Group to air views of drivers
A Shropshire road pricing campaigner Peter Roberts whose online petition gained more than 1.8 million signatures is launching a national pressure group to give a voice to drivers. A Shropshire road pricing campaigner Peter Roberts whose online petition gained more than 1.8 million signatures is launching a national pressure group to give a voice to drivers. The reader debate is now closed - thank you for all your comments Mr Roberts, of Telford, hopes that at least half a million people will join the Drivers' Alliance by the end of the year. He is creating the internet-based organisation to give members a forum to discuss ways of pressuring the Government in a bid to secure better use of the £50 billion a year raised from motoring taxes. Mr Roberts, who has given up his account manager job to concentrate on the organisation, said he had been thinking of setting it up for a while and had been turning the idea into reality over the last three months. Visit http://driversalliance.org.uk Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
A Shropshire road pricing campaigner Peter Roberts whose online petition gained more than 1.8 million signatures is launching a national pressure group to give a voice to drivers.Mr Roberts, of Telford, hopes that at least half a million people will join the Drivers' Alliance by the end of the year.
He is creating the internet-based organisation to give members a forum to discuss ways of pressuring the Government in a bid to secure better use of the £50 billion a year raised from motoring taxes.
Mr Roberts, who has given up his account manager job to concentrate on the organisation, said he had been thinking of setting it up for a while and had been turning the idea into reality over the last three months.
He said while there were lobbying groups for lorry drivers and motorcyclists there was not a truly representative membership lobbying group for motorists.
Mr Roberts said two of the key areas would be congestion charging and road pricing. He added that as far as he was concerned roads were a "national asset" paid for by the public.
"They are not for the Government to sell off to private companies. They are there as custodians," he said.
He added his new group was not there to "pick a fight" with politicians.
"We are not just petrol-heads and lunatics. We realise we need to build bridges with the Government," he went on.
He admitted the Government was likely to be suspicious about the organisation but said: "We have a huge amount of public support and it's fair to say road users are absolutely fed up with the way they are being treated and with the huge amount of tax they pay.
"Why should anyone have to pay a congestion charge to use a highways infrastructure that our parents and grandparents paid for?"
He added: "We are wholly committed to maximising safety on our roads and promoting realistic and constructive policies that reduce the environment impact of road use while seeking to ease congestion."
The Drivers' Alliance will be a limited company and Mr Roberts said any profits would go back into it.
Visit http://driversalliance.org.uk
By Lisa Rowley
