Drivers face £5 toll on motorways into London

Toll lanes may be introduced on motorways around London under a £6 billion congestion-busting scheme announced today.

Motorists could be charged up to £5 a time to use a special lane on the M3 and M4 leading to the M25.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said she would press ahead with turning the hard shoulder into an extra lane on sections of Britain's motorway network.

She confirmed that the M3 and M4 approaching the M25, the M23 junctions 8-10 around Gatwick, as well as the stretches of the M25 between junctions 5-7 and 23-27 had been chosen as "candidates" and detailed work will be carried out on how best to use this extra lane, check it is feasible and consult the public.

Options include using the extra lane for car-sharing vehicles, a blanket toll, a toll for people not carrying passengers in their vehicle - a combination of these - or a crawler lane for lorries and caravans. The special arrangements could be imposed just during peak traffic flows. The toll lanes have been dubbed "Lexus lanes" in America as they are widely used by gas guzzlers.

The scheme is also set to be introduced on the M4 and M5 around Bristol and the M3 and M27 around Southampton. Ms Kelly said: "I am determined to get the best from our road network so that motorists have reliable journey times on roads that are safe and well-managed.

"The greatest barrier to this is congestion. It is frustrating and has serious consequences for the economy and the environment. The £6 billion I am announcing today will allow us to develop and implement more innovative approaches to the way we use our major roads.

" Where we add new capacity through measures like this I am also interested to see what role car-share or tolled lanes could play in helping traffic flow more smoothly - giving motorists a choice about how they make their journeys."

The M25 will also be widened between junctions 16 and 23, and 27 and 30, under the motorway expansion blueprint for the six years until 2014, which will also make more use of advanced motorway signalling.

London will also get £2.1 million to tackle bottlenecks through the Urban Congestion Performance Fund. Motoring groups backed the plan, provided it was brought in safely.

Ms Kelly is also urging the private sector to invest in the new scheme. She highlighted the successful publicprivate partnership on Washington DC's Capital Beltway, which includes two additional lanes offering normal or faster toll lanes.