Transport minister Stephen Ladyman said yesterday that a straightforward scheme in a small town or city was likely to get the nod before bigger experiments in conurbations like the West Midlands or Greater Manchester.

Shrewsbury – through Shropshire County Council – is one of half a dozen areas chosen by the Government to come up with proposals to reduce traffic congestion before plans for national road pricing are introduced in around 2014.

But Mr Ladyman made it clear yesterday that only those schemes which will help the Government come to a conclusion about the way ahead will continue to receive funding.

“You could start off with a simple city area like Durham, Shrewsbury or Cambridge. It would be a much simpler area to cover. It would cost less in alternative transport investment, and it could be delivered much more quickly,” he said.

The Government is expected to announce before the end of the year which schemes will continue to be funded from Whitehall.

But he warned that the Black Country boroughs and Birmingham must speed up their plans if they are to be given further cash.

He said their proposal to introduce a scheme by 2014 was too late because the Government wants to introduce a national scheme the following year.

The transport minister also warned that traffic congestion could not be eased by just throwing money at the problem. He said charging motorists to use the roads was always going to be controversial.

“But we are kidding ourselves and the country if we give people the impression that we have a load of blank cheques to give away,” the minister added.

By London Editor John Hipwood

What do you think of the idea of road pricing? Email your comments by clicking here

YOUR COMMENTS:

I think the idea of road pricing is absolutely disgusting if it was to hit a rural town such as Shrewsbury!!!!! It’s not as bad for cities where there are buses/trams/taxis/underground/trains leaving to go to exactly where you want to, every 5 or 10 minutes across a wide distance of the rural and district area!
However with Shrewsbury, many people have to depend on their car as they are from smaller villages 7 to 15 miles out of town where the ‘council’ transport is completely appalling. There is often a one-hour apart gap from one bus to the next.
The buses are unpredictable as to whether they will be early, on time, late or arrive at all – and the times are not brilliant. The Sunday times are practically non existent also!  
The taxis are getting really expensive as well – and for many areas outside the Shrewsbury area you either depend on your car to get to work or to meet friends or ‘try’ and trust the buses.  
In Shrewsbury it is just as bad also – expensive, unpredictable and half the time there are too many people for the bus and while we all pay an equal amount for a SEAT many are made to stand or have to wait for the next bus . . .
 . . . and you think the population would be able to survive on the pitiful excuse the council call ‘a public service’?????? When they are unable to already???? I don’t think so!!
But I will be damned if I will give my money to a load of money-hungry suits either!!!   The best thing the Shropshire County Council could do is to sort out their services before they even think about adding on  more troubles to there list of duties!!!!   Rant over!
Gemma (An ex-bus user, taxi passenger at the weekends who needs her car to get to work – who finds ‘park and ride’ services out of the way and a nuisance due to time wasting first thing in the morning!)

I gladly welcome congestion charges, the roads are becoming increasely overloaded each year as more and more people obtained their driving licences and compete for road usage. None of this would need to be happening “if the Government had taken the mature attitude twenty years ago” of implementing a waiting list of five to ten years for individuals applying to pass their test.
You cannot, I repeat cannot, keep putting cars on already overcrowded roads and hope that the problem will rectify itself.   But it is still a long way off as the perfect solution to the problem.
There should be a raising of the driving age to 21 and the cutting off age of 70. To achieve this we must all be realistic and make the necessary changes.
The Government then should back this up and initiate a well structured transport system to meet the needs of those that implement these sacrifices.      
P Treacy