Drivers face £1.34-a-mile charge

DRIVERS could pay up to £1.34 a mile in road charges as a replacement for fuel tax, the Government has admitted.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said change was essential if Britain was to avoid 'LA-style gridlock'.

Under the proposals, all cars and lorries would have to be fitted with a 'black box' which would track their journeys via a satellite system.

A feasibility study carried out last year suggested that charges could range from 2p a mile on rural roads to £1.34 a mile for peak-time journeys on the busiest roads and motorways.

Although the system could not be introduced for at least a decade, Mr Darling said decisions would have to be made in the current Parliament on whether to proceed with the scheme.

He said he intended to present a Bill before the next General Election to establish a pilot project in a large urban area, such as Greater Manchester or the West Midlands, within the next five to six years. 'If we don't do anything it's pretty clear to me, when you look at all the trends, we would face complete gridlock,' he said.

Mr Darling - who will set out his thinking in a speech on Thursday - acknowledged that he would need to build a consensus over the course of the next Parliament if the scheme were to win public acceptance.

But he emphasised the new charges would replace fuel tax - dramatically cutting the price of petrol - and also, possibly, road tax.