Road user charging

Key dates

2000:

UK Government's Transport Act 2000 gave local authorities power to introduce road-user charging and workplace parking levy schemes.
[www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/roadpricing/]

2002:

Durham County Council began charging £2 for vehicle access to the historic city centre and the approach to Durham's cathedral and castle (1 October).
[www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/web/pages+with+sections/Transport+and+Streets+-+Parking-Durham+Road+User+Charge+Zone]

2003:

UK Government publishes 'Managing our Roads' discussing the pressures on the network and the choices to be made in addressing them, including the issues around implementing road charging.

Start of Central London Congestion Charging scheme (17 February).
[www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/]

Start of Government's DIRECTS research project in to the feasibility of an electronic system for charging drivers to use busy roads in Leeds.
[http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/ltp/major/directsroadchargingresearch]

M6 Toll road comes in to operation.
[www.m6toll.co.uk]

2004:

UK Government publishes Feasibility Study of Road User Charging in the UK (July).
[www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/roadcongestion/]

Formal consultation on introduction of Nottingham Workplace Parking Levy.
[www.nottinghamwpl.com]

London Mayor's Consultation on Westward Extension to Congestion Charging Zone.
[www.tfl.gov.uk]

2005:

Edinburgh City Council Referendum on Congestion Charging Scheme (74.4% of voters came out against the scheme).
[www.tie.ltd.uk]

UK Government sets up £9.5bn Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) to award financial support to local authorities willing to explore viability of introducing road pricing.

UK Government awards £7m of TIF pump-priming money to develop ideas for local packages of road pricing and public transport in:

• Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Council, North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council
• Cambridge
• Durham
• Greater Manchester
• Shropshire County Council (for Shrewsbury)
• Tyne and Wear
• West Midlands conurbation

[www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=179352&NewsAreaID=2]

UK Government sets up Road Pricing Local Liaison Group.

2006:

UK Government announces £10million fund for industry to bid for road user charging technology demonstration projects.

2007:

Westward extension of London congestion charging zone to cover most of Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster (19 February).
[www.london.gov.uk/mayor/congest/western-extension.jsp]