road pricing not a new concept for the UK

The RAC Foundation says the introduction of road pricing would be a backward step, and is no substitute for a coherent long-term plan for the maintenance and expansion of the UK’s road network.

• Extra motorway lanes instead of road pricing

The Foundation notes that road pricing has already been tried, when turnpikes were introduced in the 17th Century.

The system placed control of road maintenance in the hands of local parish councils, which were allowed to charge the public a fee to use the stretches of road they looked after.

Revenues generated by turnpikes began to decline as the rail and canal networks grew in the 19th century, which led to the system being abandoned.

The RAC Foundation says some form of modern-day road tolls would only be a good idea if the funds generated were used to maintain and expand the current road network.