Lib Dems illiberal push for road charging
Tuesday, August 6 2013
UKIP Transport Spokesman Mike Nattrass says the Liberal Democrats could be on a journey to electoral oblivion following news the Party is again looking at introducing road charging.
MEP Mike Nattrass, who is a member of the EU’s Transport & Tourism Committee and is UKIP’s Prospective Parliamentary General Election Candidate for Skipton & Ripon, says the Lib Dems will be on a collision course with voters if they push ahead with draconian ‘anti motorist’ policies.
In 2010, Mr Nattrass warned the introduction of charges on British roads would seriously damage the country’s economy and would cast the nation back to Medieval times when the rich charged the poor to travel through their land.
His warning came following the publication of a RAC Foundation report which claimed the introduction of a road pricing system on British roads was “inevitable”.
Now, the Lib Dems have set out a route map for the future of British roads which could see motorists hit with charges in congested areas.
At its forthcoming Autumn Conference the Lib Dems are set to look at proposals including banning petrol and diesel cars from British roads by 2040. Only hybrid and electric vehicles would be allowed to use UK roads.
Commenting this week, UKIP Transport Spokesman Mike Nattrass, said the introduction of road charging would be bad news for motorists and the British economy as a whole.
He said: “The introduction of road charging would simply force up food prices as transportation costs would soar. Roads should be free for all to use and should remain in public ownership.
“You only need to look at the failure of the M6 Toll in the West Midlands. The Toll was designed to relieve congestion on the M6 motorway but escalating toll charges have forced motorists, who already pay road tax, to use other roads.
“More money keeps being ploughed into upgrading the M6 as a result of the Toll’s failure. Congestion needs to be tackled but road charging, (another tax essentially), is not the answer. We need, for instance, further investment in our existing rail infrastructure.”