‘Road charging in some form is coming’ council leader tells …
“Road charging in some form is coming,” a council leader told a meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority today (Wednesday).
Cllr Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said there was “no other substantial revenue stream” to pay for public transport improvements.
Cllr Smith was talking as the Combined Authority board finally agreed its Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) at the third time of asking.
It was the clearest indication yet that proposals for a road charging policy could yet return at some point, following the defeat in September of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s plan for a weekday congestion charge covering Cambridge amid majority opposition.
The Combined Authority’s LTCP, which is designed to set the overall strategy to “deliver a modern, safe, and integrated transport system” across the region, does not use the words “road charging” or “congestion charge” anywhere.
But it does allude to the prospect, while discussing how to “shift private car use” and encourage people to use more sustainable transport, stating: “It is recognised that fiscal measures could be used to help manage demand and/or generate revenue that can be used to support other sustainable transport measures.
“Where there is local support, we will assist our local authorities in the exploration and appropriate implementation of these as a mechanism to create space and raise revenue which in turn will improve the reliability, speed, and frequency of public transport, as well as funding cheaper tickets. All of these issues have consistently been highlighted as barriers to using bus services.”
Cllr Chris Boden, the Conservative leader of Fenland District Council, told today’s Combined Authority board meeting that he was “grateful” some changes had been made to earlier versions of the LTCP, but said he still could not support the plan.
He claimed it offered a “one size fits all approach” to improving transport across the county, which he felt seemed to relate to the needs of Cambridge.
He said: “As long as we have a report in here that does have that one size fits all in terms of car disappearance, and the road-charging narrative in there, I cannot help feel that we have a continuing war on motorists which I do not believe is appropriate, especially in more rural areas.”
Cllr Smith responded by suggesting keeping reference to road charging options was necessary for “future-proofing”.
She said: “It is perfectly obvious that regardless of the colour of a future government, road charging in some shape or form is coming because there is simply no other substantial revenue stream to pay for the public transport that we hear time and time again is wanted by our residents.
“If we are really to embrace the threat of climate change, it is incumbent on us to deliver. By keeping in road charging in its loosest sense, actually we are doing exactly that - we are future-proofing this document.”
Labour’s Cllr Anna Smith, the deputy mayor and representative from Cambridge City Council, argued the plan was not a way to get “Cambridge ideas across the region”, and said it focused on the whole region.
The LTCP sets out six main goals including helping to increase productivity, improving connectivity between communities, reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, protecting the environment with a “well-planned” transport network, helping people make “healthier journeys” and improving safety.
It calls for investment in active travel infrastructure such as segregated cycleways, major improvements in the bus network and better design and planning measures to help people avoid unnecessary journeys by car.
There is no mention of light rail in the plan.
A decision on whether to approve the plan was originally deferred at the request of the Labour mayor Dr Nik Johnson in May.
The plan was then vetoed by the former leader of Peterborough City Council, Conservative Wayne Fitzgerald, in September.
However, a change in leadership at the council - with Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First) now in charge - meant the mayor was now able to gain the support he needed to get the plan approved.
Additional reporting: Hannah Brown, Local Democracy Reporter